About Julio Afre — Ancora

The founder

Trained to draw the building. Paid to price it.

Julio Afre has spent fifteen years on both sides of the contract — self-performing as a subcontractor to general contractors nationwide, and estimating $120M+ of work across ten sectors.

Julio Afre, founder of Ancora, standing in a commercial building under renovation
Julio AfreFounder

Fifteen years, both sides of the contract

The person pricing your work has stood on the other side of it.


Julio trained as an architect in California, spent years in themed entertainment design and technical management with Disney and Universal Creative — including three years in Beijing — then self-performed as a subcontractor to general contractors nationwide before turning full time to estimating. He has been on the winning and the losing end of the same contract.

Architect, trained in California

Reads drawings and specifications the way the designer intended them, not the way a salesman guesses at them.

Disney and Universal Creative

Themed entertainment design and technical management, including three years in Beijing.

Ministry work, from the inside

Invited as creative with Visioneering Studios. He understands how a ministry decides and builds.

$120M+ priced in eight years

Across ten sectors — data centers, healthcare, federal, industrial and faith-based.

The path

DisneyUniversal, BeijingMinistry workSubcontractingEstimatingAncora

I have been on both the winning and the losing end of this. That is why I know exactly where a good contractor gets into trouble.

Julio Afre, Founder

Where we have built

Estimating is not generic.


A data center, a sanctuary and a children's hospital fail in completely different places. The person pricing them has to know where.

Themed entertainmentShanghai Disney Resort castle · World of Color, Disney California Adventure · Universal Beijing, Harry Potter · American Dream DreamWorks water park
Data centersQTS ATL2 — 154,883 SF PVC roofing · CloudHQ / COPT DC6, Manassas, Virginia
HealthcareVeterans Affairs hospital, Alabama · Children’s hospital, Winter Garden, Florida
Faith-basedMariners Chapel and church projects nationally, with Visioneering Studios
Federal & institutionalNaval Weapons Station Earle · Fort Meade · Cudjoe Key, U.S. Fish & Wildlife
EducationGeorge Mason University RAC addition · Marsteller Middle School, Prince William County
Cultural & museumMuseum of the Bible — drywall and painting scopes priced
Industrial & warehouse483,660 SF four-building distribution campus, Orlando · Melbourne, Florida
Hospitality & retailInn at Little Washington · national retail and convenience prototypes
Multifamily & storageSelf-storage and multifamily across Florida, Virginia and Maryland

On the Beijing joint venture, we allocated scope between the JV and the client's own deliverables — in writing, across an international partnership. The same discipline as closing scope gaps between a GC and a subcontractor, at higher altitude.

15
Years in construction
$120M+
In work priced
8
Years estimating
6
Trades on the bench

Construction administration — submittals, RFIs, scope narratives, change orders, prequalification packages, lien and payment procedure.

Send us the hardest drawing set you have.

That is the fastest way to find out what this is worth to you.