How to Get a Framing Bid That Doesn’t Move
The accuracy of a framing bid is decided before the framer ever sees the job — by what you hand them. Here’s what GMR needs to give you a number that holds, and why each piece matters.
1. A complete plan set
Floor plans, elevations, and sections. A bid from a sketch is a guess; a bid from a complete architectural set is a commitment. If the plans are still in progress, say so — we’ll tell you what’s missing before it costs you.
2. Structural engineering
In coastal Georgia and South Carolina wind zones, the structural sheets — beam sizes, shear-wall locations, connector and strapping schedules — are where the real framing cost lives. Engineered lumber packages and wind-zone hardware are priced from the sealed engineering, not the floor plan. No engineering yet? We can still give a preliminary range, clearly labeled as one.
3. Site realities
Lot access for lumber drops and crane time for trusses, slab vs. crawlspace vs. elevated foundation, and whether the site is in a flood zone — each changes crew time. A ten-minute conversation about the site prevents the surprise change order later.
4. Your schedule
When do you need dried-in? Production builders: what’s the cycle time and how many starts per month? Schedule shapes crew assignment, and crew assignment shapes price. GMR commits to dates in writing in the bid.
What you get back
An itemized structural framing bid — scope, inclusions and exclusions, hardware, milestone dates — typically within days, not weeks. Read our standard scope of work to see how the bid is structured, and what drives framing cost to understand the number.