Not that there isn't some opportunity, but investing from afar, I don't really have the chance to get a crew that can do the rehab on the homes that I think would turn a profit. 

My partner called the owner who had give the original estimate, said no way are we paying until the job is done. 

People all of the time, "over estimate" the opportunity and "underestimate" the cost and challenges in doing a profitable flip.

You need to minimize upfront expenses because 100% of your investment is at risk and lost if the lot is not buildable.My favorite strategy is to locate the property and tie it up for usually no more than $100 for a period of 8-12 months, analyze it myself and if I believe it to have a chance at being buildable I create a permitting plan and market the property to other investors/builders willing to take on the permitting risk.  

I'm having a hard time finding any estimating tools for this kind of a project, adding a story and multiple BR/1 BA, and wondered if there were any tools, sites or recommendations any of you have for this kind of a project. 

I'll only add when talking to brokers have a "buy box" defined and research commercial deals to understand it as best you can before you have your first meeting or your broker contact will likely consider you to be a low-chance buyer and not take you seriously.

CA has no financial capacity to fill that void, not a chance.

Clearly there's a lot more ROI and work for a BRRRR.After finishing David Greene's BRRRR book and combing the forums, my impression is it'll come down to building the right team and doing our due diligence on finding and analyzing deals, estimated ARV, rehab costs, and rent /demand for an area with the most conservative estimates. 

I would say no-pitch meetups over a year would be the best possible chance to find someone who can be a voice of reason in your investing life if you don't have one.

I’ve used PriceLabs Revenue Estimator in the past with great success.