Updated on 29 September 2026 by the Proposal Expert editorial team
A job estimate with labour, materials and clear change terms, with a worked roofing example
A free estimate template for contractors and trades: job description, work included, exclusions, timeline, labour and materials with quantities and rates, terms that explain how changes are handled, and an acceptance line. With a fully worked roofing example, as a Word download.
An estimate is your best calculation of what a job will cost, based on what you can see and measure before the work starts. Clients often compare several, and the one that explains its numbers usually does better than the one that only shows a total. This template gives you the sections a job estimate needs, in the order a client reads them: what the job is, what is and is not included, when it happens, what it costs in labour and materials, and what happens if the price changes. Below the guide is a worked roofing example, priced in dollars, as a free Word download you can adapt to any trade.
A letterhead with your details and the client's, an estimate number, the date and a validity date, then seven sections: job description, work included, not included, timeline, estimate details, terms and acceptance. The estimate details separate labour from materials, with a quantity and a rate on each line. The FTC tells homeowners that a written estimate should describe the work, the materials, the completion date and the price. Its guide to hiring a contractor adds start and completion dates, the payment schedule, permits, how change orders are handled, warranties, what the contractor will and will not do, and the right to cancel. This template has a place for each.
A quote, or quotation in formal British English, is a firm price for a clearly defined job. An estimate is your informed forecast, and it can move when the job turns out different from what you could see, such as rotten decking under old shingles. In the United States, estimate is the usual word in home improvement and the trades. In the United Kingdom, clients ask for a quote when they want a fixed figure and for an estimate when they want a budget. The title settles little on its own. What protects both sides is the wording: say that the figure is an estimate, how the final price is worked out and how far it can move without approval. The quote vs estimate guide linked below covers the differences in full.
Measure first, then price. Take the quantities from the site visit, such as squares of roof, square feet of wall or hours per task, and multiply them by your rates. Add a waste factor to materials and state it. Price labour per unit where your trade has a standard unit, such as per square in roofing, and per hour where it does not. Build overhead and profit into your rates rather than showing a separate markup line. For anything you cannot see before you start, use an allowance: a stated quantity at a unit rate, billed only as used.
The name changes by trade. The structure does not. A job estimate or work estimate from a painter or handyman often fits on one page: a short description, a few priced lines and the terms. A contractor estimate for a renovation adds the not included section and allowances, because hidden conditions are where disputes start. A roofing estimate prices by the square, which is 100 square feet of roof, separates tear-off from installation, and names the underlayment, flashing and ventilation, because homeowners compare those items between bids.
Agree the process in the terms, before the work starts. Allowances are billed at the stated unit rate, and you show the client why, for example with photos. Anything outside the estimate needs a written change order with its price before you do it. The FTC describes a change order as a written authorisation to change or add to the work in the original contract, which can affect cost and schedule. Then set a ceiling: the invoice will not exceed the estimate by more than a stated percentage without written approval. The FTC also notes that some state laws limit the down payment a contractor can ask for, so check your state's rule before you set a deposit.
A Word file works, and many clients still print and sign. Sending it as a link lets you see when the client opens it, and they can accept on a phone. In Proposal Expert, a pricing table calculates the totals, the client can tick optional lines such as new gutters, and acceptance is an eIDAS simple electronic signature with a trusted timestamp and a sealed audit trail. The free plan includes 3 proposals and 3 electronic signatures a month.
This example shows how a roofing contractor prices a full roof replacement for a homeowner after an inspection. Labour and materials sit on separate lines, so the client can compare them with other bids, and the estimated total is $12,600. The terms say plainly that the figure is an estimate, how extra decking is priced and that any overrun above 10 percent needs written approval. For another trade, keep the seven headings and swap the lines: a painter prices by room, an electrician by fixture and by hour. The US example has no tax line. Add one if tax applies to your work, and show VAT for a UK client.
This proposal can be downloaded as a Word document (.docx) on this page.
