Fortuna Fire Station construction estimate for drywall, framing, insulation and painting

Fortuna Fire Station Construction Estimate, USVI

The Fortuna Fire Station Construction Estimate provides a detailed look at the costs and quantities associated with this public construction project in the U.S. Virgin Islands. 
A missed quantity, incomplete scope, or unrealistic labor allowance can affect the competitiveness of a bid and ultimately the project’s profitability.

The Fortuna Fire Station project in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, provides a useful example of how detailed trade-specific estimating can break a complex public project into measurable scopes and bid-ready costs.

The estimating work for this project included wall and ceiling framing, insulation, drywall, acoustic ceiling systems, interior painting, exterior painting, and site painting. Rather than treating the project as a single lump-sum number, the work was separated into individual scopes so quantities, materials, labor, and pricing could be evaluated more systematically.

This approach is particularly valuable for contractors working on public, commercial, and institutional projects where bid documents require careful scope review.

Fortuna Fire Station Construction Estimate for Contractors

The Fortuna Fire Station project is identified in the estimating documents as a public project located at No. 3C-C-1 Estate Fortuna, West End, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

The building has a reported gross internal area of approximately 8,446 square feet, with a covered area of approximately 7,734.8 square feet in the drywall and framing estimate.

Two major estimating packages were prepared for the project:

  • Wall and ceiling framing, insulation, drywall, and ceiling systems
  • Interior, exterior, and site painting

The estimates also separated the main building envelope work from the safe room scope, allowing the additional work to be evaluated independently.

For contractors preparing competitive bids, this type of scope separation makes it easier to identify exactly what is included, compare subcontractor pricing, and review individual trades before submitting the final proposal.

Drywall & Metal Framing Estimate

One of the largest scopes in the Fortuna Fire Station estimate involved partition walls, metal stud framing, insulation, drywall, and ceiling systems.

The main partition-wall scope included:

  • 2-1/2-inch metal studs
  • 3-5/8-inch metal studs
  • Fiberglass insulation
  • 5/8-inch gypsum board
  • 5/8-inch moisture-resistant board
  • 5/8-inch moisture-resistant cement board
  • Level 04 drywall finish

The estimated cost for this primary partition-wall scope was approximately $110,393, before the additional project-level tax and bid adjustments shown in the estimating worksheet.

The estimate also included approximately $29,250 for drywall ceilings, covering the suspension system and gypsum board with a Level 04 finish.

Another important component was the acoustic tile ceiling system, estimated at approximately $17,808, including the suspension system and acoustic ceiling tiles.

Together, these scopes demonstrate why drywall estimating is more than simply measuring wall square footage. A complete estimate needs to distinguish between different board types, framing sizes, insulation requirements, finishing levels, and ceiling assemblies.

For contractors bidding similar work, detailed drywall estimating services can help organize these assemblies into measurable quantities and bid-ready pricing.

Why the Drywall Finish Level Matters

The Fortuna Fire Station estimate specifically calls for a Level 04 finish.

Finish levels can have a direct effect on material quantities, labor requirements, and installation productivity. Estimators therefore need to identify the specified finish level rather than applying a generic drywall allowance.

The scope also distinguishes standard gypsum board from moisture-resistant and cement board applications. These materials cannot simply be priced as one generic drywall item because their material costs and installation requirements can differ.

This is where a detailed construction quantity takeoff becomes important.

The estimator must determine:

  1. Which wall assemblies are required.
  2. What type and thickness of board is specified.
  3. Where moisture-resistant or cement board is required.
  4. Which framing sizes are needed.
  5. Where insulation is included.
  6. What finish level is specified.
  7. Which ceiling systems are part of the scope.
  8. Whether special assemblies require additional labor or materials.

Construction Estimating Co.’s approach to drywall and sheetrock estimating is structured around this type of trade-specific scope review, including gypsum board, metal framing, insulation, finishing levels, and related accessories.

Safe Room Estimating

The project also contained a separate safe room scope.

For the drywall and framing estimate, the safe room included:

  • 3-5/8-inch metal stud framing
  • Fiberglass insulation
  • 5/8-inch gypsum board
  • 5/8-inch moisture-resistant board
  • Drywall ceiling suspension system
  • Gypsum board ceiling with Level 04 finish

The safe room portion had a reported total bid amount of approximately $32,569 including the 5% GRT shown in the worksheet.

Separating this work from the main building scope is useful because specialized rooms can contain different assemblies and requirements from the rest of a building.

For public construction bidding, identifying these differences early can reduce the risk of carrying an overly broad allowance or overlooking a specialized portion of the plans.

Painting Estimate for the Fortuna Fire Station

Painting represented another major trade package for the project.

The painting estimate divided the work into interior painting, exterior painting, safe room painting, and site painting.

Interior Painting

The interior painting scope covered:

  • Interior gypsum board walls
  • Interior masonry walls
  • Interior gypsum board ceilings
  • Metal exposed ceilings
  • Interior doors
  • Rolling doors

The main interior painting scope was estimated at approximately $56,024.

