How to write a contractor estimate customers can say yes to

Eleven things, in the order the customer reads them. Print it, or keep it next to whatever you write estimates in.

1. 01

   Your business name, phone and license number. Exactly as licensed. Some states require the number on bids and estimates (section 03).

2. 02

   Customer name and job address. The address of the work, not only the billing address.

3. 03

   Estimate number and date. So a later text or invoice can point to “Estimate 1042” without confusion.

4. 04

   Scope of work. What you will do, in plain words, room by room or area by area.

5. 05

   Line items. Labor and materials as separate lines, with quantities. Brand and model where the customer cares.

6. 06

   Exclusions. What is not included, written out. This is the line that prevents most arguments.

7. 07

   Allowances. For items the customer picks later (fixtures, tile): the amount included, and that the price changes if they choose above it.

8. 08

   Tax and total. Sales tax where it applies, and one clear total.

9. 09

   Deposit and payment schedule. How much up front, what each later payment is tied to, and when the balance is due.

10. 10

    Valid-until date. How long the price stands. Material prices move; the date protects you.

11. 11

    How to approve. Sign, reply “approved”, or tap approve. One sentence, one action.

The three words are used loosely, and customers use them interchangeably. What matters is that the paper says which one it is and how long the price stands.

Two states whose statute we read, quoted as written. If you work elsewhere, your state licensing board’s website is where to check; we don’t describe states we haven’t read.

Most disputes are about what was included. Write the scope as what you will do, then the exclusions as what you won’t. Fill in the blanks:

Change orders in one paragraph. When the job changes, write what changes, the price difference, and any change to the finish date, and get it approved before you do the work. In California, the state license board says a change to the contract price or scope of a home improvement contract “MUST be done with a written ‘Change Order,’ signed by the customer and contractor” (CSLB).

State how much is due on approval, what each later payment is tied to, and when the balance is due. Several states cap the deposit on home improvement work. California, for example, limits it to $1,000 or 10% of the contract, whichever is less, and CSLB says the contract should include a detailed, written payment schedule. The state-by-state rules, each linked to its statute, are on how much deposit a contractor can take, with deposit wording you can paste.

If you sit at the customer’s kitchen table and they sign there, a federal rule may give them three business days to cancel. What the rule says, from its text:

• What it covers. A sale of consumer goods or services where the seller personally solicits the sale, “including those in response to or following an invitation by the buyer,” and the buyer agrees somewhere other than the seller’s place of business. The threshold is a purchase price of $25 or more at the buyer’s home, or $130 or more at other places away from your business (the rule names hotel rooms, fairgrounds, restaurants and the buyer’s workplace).
• The right. The buyer may cancel “at any time prior to midnight of the third business day after the date of this transaction.” Business days exclude Sundays and federal holidays.
• What you must give them. A completed receipt or contract with that cancellation statement next to the signature line, two copies of a “Notice of Cancellation” form filled in with your name, address and the deadline, and an oral explanation of the right to cancel at signing. If they cancel, payments are refunded within 10 business days.
• Exclusions the rule lists. Among them: a visit the buyer initiated and specifically requested “for the purpose of repairing or performing maintenance upon the buyer’s personal property” (additional goods or services sold on that visit, beyond the necessary replacement parts, are not excluded), and a bona fide emergency where the buyer initiated contact and gives you a dated, signed, handwritten statement waiving the right to cancel.

Source: 16 CFR Part 429 (eCFR, current text) and the FTC’s rule page, read 4 October 2026

Contractors split on this, and there is no rule to cite. The arguments, without a verdict:

Whichever you choose, say it on the phone or in your first text, before you drive out.

What separate lines look like for 22 trades. No prices: they depend on your market and your costs. Use these as a starting list, then add your own exclusions.

The invoice is the estimate, settled. It should carry the same business name, license number and estimate number, so the customer can see they match, plus:

• An invoice number and date, and the date the work was finished.
• The approved estimate total, each change order as its own line, and the new total.
• Payments already received (the deposit, progress payments), each with its date.
• The balance due, the due date, and the ways you accept payment.
• Any warranty you give on labor or materials, in writing.

When the customer pays, send a receipt that says Paid in full, the amount, the date and how they paid. It closes the job for both of you, and it is the natural moment to ask for a Google review. For the texts that go with each step (following up on the estimate, asking for the deposit, reminding about a payment), see estimate follow-up and payment-reminder texts.

An estimate only matters if the customer reached you. If you miss calls on jobs, start with forwarding only unanswered calls. Looking for the jobs themselves? LeadHunter USA lead alerts send you local posts from people asking for your trade.