Overview
ConstructionAI is a custom fine-tuned large language model built specifically for construction cost estimation. Trained on 18,000+ curated examples covering residential and commercial trades, it generates detailed line-item estimates with material quantities, labor hours, and market-adjusted pricing. Currently scaling to 500K+ training examples via synthetic data distillation.
The Challenge
No existing AI model understands construction pricing at the line-item level. Generic LLMs hallucinate costs and miss trade-specific nuances like regional labor rates, material waste factors, and code requirements.
The Solution
Built a full training pipeline: curated real-world estimation data, generated synthetic examples via distillation from larger models, fine-tuned Llama 3.1 8B with custom hyperparameters, and deployed on RunPod Serverless at ~$0.002 per estimate.