Price it in Claude or ChatGPT

If you have sketched a house, ADU, garage or cabin in a chat with an AI assistant, the assistant can now price its cold-formed steel frame with Gage: a real number from the nearest Gage fabricator that can build it. If you want to go ahead, it can start your Gage project too. You don't need an account, an API key or a sign-in.

#Connect Gage

The server address is:

https://buildwithgage.com/mcp

Claude. In your settings, add a custom connector. Paste the address as the URL and leave authentication off. Then start a chat and describe your building.

ChatGPT. In ChatGPT's settings, add a new connector with the address and no authentication. Then ask about your building in a new chat.

Grok, Cursor, VS Code and other MCP clients. Add a custom connector (MCP server) with the same address and no authentication. Developer setups for each client are on the MCP server page.

Gage is also listed in the official MCP Registry as com.buildwithgage/gage.

Then try:

I'm planning a 1,900 sq ft single-storey house with a gable roof near 84032. What would the steel frame cost, and how do I get it built?

or

What would a 600 sq ft detached garage with a gable roof cost to frame in steel near 84032?

#What your assistant can do

Once Gage is connected, the assistant has three tools.

quote_my_building: describe it, get a price. It needs the kind of building (a house, an ADU, a garage or workshop, or a commercial building), the total square footage, the number of storeys (1 to 4), the roof (flat, shed, gable, hip or gambrel) and the 5-digit ZIP of the build site. Anything you leave out, such as roof pitch, ceiling height, windows and doors, is filled with a stated default and listed as an assumption. A garage gets garage defaults: 10 ft walls, a vehicle door and an entry door, and fewer windows.

submit_design_for_quote: exact walls, a tighter price. If your assistant has drawn exact walls and openings, this prices them more precisely. If the design has something that needs an engineer's eye (curved walls, an opening wider than 12 ft such as a double garage door, a cantilevered storey, walls over 12 ft), it answers "needs human review" instead of guessing.

start_my_project: go ahead, only when you say so. The assistant has to ask you first, and only then sends your name and email. Gage emails you a private link to your project page, where you review the quote, message the fabricator and approve it when you're ready. The link is only ever emailed, never shown in the chat, and nothing is charged at this step.

#What the price covers

Each answer gives the price and its likely range; the split between framing steel, engineering and delivery; the fabricator's region and lead time; the assumptions it made; and the next step.

The price is the steel frame package only: framing steel, engineering and delivery. It does not include the foundation, finishes or labour on site. A garage is priced at the same framing rates as a house. The fabricator is identified by region until they confirm the job, and the fabricator's firm quote after reviewing your plans is the one you approve.

#Prefer plans?

If you have a plan set, submit it on buildwithgage.com instead. It's free for builders, and the builder guide covers what happens next.