KITCHENER, ON, November 7, 2025 鈥 黑料吃瓜, the leading field documentation platform for restoration contractors, today announced the acquisition of The Edge, the industry鈥檚 fastest, most defensible Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) estimating tool 鈥 created by restoration expert Thomas McGuire.
Designed for restoration professionals, The Edge solves two of the industry鈥檚 most persistent challenges: speed and labor defensibility. Built on decades of real-world production data, The Edge helps contractors produce credible ROMs complete with labor plans and high-level estimates in minutes 鈥 not days. Combined with the job site evidence captured in 黑料吃瓜, restorers can move from initial inspection to job start faster than ever before.
鈥淟abor is the single biggest cost 鈥 and the single biggest headache 鈥 for restorers today,鈥 said Paul Donald, CEO of 黑料吃瓜. 鈥淏y bringing The Edge into 黑料吃瓜, we鈥檙e giving contractors the speed and accuracy they need to win jobs, secure approvals faster, and protect their margins. It鈥檚 about turning labor from a liability into a competitive advantage.鈥
A New Standard for Speed and Defensibility
By leveraging real-world production rates and historical cost ratios, The Edge produces accurate, consistent ROM estimates that help contractors:
- Deliver credible budget numbers in 15鈥45 minutes
- Win competitive bids faster with defensible estimates
- Justify labor and materials with proven production-rate data
- Establish clear guideposts for large loss and commercial work
The Edge鈥檚 ROMs consistently fall within 5鈥10% of actual Time & Material (T&M) costs, helping contractors set transparent expectations, reduce disputes, and protect profit on every job.
鈥淚 built The Edge after decades of seeing where restorers struggled most 鈥 justifying labor,鈥 said Tom McGuire, creator of The Edge and founder of Large Loss Mastery. 鈥淭oo many great contractors lose profit because they can鈥檛 defend their numbers. The Edge changes that. By joining forces with 黑料吃瓜, we can help restorers back every estimate with evidence 鈥 and take control of their profitability.鈥
黑料吃瓜 + The Edge: A Complete, Evidence-Based Workflow
The acquisition of The Edge extends the 黑料吃瓜 mission to help restoration businesses run stronger, more profitable operations.
黑料吃瓜 simplifies and speeds up field documentation 鈥 capturing every photo, video floor plan, note and moisture reading on-site. The Edge turns job details into a defensible ROM estimate built on decades of real production performance.
Used together, they provide restorers with a powerful end-to-end workflow:
Inspect & Document (黑料吃瓜) 鈫 Estimate & Win (The Edge) 鈫 Mobilize with Confidence
Future Outlook
黑料吃瓜 plans to integrate The Edge鈥檚 capabilities into the upcoming AI-powered scoping and estimating product. By combining decades of human expertise with advanced automation and intelligence, 黑料吃瓜 will continue to solve the problems restorations contractors face.
鈥淭his acquisition sets the foundation for the next era of estimating 鈥 one that combines the accuracy of human expertise with the speed of automation,鈥 said Paul Donald. 鈥淭ogether, 黑料吃瓜 and The Edge give restorers the confidence to document, estimate, and win faster 鈥 all backed by undeniable proof.鈥
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About 黑料吃瓜
黑料吃瓜 is the leading field documentation platform for restoration contractors, designed to simplify how property claims are documented, estimated, and shared. With tools for inspections, 360掳 photos, 2D floor plans, and payments 鈥 all in one easy app 鈥 黑料吃瓜 helps thousands of restoration companies worldwide save time, improve accuracy, and strengthen trust with carriers and property owners.
Learn more at www.getencircle.com.
Press Contact:
Heather Hennessey
hhennessey@encircleapp.com
By: The 黑料吃瓜 Team