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A contractor estimate example, from scope to invoice.

A useful estimate explains the work behind the number. Follow one fictional trim replacement, check the arithmetic, and see how an extra section changes the record.

1. Write the scope before the price

Sample job: replace 60 linear feet of interior baseboard in one room. Remove the existing trim, supply a matching primed profile, cut and install the replacement, then fill, caulk and finish the replaced trim.

• Included: protect the immediate work area, remove and dispose of the replaced trim, supply the listed material, install it, finish the replacement and clean up that area.
• Assumptions: the room is cleared for access; the wall and floor behind the trim are sound and dry; the profile and finish have been confirmed; no hazardous-material work is included.
• Excluded: concealed damage repair, wall or floor repair, full-room painting, moving furniture and work outside the stated 60 feet.
• Before a real quote: verify site conditions, customer selections, access, scheduling and any applicable licensing or permit obligations. Record unresolved choices instead of hiding them in a total.

2. Show quantities, units and sample arithmetic

The installed quantity is 60 feet. The material quantity is 66 feet: 60 × 1.10 = 66, allowing 10% for cuts in this fictional example. Installation and finishing are still priced on 60 installed feet; the extra material is not counted as extra installed work.

This example does not model tax, fees, permit charges, discounts or payment terms. The $1,038 is a work subtotal, not a final payable amount. Determine and display the appropriate treatment for a real job separately. The sample line prices do not establish your cost, markup or profit.

3. Keep additions separate from the accepted version

Suppose the customer later asks for another 10 feet of the same trim under the same fictional assumptions. Label that request separately, such as change CO-001, and keep the earlier revision. Record the added scope, price and approval before relying on the change.

• Remove another 10 feet: 10 × $4 = $40.
• Supply 11 feet with the same sample cut allowance: 11 × $3 = $33.
• Install another 10 feet: 10 × $7 = $70.
• Fill, caulk and finish another 10 feet: 10 × $3 = $30.

Sample change subtotal: $40 + $33 + $70 + $30 = $173. The revised sample work subtotal is $1,038 + $173 = $1,211, before the unmodeled items above. Do not include the extra 10 feet in both the original scope and the change.

4. Prepare the invoice handoff

Keep the accepted estimate revision, scope decisions, supporting photos and approved change with the job. Before preparing an invoice, reconcile the work you are billing to those records. In this example the original work plus the sample change is $1,211 before any applicable tax or other separately determined amounts.

• Check which work and billing stage the invoice covers.
• Review prior invoices and recorded payments separately so you do not bill the same work twice or confuse an invoice with a payment.
• Confirm the recipient, descriptions, quantities and final displayed amount before sending a real document.

Use the 16-point estimate checklist for the full review. If you are comparing tools, read how to choose contractor estimating software.

Try a draft with one sample job

Rivetra keeps the estimate, job documents, photos and invoice in one company workspace. Start with fictional client details and your own line descriptions and prices. Follow the five-step first-estimate guide, then stop at the preview to review the result.

Current account-access and subscription terms apply. Sending documents, billing real work and recording payments are later decisions.