Free contractor estimate template
A complete estimate you can print, save as a PDF, or copy into Word — with every line a homeowner expects to see and the ones that keep you out of an argument later.
In short
A contractor estimate needs eight parts: your business and license details, the customer and job address, a written scope of work, itemized labor, itemized materials, a subtotal with tax and total, a list of what is not included, and payment terms with signature lines. The template below contains all eight and is free to print or copy. Estimates without written exclusions and an expiry date are the ones that turn into disputes over change orders.
The template
Fill in the blanks, or print it and write on it in the truck. The numbers shown are an example — replace them with your own.
[Your Business Name]
[Street address, city, state ZIP]
[Phone] · [Email]
License #: ____________
Estimate
Estimate #: ____________
Date: ____________
Valid until: ____________
Prepared for
Name: ____________________
Phone: ___________________
Email: ___________________
Job location
Address: _________________
City / State / ZIP: ________
Start date: ______________
Scope of work — Bathroom remodel — 5' x 8' hall bath
- •Protect hallway and adjacent flooring; set up dust containment
- •Demo existing tub surround, vanity, toilet and floor tile; haul away debris
- •Rough-in adjustments for new vanity and shower valve locations
- •Install cement board and waterproofing at tub surround
- •Set new tile floor and tub surround, grout and seal
- •Install owner-selected vanity, top, faucet, toilet and trim
- •Paint walls, ceiling and trim; final clean
Labor
Demolition and debris removal
Plumbing rough-in and fixture set
Tile setting — floor and surround
Carpentry, vanity and trim install
Paint and final clean
Materials
Cement board, 1/2" x 3' x 5'
Waterproofing membrane kit
Porcelain floor tile (incl. 12% waste)
Wall tile, tub surround (incl. 12% waste)
Thinset, grout, sealer and trim
Dumpster rental, 10 yd
- Subtotal
- $5,342.03
- Sales tax
- $128.53
- Total
- $5,470.56
Not included
- •Building permit fees (billed at cost if required)
- •Vanity, top, faucet, toilet and tile allowances — owner supplied
- •Repair of concealed water damage, rot or mold found during demo
- •Electrical circuit additions or panel work
- •Relocation of existing plumbing stacks
Terms
- •30% deposit due at signing; balance due on completion
- •Estimate valid for 30 days from the date above
- •Changes to scope are priced by written change order
- •Work performed during normal business hours, Mon–Fri
- •One-year warranty on workmanship; manufacturer warranty on materials
Customer signature / date
Contractor signature / date
Or skip the typing entirely
A blank template still means an hour at the kitchen table. With QuickBidAI you talk through the general job into your phone while you're still standing in it, and a filled-in estimate — scope, labor, materials, exclusions, terms — comes back in under a minute. You set every price before it goes out.
How to write an estimate that gets accepted
Put your license and insurance on it
License number, insurance carrier and a real phone number at the top. Homeowners comparing three quotes use this to throw one out. Make sure it isn't yours.
Write the scope before the price
Describe the work in plain sentences: what gets removed, what gets installed, what gets cleaned up. A price with no scope is a number the customer will try to negotiate. A price attached to a paragraph of work is a value.
Separate labor from materials
Two sections, each itemized with quantity, unit and rate. It shows the customer you costed the job rather than guessing, and it makes change orders easy to price later.
Add your waste and contingency factor
Order 10–15% more material than the measurement says for most trades. Build it into the material quantities, not a mystery line item at the bottom.
List what is not included
Permits, hidden damage, asbestos or lead abatement, drywall patching, painting, landscaping repair, disposal of items you didn't install. The exclusions list is the single most valuable part of the document.
Set payment terms and an expiry date
Deposit amount, progress payments, balance due on completion, and a date the price stops being good — 30 days is standard. Material prices move; your estimate shouldn't be binding forever.
Get a signature
An accepted estimate with a signature on it is the closest thing to a contract most small jobs ever get. Leave the lines on there and ask for them.
What contractors leave off — and pay for
No trip or mobilization charge
Two trips to a supply house and a return visit for a punch item is half a day. If it isn't a line, it comes out of your margin.
Permit fees buried in labor
Permit pulls, inspections and any required engineering go on their own line, or the customer assumes your price included something it didn't.
Disposal left unpriced
Dumpster rental, landfill tipping fees and haul-away of old equipment are real costs. Price them or exclude them in writing.
No expiry date
Copper, lumber and equipment prices move month to month. Without a 'valid until' date you can be held to a number you quoted last spring.