Ester - the AI tool for quoting and estimating

Meet Ester, Your Plumbing, Gasfitting & Drainage Estimator

Ester is your dedicated estimating assistant for plumbing, gasfitting, and drainlaying projects. It takes the hard work out of the numbers by turning building plans into quotes, saving you time so you can focus on what really matters.

What Ester Does for You

• Reviews your plans: Upload a building plan and Ester gets right to work analysing fixture layouts, drainage runs, hot water systems and more.
• Estimate labour: Using standard benchmarks Ester quickly calculates realistic labour times.
• Add materials and fittings: A 40% labour allowance is automatically included to cover pipes, valves and fittings, with the option to include front-of-wall fixtures if required. 
• Calculate costs: Ester applies your hourly rate and industry standard markups for a complete estimate, upload your own pricing files for even more accuracy.
• Generate a spreadsheet: Get a clean, editable spreadsheet with organised tabs.

Watch the video below for a tutorial

About Ester

Get the best experience

Ester is a bot that has been custom built and lives inside Chat GPT. You will need a Chat GPT account to use it. We recommend having a paid subscription to Chat GPT to protect the information that you upload into Ester and for better performance.

The business plan starts at $25USD /month. The personal "Plus" plan starts at $20USD/month. 

How it works

Ester is designed to read building plans and estimate the total costs for the job. Simply upload your building plans and confirm your hourly rate, Ester will ask any follow up questions if necessary.

Costs

Ester is a monthly charge of $50+GST, payable exclusively by Direct Debit.

Disclaimer

We do our best to keep Ester accurate and running smoothly, but we can’t promise it’ll always be error-free or available. Estimates aren’t guaranteed to be accurate, and Master Plumbers isn’t responsible for any loss, cost, or damage from using Ester or relying on its results. Use it at your own risk.

Ester Terms and Conditions

FAQ

What types of plans can I upload?

PDF building plans are best, but clear photos or scans of layouts will work too.

What if I don't want to use my exact hourly rate?

You can use a ballpark figure, the spreadsheet updates automatically if you change it later.

Does Ester include fixture supply costs?

By default, Ester excludes the supply of front-of-wall fixtures, like taps, basins, and toilets, but it can include them if you choose to.

What kind of output do I get?

You’ll receive a detailed, formula-driven Excel sheet that breaks down all labour, materials, and markups.

Is this suitable for commercial jobs?

Ester is designed for NZ residential work, but it can be adapted for small commercial or light industrial projects.

How accurate are the estimates?

Estimates are based on 2025 standard NZ labour rates and installation times, with a 30% buffer applied when measuring pipe lengths. You can fine-tune any value in the Excel file.

How long does it take to get a quote?

Most quotes are ready within minutes once your plans are uploaded and details confirmed.

Can others see the information that I put into Ester?

No. Once you are logged into your ChatGPT account, your conversations with Ester will be saved there and only accessible by you.

How do I cancel my Ester subscription?

You can cancel anytime. Your cancellation will take effect 30 days from the date we receive your email, and any scheduled payments during that notice period will still be charged as normal. You'll still have full access to Ester until the cancellation takes effect.

To cancel your subscription, simply email us at [email protected].

Include:

• Your full name
• Your company name
• That you’d like to cancel your subscription