A construction estimate is a sales document and a scope document at the same time. When it's missing pieces, the argument later isn't about the price — it's about what was actually included. Here's the checklist we use, section by section.
1. Header
- Your company name, address, phone, and license number.
- Estimate number and date.
- Client name and the project address (not their billing address — the job address).
- An expiration date. Prices don't hold forever, and putting a date on it is the polite way to say so.
2. Scope of work, in plain sections
Break the job into recognizable sections — Demo, Framing, Electrical, Plumbing, Finishes, and so on. Under each, list real line items that a person can picture, not abstractions like "labor" or "misc."
3. Line items with quantity and unit
Every line should carry a quantity, a unit of measure (LF, SF, EA), and a total. This is the single biggest transparency lever — a client who sees "150 SF of tile" argues far less than one who sees a lump-sum "tile work." If you don't want to show line-item costs, that's fine — you can still show the quantity and unit and let the total roll up as a lump sum.
4. Allowances (explicit, not hidden)
If the client hasn't picked finishes yet, use allowances — a labeled dollar figure that anchors expectations. Call them out explicitly: "Tile allowance: $6/SF." When they spend $12/SF later, the extra isn't a fight.
5. Terms and exclusions
Not sexy, but this is where a lot of disputes get avoided:
- Deposit and draw schedule.
- Payment methods you accept.
- What's not included (permits, HOA fees, structural engineering, hazmat).
- How change orders work — this is the paragraph that saves you later.
6. Signature block
Somewhere on page one, the client should see where to sign. Ideally e-signature — physical signatures come back at the end of the week, e-signatures come back that night. See estimating in SiteView for how we handle this end to end.
7. Optional but valuable additions
- Photos or a small floor plan of the scope.
- Sub-line breakdowns you can show or hide per client.
- Attachments per line — spec sheets or reference images the crew can see later.
Free tools
If you want the math to be right by default, use the markup calculator — it treats per-unit markup the way estimates actually work (round per-unit, then multiply by quantity), so the total doesn't drift by pennies when the client asks for an even number.
The bottom line
A tight estimate template speeds up your bid time and reduces the amount of back-and-forth on price. If you're still starting each estimate from a blank spreadsheet, you're doing the same work twice.