February 18, 2026
4 min read
Quickestimate
Before You Begin
QuickEstimate is designed so your first estimate takes under 10 minutes. Before you start, make sure you have a rough idea of the project scope — you'll be entering materials, labor, and any subcontractor costs as line items.
If you haven't yet set up your company overhead percentage, we strongly recommend doing that first. It ensures every estimate you create automatically applies your real running costs. See the How to Calculate Your True Overhead % guide for a walkthrough.
Pro tip: You can create a draft estimate and save it at any point — nothing is submitted until you explicitly send it to a client.
Step-by-Step: Creating Your Estimate
Open the Estimates tab and click "New Estimate"
From your dashboard, navigate to the Estimates section in the left sidebar. Click the + New Estimate button in the top-right corner. You'll be prompted to name the project.
Enter project & client details
Fill in the project name, client name, site address, and start date. These details appear on your final proposal PDF. You can also add internal notes that clients won't see.
Add your cost line items
This is where you build the estimate. Click Add Item to create cost entries across four categories: Materials, Labor, Equipment, and Subcontractors. Each category is color-coded for easy scanning.
Apply overhead & profit targets
QuickEstimate will automatically apply your default overhead % from company settings. You can override it per-estimate. Then set your desired profit margin — the system will calculate the final sale price instantly.
Review the margin health indicator
Before sending, check the margin health indicator in the top bar. A green indicator means you're hitting your target. Yellow or red means you should review your numbers before proceeding.
Save or generate your proposal
Click Save Draft to come back later, or hit Generate Proposal to create a branded PDF ready to send to your client.
Setting Overhead & Profit Targets
Every estimate in QuickEstimate applies two key multipliers on top of your raw costs:
| Field | What it covers | Where to set it |
|---|---|---|
| Overhead % | Rent, insurance, admin salaries, utilities — your indirect running costs | Company Settings (default) or per-estimate override |
| Profit Margin % | Your target net profit on the job | Per-estimate, in the totals panel |
The formula QuickEstimate uses to calculate your final price is straightforward:
Example: $10,000 costs ÷ (1 − 0.20 − 0.15) = $15,385 sale price
Reviewing & Finalizing
Before generating a proposal, run through this quick checklist:
- All material quantities and unit costs are entered accurately
- Labor hours and crew sizes reflect reality, not optimistic scenarios
- Subcontractor bids are confirmed quotes, not rough estimates
- Overhead % matches your current company settings
- Margin health indicator is green
- Client details and project name are spelled correctly (they appear on the PDF)
Don't skip the margin check. Sending an estimate with a red health indicator means you've likely underpriced the job. Even a 5% pricing error on a $50k project is $2,500 of profit left on the table.
Next Steps
Once your estimate is created, you can convert it into a branded proposal PDF with one click. Head to the Generating & Sending Branded Proposals guide to learn how to add your logo, customize the cover page, and track client approval status.