How to write a contractor estimate

An estimate is a sales document, not a receipt. It should answer the three questions a customer actually has: what exactly am I getting, what does it cost, and what could change it.

1. Describe the scope in the customer's language

Write what you will physically do, in plain words. 'Remove and dispose of the existing 50-gallon water heater; supply and install a new one with new flex connectors, pan and expansion tank; test and verify operation.' A customer who understands the scope stops shopping on price alone.

2. Itemize labor and materials separately

Labor as hours × rate, materials by quantity and unit price. Lumping everything into one number invites the customer to compare your single number against someone else's single number, which is the only comparison you can lose.

3. State your assumptions

Every estimate rests on assumptions — that the existing gas line is code-compliant, that access is clear, that the decking is sound. Write them down. Assumptions you wrote are a conversation; assumptions you didn't are an argument.

4. Exclude in writing what you are not doing

Drywall repair, painting after the patch, permit fees, hauling the customer's other junk. Exclusions are not negative — they prevent the job from quietly growing after you've been paid.

5. Put a validity window and payment terms on it

Material prices move. Thirty days is normal. State the deposit and when the balance is due, so the payment conversation happened before the work did.

Generate this estimate now

Describe the job in plain words. No email needed to see your first estimate — about fifteen seconds for a small job, a little longer for a big one.

What you get — see the format first

A complete estimate you can send to the customer, built from the rate you enter:

Description	Qty	Unit	Unit price	Total
Labor — itemized by task	hrs	hour	your rate	—
Materials — with your markup applied	qty	ea / sq ft	cost + markup	—
Permits, disposal, access	—	—	—	—

Plus a plain-English scope summary, assumptions (what had to be guessed), exclusions (what you are not doing — the section that prevents most change-order arguments), and a validity period. Printable, or send the link.

Every figure comes from the rate and markup you supply. We never fill in a market price for you.

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