Building Estimate Template
Customize our home building estimate template with details like your company name, client information, line items, final price, terms and conditions, and more. Download the basic PDF, or click “Customize Template” to create a professional estimate, convert it to an invoice, and send it to your clients via email or text.
Professional building estimates help you win more business
- Add your company name, branding, and terms
- List detailed line items and costs
- Track sent estimates and convert them to invoices
How to create a building estimate
Ready to create a building estimate? To write a professional, accurate estimate that gets you paid faster:
- Download Jobber’s building estimate Excel template or PDF file and save it to your computer. Be sure to include “estimate” or “quote” in the file name for easy organization and to make it clear for your customers.
- Add your company contact info so customers can reach out if they have any questions. Include your business name, website, phone number, email address, and office address (if you have one).
- Enter your customer’s contact info, estimate number, and the estimate date.
- Describe the building services you’re providing and include prices for each.
- Include your subtotal, applicable taxes, discounts, and fees before the total.
- Add your estimate terms and conditions.
- Save the estimate as a PDF file and send it to the customer via email or text.
Save time and grab our house building estimate template free download to send professional estimates in minutes.
What should your building estimate template include?
Your building estimate should give customers a clear idea of your work, how much it’ll cost, and what’s included. Here’s what to include in your estimate:
- Your building business name, company logo, and contact information
- Name, contact details, and address of the customer
- Estimate number for record-keeping purposes (it should follow the same numbering system as your invoice number)
- A breakdown of the types of building work you’ll be providing, along with a detailed service description (e.g., fencing, window/door installation, custom cabinetry)
- The approximate estimated cost of completing the work, factoring in hourly labor costs, material costs, equipment rental, any special service rates or discounts, markup, and applicable taxes
- Optional line items for added service, products, or tasks that would enhance the work (e.g., premium material, smart home wiring)
- A description of anything that specifically won’t be included in the work (e.g., appliance installation)
- How long the estimate is valid for
- Terms and conditions (e.g., deposit amount, payment terms, estimate due date)
- Space for the client’s signature so you can start on the approved work
Frequently Asked Questions
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A building cost estimate template is a ready-to-use form that can help a contractor outline the scope of a job and give customers a clear, professional estimate. It’s perfect for building contractors who are just starting a building business or exploring software instead of pen and paper.
It should include your business info, customer details, a breakdown of the building services you’re offering, material and labor costs, and terms of the job. A consistent estimate template saves you time and helps your customers understand exactly what they’re getting—before any work begins.
If you’re just looking for a quick-start builder estimate template that you can reuse as often as you like, download the free PDF and send out estimates immediately. -
A building estimate template is a blank copy of your estimate form, which you can fill out to create a detailed estimate after a consultation. You can find templates such as fill-in PDFs, Microsoft Word or Google Docs, Excel or Google Sheets spreadsheets, free quoting tools, or even construction management software like Jobber. These templates are essential to keeping your building business efficient and consistent.
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Using a house building estimate template can help you send professional-looking estimates faster and win more jobs. Here’s how:
• Helps you stay organized and include all the necessary information
• Reduces room for error by including mandatory form fields
• Makes you look more professional than handwritten estimates
• Cuts down on repetitive data entry and saves you time
• Helps you track rates, prices, expenses, and accounts receivable
• Sets client expectations and protects your building business with terms and conditions
• Makes filing easier with digital copies of all estimates -
Here are some best practices for using a builder estimate template:
• Use a simple, professional layout
• Include your company contact info and customer contact info
• Describe all the building services and materials you’re providing, as well as any exclusions (e.g., landscaping) to avoid confusion later on
• Include prices for all your services and products (e.g., estimated cost for fencing, installing cabinets)
• Make your payment terms and conditions clear
• Include your subtotal, applicable taxes, discounts, and fees before the total
Try our ready-to-use home building estimate template to cut out most of the repetitive work so you can send estimates faster and win jobs quicker. -
A good estimate template only works if you use it right. Here are some common mistakes to watch out for:
• Providing outdated pricing. If your prices don’t reflect current material or labor costs, you could undercharge—or lose the job by overcharging.
• Leaving out key costs. Forgetting to consider things like permits, equipment rentals, or dump fees can eat into your profits and lead to unexpected costs for your client, which could turn them away.
• Mentioning too many technical terms. If your estimate is packed with industry lingo, clients might get confused or delay approval because they don’t understand what they’re agreeing to.
• Not personalizing the estimate. Using the estimate template without tailoring it to the specific client can make you look careless or unprofessional.
Avoid these slip-ups and your estimates will be clear, professional, and easier for clients to say yes to. -
Proposals and estimates both help you win work—but they serve different purposes.
An estimate is a rough calculation of the cost of a job based on your experience and knowledge. It helps gives your customer a general idea of the price, but there’s room for changes once the work starts.
