Estimates
Creating an Estimate
Estimates are detailed price breakdowns you send to customers before starting work. Each estimate is organized into sections with line items for materials, labour, and equipment.
- Click Estimates in the sidebar, then click New estimate.
- Select a customer (or create a new one inline).
- Add one or more sections to organize the work (e.g., "Site preparation", "Installation", "Cleanup").
- Within each section, add line items for materials, labour hours, and equipment. Select from your catalog or enter custom items.
- Review the totals and click Save.
Overhead & Profit Margin
Every estimate can include overhead and profit margin settings that are calculated on top of your base costs. These ensure you are covering indirect expenses and earning a profit on every job.
Overhead rate: A percentage added to cover indirect costs like insurance, vehicle expenses, and office overhead. The default rate comes from your Business Settings, but you can override it per estimate.
Profit margin: The markup percentage on top of costs plus overhead. This is your actual profit on the job.
How it works: ServeHub calculates: (Materials + Labour + Equipment) x (1 + Overhead%) x (1 + Profit%) = Customer price.
Tip: The customer sees only the final price, not your overhead or margin percentages. Your cost breakdown stays private.
Delivering Estimates
Send estimates directly to customers via email or SMS. The customer receives a link to view the estimate online, where they can accept or decline it.
- Open the estimate you want to send.
- Click Deliver.
- Choose Email, SMS, or both.
- Optionally add a personal message.
- Click Send.
Customer acceptance link: The customer can review the full estimate online and click Accept or Decline. You will be notified either way so you can follow up or proceed to scheduling.
Converting Estimates to Jobs
Once a customer accepts an estimate, convert it into a job with one click. The job inherits all the details from the estimate so you do not have to re-enter anything.
- Open an accepted estimate.
- Click Convert to job.
- The job is created with the customer, address, and scope from the estimate.
- Assign employees and schedule the job from the job detail page.
Takeoff Analysis
Takeoff analysis helps you measure areas and quantities from property data to build more accurate estimates. Use it to calculate material quantities based on actual measurements.
How it works: When creating an estimate for a property with address data, ServeHub can analyze the property to determine lot size, building footprint, and other measurements relevant to your services.
Using measurements: Takeoff measurements feed directly into your line item quantities. For example, if the analysis finds 2,400 sq ft of lawn, that quantity is pre-filled when you add a "sod" material line item.
Tip: Always verify takeoff measurements against what you see on-site. Automated measurements are a great starting point but may not account for obstacles, slopes, or recent changes to the property.