From: Oakmere Roofing & Exteriors, Des Moines, Iowa
To: Megan and Chris Holloway, Urbandale, Iowa
Date: 1 October 2026
Reference: EST-2026-0187
Valid until: 31 October 2026
Following our inspection on 25 September, this estimate covers a full replacement of the asphalt shingle roof on your home. The roof measures about 24 squares (2,400 square feet) at a 6/12 pitch, with one chimney and two valleys. The shingles are about 22 years old, with granule loss, lifted tabs on the south slope and a leak at the chimney flashing. We also found soft decking near the rear valley, so this estimate includes an allowance for replacing damaged sheets.
Everything below is included in the estimated total.
If you want any of these, we price them in writing first.
We can start within three weeks of acceptance, on a dry day agreed with you. The work takes two to three days on site, followed by the permit inspection. We confirm the start date 48 hours ahead. The roof is never left open overnight.
The lines below separate labour and materials, with quantities and rates, and add up to the estimated total of $12,600. Quantities are measured from the roof, with about eight percent extra shingles for cutting waste. Material prices include delivery. The decking allowance is billed only for sheets actually replaced.
This is an estimate, not a fixed-price quote. It is based on what we could see during the inspection, and the final invoice reflects the work actually done at the rates shown. Changes are handled as follows. Extra damaged decking is photographed, shown to you and replaced at $95 per sheet. Any other change or extra work is agreed with you in a written change order, with its price, before we do it. The final invoice will not exceed this estimate by more than 10 percent without your written approval. A deposit of $1,260 (10 percent) is due on acceptance and the balance within 10 days of completion. Workmanship is warranted for five years. The shingles carry the manufacturer's warranty, registered in your name.
To accept, sign below or accept electronically through the link in the email. Signing authorises us to order materials, apply for the permit and schedule the work on these terms. Our licence number and certificate of insurance are attached. If you sign at your home, you may cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing, as set out in the attached notice of cancellation.
| Description | Amount |
|---|---|
| Labour: tear-off and disposal, 24 squares at $85 per square, dumpster included | US$2,040.00 |
| Materials: architectural shingles, 26 squares at $135 per square | US$3,510.00 |
| Materials: ice and water shield, synthetic underlayment, drip edge, flashing and ridge vent | US$1,860.00 |
| Labour: installation, 24 squares at $175 per square | US$4,200.00 |
| Deck repair allowance: up to 6 sheets of OSB at $95 per sheet, labour and materials, billed as used | US$570.00 |
| Building permit, final inspection and cleanup with magnetic nail sweep | US$420.00 |
| Total | US$12,600.00 |
Accepted for Megan and Chris Holloway
Treat everything in a signed estimate as something the client can hold you to, even when the total is not fixed. In the UK, section 50 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 makes what a trader says or writes to a consumer about a service a term of the contract when the consumer takes it into account, subject to any qualification given on the same occasion. So put "this is an estimate" next to the price, not in small print. Section 51 adds that where a consumer contract for a service fixes no price and no way to set one, the consumer pays a reasonable price and no more. Stating your rates and quantities gives the contract that way. In the US, the FTC tells homeowners to get promises made in conversation written into the contract, so write your price conditions down.
Often, yes, if they sign at home. In the US, the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule lets a buyer cancel many sales of $25 or more made at their home until midnight of the third business day after the sale. The seller must provide a dated contract or receipt explaining this right and two copies of a cancellation form. The rule has exceptions, such as some sales needed to meet an emergency, so check it against your job. In the UK, a consumer can generally cancel a contract made off your business premises or at a distance within a 14-day period under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, which do not cover the construction of new buildings. To start sooner, you need the client's express request, on paper or by email for an off-premises contract, and a client who then cancels pays in proportion for the service supplied so far.
Thirty days suits most trade work. Go shorter when material prices move quickly and longer when the price is mostly labour. Write the expiry as a date, as the example does, and say what happens after it: you recheck prices and confirm or update the estimate.
Free estimates are common for straightforward residential jobs, where the client is comparing contractors. Charge, or credit the fee against the job if the client goes ahead, when the estimate itself takes real work, such as measured drawings, testing or an engineer's input. Say so when the visit is booked, not on the estimate.
The estimate comes before the work and forecasts the price. The invoice comes after it and bills what was actually done. When the two differ, the client should be able to trace every difference to a used allowance or a signed change order, which is why the example prices extra decking per sheet.