A proposal goes a step further—designed to help impress your clients. It’s more detailed and persuasive, often changing based on project scope, material costs, or client preferences. You can use Jobber’s advanced quote customization feature to create winning proposals that include optional services, customer reviews, photos, timelines, and terms and conditions. -
Quotes and estimates seem similar, but there’s one big difference: budget flexibility.
An estimate is a rough but educated guess at how much time, work, and materials will be involved in completing a job. This gives you some wiggle room in case any unexpected details pop up during the work.
On the other hand, writing a quote tells a client exactly how much they’ll be paying for the job. This can mean higher profits if you come in under budget—but it also means you have to think of everything that could complicate the job and cut into your profits.
(And yes, you can use this building cost estimate template as a quote template!) -
There’s a big difference between estimates and invoices.
An estimate describes what the finished work will look like and how much it’ll cost to complete. This is the first step in any project. An estimate sets the expectations for the client, and you don’t move forward until they sign off on it.
An invoice is the final bill you send to the client for the completed work. This is the last step of the project. The amount on the invoice might be different from the amount on the estimate, depending on how much the work might have changed during the project. You can create an invoice using our free construction invoice template. -
They might seem similar, but estimates and bids serve different purposes at different stages of a job.
An estimate template gives your client a ballpark project cost. It’s an educated guess at what the project might cost based on your experience, material pricing, and labor needs. It helps set expectations, but the final price might shift once the work begins.
A bid template, on the other hand, is more formal. If the client accepts, you commit to a fixed price. Bids are often used when competing for jobs and can be legally binding, so accuracy is key. -
That depends on how you’re doing it! If you’re using pen and paper, it could take a while to write down your contact details, add the customer’s information, write in all your line items from memory, and tally up the costs in your head. The more complex the job—like custom work or tough site conditions—the more time you might need to calculate materials and labor.
With a home building estimate template, some of that information is already in place. It should only take a few minutes to fill in the details specific to the project, then send the estimate to the client for approval. -
Choosing the right software tool, like an easy-to-use builder estimate template, can speed up the estimating process and help you win more jobs.
Software tools like Smartsheet, BuildBook, Togal.AI, and Bookipi let you create and send customized estimates to clients.
Or, you can use Jobber as an all-in-one solution that helps you manage every phase of the job, from the initial estimate to getting paid. With Jobber, you can:
• Send professional estimates. Customize and send estimates by email or text in minutes.
• Automate follow-ups. Keep work moving with automatic reminders for estimates awaiting approval.
• Make approvals easy. Customers can review and approve estimates online.
• Schedule the job. Turn approved estimates into jobs, assign your team, and keep everything on track.
• Keep customers informed. Send appointment reminders, on-my-way texts, and updates so customers aren’t left in the dark.
• Manage job details. Track job details, progress, and notes in one place so your team always knows what’s happening.
• Invoice customers quickly. Create and send invoices right from the field or even your truck.
• Get paid faster. Accept deposits and offer online payment options to ensure you get paid on time.
With Jobber, you’re not just streamlining estimates—you’re setting up your building business for success from start to finish. -
Estimating and quote management software like Jobber makes it easy to create an estimate using your desktop or mobile app.
Here’s what you can do with estimating software:
• Set up client files for storing estimates, job details, and invoices
• Let new leads request work through your website or Local Services Ads
• Create estimates with add-ons, packages, and images
• Convert estimates into jobs and invoices
• Give clients the option to approve estimates and pay deposits online
• Communicate with clients using email and SMS
• Schedule teams, route work, and track time and expenses
• Get paid faster using automated quote follow-ups and credit card processing
Learn more about how Jobber can help you create estimates and win work faster.
Estimate template vs. free estimating software
Building service providers looking for a fast and easy way to create job estimates can download Jobber’s PDF or Excel estimate templates. They are simple to use, customizable, and completely free. If you want more, Jobber’s free estimating software can help you improve your workflow and get paid faster. You can store client information and create up to five customizable quotes, jobs, and invoices per month.
Features
Add details like your company name, contact information,
client details, line items, total cost, and terms and conditions
client details, line items, total cost, and terms and conditions
You can send up to five free estimates per month with Jobber.
In the client hub, customers can request new work,
quickly review and approve quotes, see upcoming scheduled jobs,
pay invoices, and even refer friends for your services.
quickly review and approve quotes, see upcoming scheduled jobs,
pay invoices, and even refer friends for your services.
Once your client approves a quote, you can automatically
convert it to a job.
convert it to a job.
Create a job and assign it to your team with only a few clicks.
When the job is done, instantly generate a professional
digital invoice and send it to your customers via text or email.
digital invoice and send it to your customers via text or email.
Manage your field operations from the road or the job site with
the Jobber mobile app.
the Jobber mobile app.