Offers and Estimates Pack
These templates give you an estimate layout, a guarantee, a service plan and a winter offer that you can adapt to your own trade and prices.
OPTIONS
The good/better/best estimate layout
With one price on the estimate, the homeowner only decides yes or no. With three versions of the same job, they choose between your options. Use this layout and fill it with your own scope and prices.
Estimate layout
Top of the estimate: customer name, job address, estimate number, date, and the date the prices hold until.
| Option | What's included | Guarantee | Install window | Price | Choose one |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good: [name] | [The job done right with standard materials] | [Your standard guarantee] | [Week of ___] | $ | [ ] |
| Better: [name] | [Everything in Good, plus the upgrades you'd recommend] | [Longer guarantee] | [Week of ___] | $ | [ ] |
| Best: [name] | [Everything in Better, plus top materials and add-ons included] | [Longest guarantee] | [Week of ___] | $ | [ ] |
Then the add-on box from ADDONS, then the signature line.
How to fill it
- Start with your last ten estimates. Rewrite one of them in this layout for practice.
- Put the job you'd recommend in the middle row.
- Keep Good to a job you'd still stand behind. Don't strip it down to make the others look better.
- Keep the job and the crew the same across all three. Only the scope and the price change.
- Show a price on each row so the homeowner can compare without calling you.
Fence example: Good is a pine privacy fence with your standard gate. Better is cedar with an upgraded gate and hardware. Best is cedar with steel posts, stain and sealing included.
ADDONS
Add-on checkboxes for the estimate
The best add-on is work your crew can do while they're already on site, with the tools already on the truck. Staining a new fence is the classic one. It costs you little extra to deliver, so put it on the estimate as a line the homeowner can tick.
Add-on box
Place this under the three options, before the signature line.
| Add | Add-on | What it is | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| [ ] | [Add-on 1] | [One line in plain words] | $ |
| [ ] | [Add-on 2] | [One line in plain words] | $ |
| [ ] | [Add-on 3] | [One line in plain words] | $ |
Add-on ideas by trade
- Fence: stain and seal the new fence, or a second gate.
- HVAC: a new thermostat, or a surge protector for the outdoor unit.
- Roofing: new gutters, or gutter guards.
- Plumbing: a water heater flush, or a new main shutoff valve.
- Outdoor living: low-voltage lighting, or sealing the new deck.
Rules for the box
- Price each add-on. A checkbox with no price gets skipped or turns into a phone call.
- Keep it to four add-ons or fewer.
- Only list work your crew can finish on the same visit.
- Write the price on the line so the homeowner can add it up themselves.
GUARANTEE
The one-sentence guarantee
If nobody can say what happens when a customer doesn't get what you promised, the customer carries that risk. Write it down in one sentence with a number and a deadline. Put it on your estimates and your website, and in your contract.
Template
If [the specific thing that goes wrong] within [number] [months/years] of install, we [what you'll do] at no charge.
Four trade examples
Fence: If any gate we hang sags within one year of install, we come back and fix it free.
HVAC: If your new system can't hold the temperature you set within [2] degrees in the first year, we come back and fix it at no charge.
Roofing: If the roof we install leaks within [5] years, we repair the leak and the drywall it damaged at no charge.
Plumbing: If a repair we make leaks within [12] months, we come back within [24] hours and fix it free.
Before you publish it
A good guarantee names the thing the homeowner worries about and puts a number and a deadline on it. Vague promises like "satisfaction guaranteed" leave them guessing about what you'll do.
- Pick a promise you already keep on most jobs. The guarantee just puts it in writing.
- List what it doesn't cover in the contract, such as storm damage or work someone else changed.
- Have your attorney read it. Written guarantees can carry legal duties in your state.
PLAN
The yearly service plan outline
Without a plan, a past customer calls when something breaks, and often calls whoever shows up first on Google. A yearly plan with priority scheduling keeps them on your calendar, and you book their visits into your slow months.
Plan outline
| Part | What to write | Example (HVAC) |
|---|---|---|
| Plan name | [Company] [Care / Service] Plan | [Company] Comfort Plan |
| Price | $[amount] a year, or $[amount] a month | $[amount] a year |
| What the visit covers | The check-up list for your trade | System inspection and filter change |
| When the visit happens | The months you schedule them | [Your slow months] |
| Priority scheduling | What it means in plain words | Plan members get the first open appointment |
| Member pricing | Any discount on repairs, if you offer one | [__] percent off repairs |
| Renewal | How and when it renews | Renews each year on the signup date |
| Cancelling | How to cancel | Call or email us any time |
Visit ideas by trade
- Fence: a yearly walk-through, gate adjustment and hardware tightening.
- Roofing: a yearly roof inspection and gutter clearing.
- Plumbing: a water heater flush and a check of shutoff valves.
- Outdoor living: a deck wash and a check for loose boards.
How to roll it out
- Pull your list of past customers who could use a yearly check-up.
- Offer the plan at the end of each job and on your invoice.
- Book plan visits into your slow months as soon as people sign up.
- If the plan auto-renews, check your state's auto-renewal rules before you launch.
WINTER
The winter booking offer
If the soonest install date on a winter quote is months away, a lot of people wait and shop again in spring. A winter booking price that holds a spring install date gives them a reason to sign now. Adapt this wording to your trade, your prices and your deposit terms.
Line for the estimate
Winter booking price: $[price]. Sign by [date] and we'll hold this price and reserve your install for the week of [date]. A deposit of $[amount] holds your spot. [Deposit refund terms.]
Text with the estimate
Hi [Name], it's [Your name] with [Company]. Your estimate is attached. If you sign by [Day], you get our winter booking price of $[price] and we'll hold the week of [date] for your install. Reply YES and I'll save that week for you.
Follow-up text, three days later
Hi [Name], [Your name] from [Company] again. The winter booking price on your estimate holds until [Day]. Want me to save the week of [date] for your install?
Terms to settle before you send it
- The exact deadline for the winter price.
- A named install week, so "spring" has a date on it.
- What happens if weather pushes the install back.
- The deposit amount and when it's refundable. Some states cap deposits on home improvement contracts, so check yours.