CostCatch

Interactive checklists that catch every overlooked expense before you bid

Score: 7.6/10UGEasy BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

Small construction business owners incur consistent project losses from inaccurate job costing and bidding due to overlooked expenses.

Solution

CostCatch provides job-specific checklists with mandatory fields for all common oversights like disposal fees and contingencies. As you fill it out, it auto-calculates totals and highlights incomplete sections. Generate bids only when nothing's missed, backed by customizable templates.

Target Audience

Small construction business owners

Differentiator

Enforced checklists prevent human error, not just suggestions

Brand Voice

supportive

Features

Checklist Builder

must-have12h

Select job type for pre-filled checklist

Mandatory Validation

must-have15h

Blocks bid gen until all sections complete

Auto-Totaling

must-have8h

Real-time cost summation with subtotals

Template Library

must-have10h

50+ pre-built for common jobs

Bid Export

must-have12h

Clean PDF with checklist summary

Progress Tracker

nice-to-have6h

Visual completion %

Custom Categories

nice-to-have8h

Add your own expense types

Share Checklists

nice-to-have10h

Invite team to review

Total Build Time: 81 hours

Database Schema

users

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
emailtextNo
nametextYes
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • checklists.user_id -> users.id

checklists

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo
template_iduuidYes
statustextNo
total_costintYes

Relationships:

  • items.checklist_id -> checklists.id

items

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
checklist_iduuidNo
categorytextNo
amountintYes
completedboolNo

templates

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
nametextNo
job_typetextNo

API Endpoints

POST
/api/checklists

Create checklist from template

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/checklists/:id/validate

Check completeness and total

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/checklists/:id/export

Generate PDF

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/templates

List templates

PUT
/api/items/:checklistId

Update item

🔒 Auth Required

Tech Stack

Frontend
Next.js 14 + Tailwind + shadcn/ui
Backend
Next.js API routes
Database
Supabase Postgres
Auth
Supabase Auth
Payments
Stripe
Hosting
Vercel
Additional Tools
pdfmake

Build Timeline

Week 1: Auth and templates

18h
  • Templates DB
  • List/create checklists

Week 2: Checklist editor

22h
  • Items CRUD
  • Validation

Week 3: Totals and export

20h
  • Real-time calc
  • PDF

Week 4: UI/UX polish

15h
  • Progress bars
  • Mobile responsive

Week 5: Payments and share

12h
  • Stripe
  • Basic share

Week 6: Test/deploy

10h
  • Tests
  • Landing

Week 7: Nice features

8h
  • Custom cats
  • Tracker
Total Timeline: 7 weeks • 105 hours

Pricing Tiers

Free

$0/mo

No custom/export

  • 3 checklists/mo
  • Basic templates

Pro

$30/mo
  • Unlimited
  • Custom templates
  • Exports

Enterprise

$89/mo

10 users

  • All + sharing
  • Priority support

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 14010%$120$1,440
Month 625015%$1,125$13,500

Unit Economics

$35
CAC
$360
LTV
4%
Churn
90%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 10.3xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

Never Miss a Cost Again in Your Bids

CostCatch checklists ensure complete, accurate estimates every time

Feature Highlights

Job-specific checklists
Mandatory completion
Auto-calculations
Pro PDF bids

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"Caught $2k oversight - Local Builders Inc."
"Simple and effective - Joe's Crew"

First Three Customers

Share Figma mockups in Facebook construction groups for feedback. Offer lifetime Pro to first 3 validators. Cold email from Upwork contractor lists.

Launch Channels

Product Huntr/smallbusinessr/ConstructionManagersHacker NewsLinkedIn

SEO Keywords

construction estimating checklistbid preparation softwareavoid construction bid mistakesjob cost checklist tool

Competitive Analysis

Method.me

method.me
$50+/mo
Strength

Estimating templates

Weakness

No enforcement

Our Advantage

Mandatory validation

$49+/mo
Strength

Scheduling

Weakness

Weak on checklists

Our Advantage

Bidding-focused

🏰 Moat Strategy

Growing library of user-validated templates

⏰ Why Now?

Labor shortages amplify need for error-proof processes

Risks & Mitigation

executionlow severity

Template quality

Mitigation

Seed with expert input

marketmedium severity

Habit change

Mitigation

Free onboarding videos

Validation Roadmap

pre-build5 days

Survey 15 owners on pain

Success: 80% cite oversights

mvp10 days

10 beta testers

Success: 8 complete bids

growth30 days

SEO content

Success: 50 organic users

Pivot Options

  • Generic small biz checklists
  • Subcontractor focus

Quick Stats

Build Time
105h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$1,000
Market Size
$4500.0M
Features
8
Database Tables
4
API Endpoints
5