Estimating Software for the People Who Build America
Nauset AI builds one AI estimating engine, delivered two ways: ProjectIQ™ for the 3.7 million small contractors who run their business from a truck, and TakeoffIQ™ for the independent lumber & building materials dealers who supply them. Tools as powerful as what the big companies build in-house — delivered the way this industry actually works.
What We Build
Two products, one engine, one connected network — homeowners, contractors, and the local yard.
ProjectIQ™ — for contractors
Text a job, get a professional estimate with a full materials list in minutes. SMS-first, works on any phone, priced for a one-truck business. Learn more →
TakeoffIQ™ — for LBM dealers
The same estimating engine, delivered through the independent yard: AI takeoffs at the pro desk and a project planner for homeowners. Learn more →
Why We Exist
Nauset AI was founded by Rob Lepard, an MIT-trained engineer (EECS) with 20+ years building enterprise systems — ERP integrations, cloud migrations, and AI automation for defense and manufacturing companies. The systems he shipped ran factories and supply chains.
He started Nauset after watching contractors — friends, family, neighbors on Cape Cod — lose money every week to slow estimates, missed follow-ups, and admin chaos. The tools that could fix it were built for office managers, not for someone standing in a driveway with a phone.
That standard drives everything we ship: a trustworthy estimate that a contractor can edit beats a flashy one that's wrong, and technology should reinforce personal service — never replace it.
Engineering-grade foundations
MIT EECS (M.Eng. + B.S.) and two decades of enterprise systems experience behind every estimate the platform produces.
Built with the trades, not just for them
ProjectIQ is shaped by feedback from working contractors — remodelers, plumbers, landscapers — on real jobs, since the first estimate.
Rooted in the independent yard
TakeoffIQ is designed with the family-owned dealer in mind — the businesses that compete on service, relationships, and community.
We Run on the Same AI We Sell
The ProjectIQ platform, this website, our market research, and our product strategy are all built with the same AI tooling we put in our customers' hands. It's why we can ship at the pace of a much larger company — and it's the same leverage we bring to a one-truck contractor or a three-location yard.
AI does the heavy lifting. People make the calls. Every estimate is editable, every action is confirmable, and nothing goes to your customer without your say-so. That's the deal.
The mission
The people who build and supply America's homes deserve tools as good as the ones big companies build for themselves — delivered the way they actually work.
Built for builders. And their suppliers.
Contractor tired of losing jobs to slow estimates? Dealer watching big box own the first step of every project? Let's talk.