Case study
How a Southern California roofing company expanded estimating capacity with a remote cost estimator
A Southern California roofing company faced a surge in estimating requests after local fires increased demand for roofing, painting, and construction work. The company partnered with Global Squirrels to hire a full time bilingual remote estimator from Mexico. Global Squirrels handled sourcing, screening, contracts, onboarding, payroll, and HR support, adding 40 hours of weekly estimating capacity during California business hours.
Executive summary: Scaling estimating support during a demand spike
A family-owned roofing company in Southern California had operated successfully for more than 37 years. Following the Altadena fires, however, the business experienced a sudden increase in requests from contractors and property owners who needed plan readings, material estimates, roofing proposals, and related construction quotes.
The company also operated construction and painting divisions, which meant incoming requests were not limited to roofing. Customers were asking for drywall estimates, painting estimates, measurements, and broader project support.
With a small internal team managing three business lines, estimating quickly became a bottleneck.
The company partnered with Global Squirrels to hire a full-time remote cost estimator with experience reading architectural plans, preparing material takeoffs, and supporting construction proposals.
Because communication with Spanish-speaking crews was also valuable, the company prioritized bilingual talent from Mexico.
Through Global Squirrels, the business hired a dedicated remote estimator working California-friendly hours for approximately $1,500 to $1,700 per month.
The result was an additional 40 hours of estimating capacity each week, stronger coverage during a period of unusually high demand, and a more scalable way to manage future roofing and construction workloads without immediately expanding the local office.
About client: Established California roofing and construction business
The challenge: Too many estimates for a small team to process
The business had built its reputation over decades, but the sudden rise in projects following local fires created an unusual capacity problem.
Contractors were sending architectural plans and requesting estimates faster than the existing team could process them.
Each project required careful plan reading, measurements, material calculations, and pricing preparation. Errors could affect project margins, purchasing requirements, and customer proposals, so simply processing estimates faster was not enough. Accuracy still mattered.
The workload was also expanding beyond roofing.
Because the company operated multiple divisions, the estimator could receive requests involving roofing materials one day and painting, drywall, or broader construction requirements the next.
Hiring locally would have added significant overhead during a period when the long-term volume of work was still uncertain.
The company therefore needed a flexible staffing solution that could provide immediate estimating capacity while allowing management to adjust the structure later if demand stabilized.
The solution: A full time bilingual estimator from Mexico
Global Squirrels helped the company define the position around the actual work being performed rather than using a generic estimator job description.
The ideal candidate needed to:
- Read architectural and construction plans accurately
- Perform measurements and material takeoffs
- Create organized material lists
- Assist with roofing and construction estimates
- Support proposal preparation
- Understand tools commonly used for plan review and estimating
- Communicate effectively with the internal team and field crews
Experience with platforms such as Bluebeam or AutoCAD was considered valuable because these skills could help the employee adapt quickly to the client’s existing estimating workflow.
Bilingual Spanish capability was another priority.
Mexico became the preferred hiring market because it offered both cost advantages and strong working-hour overlap with California. The selected employment structure provided the business with a full-time employee at approximately $1,500 to $1,700 per month while keeping the employee available during the company’s normal working day.
Global Squirrels handled recruitment support, contracts, payroll administration, compliance, and ongoing employment administration while the roofing company remained responsible for training, priorities, daily assignments, and performance management.
How the hiring process runs: From job request to estimating support
The hiring process started by documenting the role, required estimating experience, preferred software knowledge, working hours, language requirements, and expected start date.
Global Squirrels then screened candidates for relevant experience before presenting qualified profiles.
Instead of requiring the client to review a large volume of applications, the recruitment process focused on a shortlist of approximately three candidates. Candidate information included resumes and additional profile summaries to make comparison easier.
The client then interviewed the shortlisted professionals directly.
This gave the roofing company an opportunity to test practical knowledge around plan reading, takeoffs, construction measurements, communication, and estimating workflows before selecting the preferred candidate.
After the final candidate was approved, Global Squirrels coordinated the employment agreement, confidentiality requirements, payroll setup, onboarding documentation, and related compliance processes.
The employee became dedicated to the client and worked directly with its team.
Timesheets were submitted twice each month for client review. The company could monitor working hours, approve submitted time, and maintain visibility into payroll while Global Squirrels managed the administrative process.
Results: 40 hours of dedicated estimating capacity each week
The remote hiring model gave the business a practical way to increase estimating capacity during a critical period.
40 additional estimating hours each week
Hiring a full-time estimator added approximately 40 hours of dedicated weekly capacity for reviewing plans, preparing takeoffs, organizing material requirements, and assisting with proposals.
Hiring remained within the target budget
The company secured bilingual talent from Mexico within its preferred monthly range of approximately $1,500 to $1,700.
This gave the business access to specialized estimating support without immediately adding another traditional local hire.
Better coverage across multiple divisions
The estimator was not limited to one narrow function. As workloads changed, management could assign estimating and project support tasks across roofing, painting, and construction operations.
California working-hour alignment
Hiring from Mexico provided strong time zone compatibility. The estimator could communicate with management and crews during active business hours instead of relying heavily on delayed, asynchronous communication.
Greater staffing flexibility
The company initially chose a full-time structure to improve continuity and employee retention.
If project volume decreases over time, the working arrangement can be reviewed after the employee has become familiar with the company’s systems, projects, and expectations.
Testimonial: More estimating capacity when we needed it most
Why companies choose Global Squirrels
For small and growing businesses, hiring challenges are often caused by capacity rather than a lack of opportunities.
Global Squirrels helps companies access skilled remote professionals while simplifying the administrative work involved in international employment.
Businesses can use Global Squirrels to recruit talent, onboard employees, manage contracts, process payroll, support compliance, track timesheets, and coordinate employee offboarding when necessary.
At the same time, employers retain direct control over the employee’s responsibilities, training, schedule, priorities, and daily performance.
For this Southern California roofing company, the model created a practical middle ground between overloading the existing team and immediately increasing local overhead.
The company gained a dedicated remote cost estimator, expanded weekly estimating capacity, maintained California working-hour coverage, and kept monthly employment costs within its original budget.
For construction, roofing, and other project-driven businesses experiencing sudden growth, building a global team can provide the specialized capacity needed to keep opportunities moving.
Build estimating capacity without increasing local overhead.
Hire skilled remote cost estimators for architectural plan review, material takeoffs, proposal preparation, and project support. Global Squirrels manages recruitment, onboarding, payroll, and HR administration while your team stays focused on projects and customers.