How a Paul Davis operator cut restoration estimate time to minutes
Property restoration has always forced a trade-off: fast estimates or accurate ones. Mark Gunthner, a restoration operator with Paul Davis, rebuilt his workflow around accurate field data captured with iGuide.
Speed versus accuracy in restoration estimating
Mark Gunthner runs restoration operations within the Paul Davis network. His teams document fire and water losses, build scopes and produce the estimates that move claims forward.
In restoration, speed and accuracy have historically pulled against each other. Faster estimates carried more risk. More precise estimates meant delays. As cycle time becomes a core performance metric and more claims move to remote review, that pressure keeps climbing.
"The industry has a real problem getting accurate estimates up fast."
The real cost of recreated field measurements
On any loss, the inputs for an estimate are simple: documentation, measurements and scope. The problem is how those inputs get created and connected. In a typical workflow they are handled separately. Photos are captured on site. Measurements are recreated later. Sketches are built on their own. Scope is interpreted by hand. Every handoff adds interpretation, and every gap adds risk.
When measurements are inconsistent, the effect compounds. Claims slow down, estimates get challenged and supplements pile up. A straightforward estimate turns into a back-and-forth between contractor and carrier.
To do an estimate, you need photos, scope and sketch. Getting that done quickly with traditional methods is almost impossible.
Mark GunthnerOwner and President, Paul Davis Restoration, Long IslandAccurate field data you can build an estimate on
Mark focused on the field data first. Across more than 25 properties, his team tested measurement and sketching tools in the conditions restoration actually happens in: cluttered rooms, fire damage, low light and partial visibility. iGuide held up. It captured accurate measurements in a single visit, without extra work in the field. He then connected that data to CloudScope, so scope and line items flow straight into the estimate.
"iGuide gives us the measurements. CloudScope gives us the scope. Together, that's the estimate."
Accurate measurements
Captured with LiDAR in one visit. 0.5 percent or less typical distance measurement uncertainty.
Dimensioned floor plans
Ready to feed scope directly, with no measurements to recreate after the visit.
Visual documentation
A complete photo record of the loss, revisitable without a return trip.
CloudScope scope
Structured field data becomes standardized line items, ready to move into estimating.
From site capture to finished estimate
Days to minutes
Estimate prep that took 24 to 48 hours now takes minutes.
Fewer estimate supplements
Complete field data leaves fewer gaps for adjusters to question.
Measurements you can defend
Consistent accuracy tested across 25+ real restoration jobs, not empty rooms.
Less rework
No recreating measurements or rebuilding sketches after the site visit.
Cutting claim cycle time without cutting corners
With reliable data captured at the source, the estimate becomes a direct output of the job site. There is no reconstructing measurements, no rebuilding sketches, no waiting on separate vendors. Cycle time that ran 24 to 48 hours now runs in minutes, and estimates move through review with fewer follow-up questions.
The bigger shift is trust. As more claims move to desk review, adjusters weigh the file, not the site visit. A complete, verifiable record holds up under that scrutiny. Fewer supplements, fewer disputes and a process Mark's team can repeat on every loss.
"I now trust iGuide's measurements more than human measurements."
Cycle time cut to minutes
Estimate work that once took one to two days now starts as soon as capture ends.
Estimates that hold up
Complete field data means fewer supplements and fewer challenges once the file reaches desk review.
A process that scales
One repeatable workflow every technician can run, on every loss, in any field condition.
Why desk review demands better documentation
Mark's team is still testing, still measuring tools against real losses rather than empty rooms. The workflow built on iGuide and CloudScope is becoming the standard for how every estimate starts.
As desk review spreads and adjusters lean harder on the file, accuracy stops being a differentiator and becomes the baseline. The operators who build it into the workflow now will be the ones whose estimates hold up later.
Restoration estimates you can defend
In restoration, the estimate is only as strong as the data behind it. Accurate field data means faster cycle time, fewer supplements and estimates that hold up under desk review. See how iGuide gives your team a record that does not need a second trip to verify.
"Carriers should be demanding this level of accuracy. And they will."
Document claims faster and with fewer errors.
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