Construction Estimate Template
Fill in your line items, markup and tax — get back a clean, branded estimate PDF with the math already done. Or download the blank template and fill it in by hand.
Free blank template
Build your estimate
See what happens after they say yes
This estimate prices the job at $0.00, of which $0.00is your markup. In SiteAnchor, a signed estimate becomes the job's budget on its own — every invoice, change order and material receipt lands against that $0.00so you can see on any given week whether it's still there.
What separates an estimate that wins work
Most estimates lose on presentation before anyone reads the number. A homeowner collecting three bids is comparing a scanned notepad, a spreadsheet printout and a real document — and the real document reads as the company that will show up on time. That's most of what this tool is for: the arithmetic is easy, the credibility is the hard part.
The other half is the terms. An estimate with no validity date is a price you've quietly agreed to honour forever, through a lumber market that moves monthly. An estimate with no change-order clause is an invitation to argue about the cost of the thing you found behind the drywall. Both are one sentence each, and both are pre-filled above.
Price the job on cost plus markup, and know which one you're quoting. Markup is a percentage of your cost; margin is a percentage of the sell price, and they are never the same number. Run yours through the markup vs. margin calculator before you commit to it, and make sure your labor line is built on burdened labor cost, not the wage you pay — the gap between the two is usually 25–40%, and it comes out of the profit on this exact estimate.
Common questions
What should a construction estimate include?
Your company details, the customer and job address, a dated estimate number, a line-item breakdown of materials and labor with quantities and unit prices, your markup, sales tax where it applies, the total, how long the price is good for, and the terms that say what happens when the scope changes.
What is the difference between an estimate and a quote?
An estimate is your best projection of what the work will cost and can move as the job is uncovered; a quote is a fixed price you're committing to. In practice the document looks the same — what changes is the wording in the terms, which is why the terms block on this form is editable rather than fixed.
How much markup should a contractor add to an estimate?
Most residential contractors run somewhere between 10% and 25% markup on cost, but the number that matters is the one that covers your overhead and still leaves profit. Markup and margin are not the same thing — 20% markup is only about 16.7% margin, which is the single most expensive arithmetic mistake in the trade. The markup vs. margin calculator converts between them.
Is this estimate template really free?
Yes. The blank template and the filled, branded PDF are both free, with no email required and nothing to remove from the document. It's built on the same PDF renderer SiteAnchor uses in-app, so what you download is a genuine sample of the product's output — the footer carries one quiet line saying which free tool made it.
Should an estimate be signed?
If there is any chance of a dispute, yes. A signed estimate is the record of what was agreed and at what price, and it's what makes a later change order enforceable — the change order only means something if there's an original scope it's changing.
When the customer says yes, the estimate stops being a document and starts being a budget. That handoff is where the money is usually lost — see how estimating and job costingin SiteAnchor keep a signed estimate and the job's real costs on the same page, or check pricing.
Scope changed after the estimate was signed? Use the free change order generator.
More free tools
All free, all no-signup. See every free tool →
- Change Order GeneratorTurn a scope change into a signature-ready change order PDF with the cost breakdown and revised contract total worked out for you.
- Payment ApplicationFill in a schedule of values and get an AIA-style G702/G703-format application for payment — continuation sheet, retainage and payment due all calculated.
- Markup vs. MarginConvert between markup and gross margin, and see what a job has to sell for to actually hit the margin you want.
- Labor BurdenWork out what an hour of an employee's time really costs you once taxes, insurance, benefits and unbillable hours are counted.