Creating a standard house estimate is a crucial first step in streamlining your quoting process. By setting up a detailed and accurate template, you ensure consistency across similar jobs, save significant time, and improve the accuracy of your pricing. This guide will walk you through the process from start to finish, empowering you to build reliable estimates every time.
Before You Begin
To ensure a smooth and accurate process, it's best to have the following items ready before you start:
An electronic or physical copy of the house plan.
Notes on any special or unique items for this specific design.
Creating the House Estimate
Follow these steps to build your new standard house estimate.
Navigate to
Estimating > House Plans & Estimates.Select Create New House Plan. Enter a unique code and description, ensuring you follow the same format as existing plans for consistency.
Select the new house plan you just created from the list.
Click Clone from house plan and choose the most appropriate standard cloner for the house type (e.g., 'Single Story Cloner'). This provides a solid foundation and saves you from starting from scratch.
Click Process.
In the main estimate screen, navigate to the Memo field under the Components tab. Enter the new house plan name here. This helps you easily track which quick quotes originate from this template in the future.
Enter the Take off Parameters. You can do this manually or by using the
Graphic Take Off (GTO) tool for greater efficiency.
Measure and enter all other necessary items, such as windows, floor coverings, and any special features specific to this plan.
Review the Components list. Add or remove any items to ensure the list is accurate for the build.
Adjust the windows by removing the formula-based calculations and replacing them with the actual window sizes for the job.
Note: If you don't have the exact window sizes, use an estimated size to ensure deductions are calculated correctly. You can update the exact specifications later when creating purchase orders or variations.Click Process to save your changes.
Systematically work through all Cost Centres and make adjustments where necessary.
Pro-Tip: As you work, keep a running list of the Cost Centres you frequently adjust. Over time, this personal checklist will help you speed up the process significantly.
Click Process often to save your progress.
Perform a final review, checking your notes for any special items you still need to add to the estimate.
Add the estimate to the Sales Pricebook and verify that the correct margin is being applied for this type of home.
Conclusion
You have now successfully created a robust standard house estimate. By investing the time to build this template correctly, you've established a consistent foundation for future jobs. This will significantly improve the speed and accuracy of your quoting process, allowing you to proceed with confidence knowing your pricing is both reliable and repeatable for all similar home designs.