This illustrates why painting takeoffs need to account for more than wall area. Doors, ceilings, exposed metal surfaces, masonry, and different substrate conditions can all affect labor and material requirements.

Exterior Painting

The exterior painting scope included:

  • Exterior walls with plaster finish
  • Exterior composite panel cladding at the canopy

The main exterior painting scope was estimated at approximately $16,950.

Exterior painting can require different preparation, access, production assumptions, and coating requirements compared with interior work. Separating these areas helps create a more defensible painting bid.

Contractors looking for trade-specific support can review the company’s painting estimating services and related estimating capabilities for interior and exterior painting scopes.

Site Painting

The project also included a separate site-painting scope for painted exterior strips.

The worksheet carried a site painting amount of approximately $3,913 before the 5% GRT shown in the estimate, demonstrating how relatively small specialty scopes can still be identified and priced separately rather than disappearing into a general painting allowance.

For contractors, this level of detail can be important during bid review because small line items can accumulate into significant scope gaps when they are omitted from the estimate.

Breaking a Public Project Into Trade-Specific Estimates

The Fortuna Fire Station project demonstrates an important principle in construction estimating: the quality of the final bid depends heavily on how thoroughly the project is broken down before pricing begins.

Instead of starting with a single overall construction allowance, the estimate identifies individual work packages and assigns quantities, labor, and material costs to those scopes.

This makes it easier to review:

  • Material quantities
  • Labor requirements
  • Installation productivity
  • Trade-specific costs
  • Project allowances
  • Overhead and profit
  • Tax or GRT
  • Main building versus specialized areas

Construction Estimating Co. describes its estimating process as beginning with plan and specification review, followed by detailed takeoffs and pricing before delivery of a bid-ready estimate. Its construction takeoff guide also explains why accurate quantity measurement forms the foundation of a construction estimate.

Why Accurate Takeoffs Matter for Contractors

A construction takeoff converts drawings and specifications into measurable quantities.

For a project such as the Fortuna Fire Station, that can mean measuring and identifying everything from metal studs and gypsum board to insulation, ceiling systems, paintable surfaces, doors, and exterior finishes.

If quantities are too low, the contractor may win the bid but discover that the actual cost of completing the work is higher than anticipated.

If quantities are too high, the bid may become unnecessarily expensive and less competitive.

That is why contractors need estimates that are both accurate and buildable.

Construction Estimating Co. provides construction estimating services for U.S. contractors with trade-specific takeoffs, labor and material pricing, and bid-ready cost breakdowns designed around actual construction execution.

Supporting Public Construction Bids

Public projects require particular attention to bid documents, specifications, scope requirements, and submission deadlines.

The Fortuna Fire Station estimate was identified as a public project, making careful scope review especially important.

Construction Estimating Co. provides dedicated public works estimating services for contractors bidding federal, state, municipal, and institutional projects.

A structured public works estimate can help contractors review the project scope before committing to a bid and identify potential gaps between drawings, specifications, and the priced work.

From Quantity Takeoff to Bid-Ready Estimate

The purpose of a professional estimate is not simply to produce a number.

A useful estimate should help a contractor understand what is being built, how much material is required, how much labor is needed, and what the work should cost.

For a project involving several finish trades, the process can be summarized as:

1. Review the Plans and Specifications

The estimator reviews architectural drawings, details, schedules, specifications, and available bid information.

2. Identify the Scope

Each trade is separated into measurable work items. For the Fortuna Fire Station, this included framing, insulation, drywall, ceilings, painting, and site painting.

3. Perform the Quantity Takeoff

Materials and measurable work quantities are extracted from the project documents.

4. Apply Labor and Material Pricing

The quantities are converted into costs using labor productivity assumptions and applicable material pricing.

5. Review the Estimate

The estimate is checked for missing scope, duplicated quantities, specialized assemblies, and other potential discrepancies.

6. Prepare the Bid

The final information is organized into a format that contractors can use for bid submission, internal review, and comparison with subcontractor pricing.

Final Takeaway

The Fortuna Fire Station project is a good example of why trade-specific construction estimating matters on public and commercial projects.

The work involved substantially different scopes from metal stud framing and fiberglass insulation to Level 04 drywall, acoustic ceilings, interior painting, exterior coatings, and site painting. Treating each scope separately made it possible to develop a more detailed picture of the project’s requirements and costs.

For contractors, accurate estimating is ultimately about more than winning a bid. It is about submitting a number that is competitive while still reflecting the actual work required to complete the project.

Whether you are bidding a fire station, commercial building, tenant improvement, public facility, or another construction project, professional construction cost estimating services and detailed material takeoffs can help reduce missed scope, improve bid confidence, and support better pricing decisions.

If you have an upcoming bid, Construction Estimating Co. provides bid support for general contractors and subcontractors, including detailed quantity takeoffs, labor and material pricing, and bid-ready estimates.