Same-Day Estimate Builder

What the same-day estimate builder does

Most contractors lose jobs in the gap between site visit and written estimate. The homeowner met three GCs in a week — whoever sends a real number first usually wins. The estimate builder closes that gap to under 8 hours.

• Mobile-first input — your estimator fills line items on a tablet at the kitchen table. Pre-loaded scope templates for bath, kitchen, addition, roof, deck, ADU.
• Auto-priced line items — labor + material rates baked into the template, with a markup slider per category. Update once, applies everywhere.
• Photo attachment — site photos taken during the walk-through attach directly to the line items they describe.
• E-sign in the same flow — homeowner signs the estimate from their phone the same evening, with a 30% deposit link attached.
• Auto-creates the project — once signed, the workflow spins up the Project Portal, the subcontractor pipeline, and the draw schedule.

How it works under the hood

The builder lives as a GHL Form + Workflow combo, not a third-party tool:

1. Template selection — estimator opens the GHL mobile app, picks “Bath Remodel - Standard” or whichever scope template matches.
2. Line-item entry — the form auto-populates the typical 18-30 line items for that scope (demo, plumbing rough, electrical rough, tile, fixtures, paint, etc.). Estimator adjusts quantities and unit rates.
3. Markup + tax calculation — workflow runs the math on submit and writes total to a custom field.
4. Document generation — GHL Documents & Contracts builds the PDF estimate with your branding, line items, terms, and signature block.
5. Send + track — estimate sends via SMS + email with a one-click sign link. Workflow watches for the signed event and triggers deposit invoice.

What it’s NOT

• Not a takeoff tool. It does not measure plans, count studs, or calculate cubic yards of concrete. It’s a pricing and packaging tool — not Bluebeam or PlanSwift.
• Not an accounting system. Once signed, the estimate hands off to your accounting tool (QuickBooks, Buildertrend, etc.) via Zapier or native sync. The builder is not the source of truth for AR/AP.
• Not a CAD or design tool. No 3D renderings, no floor plans. Attach those as PDFs from whichever design tool you use.
• Not unlimited templates. You get 6 scope templates configured during onboarding. Additional templates can be built in-house in about 30 minutes each.

Why it’s faster than estimating software

Standalone estimating software is built for the estimator. Then the estimator has to copy-paste the result into the CRM, then re-enter the customer into the accounting tool, then attach photos from a fourth app. Every copy-paste loses 20 minutes and creates a transcription error.

The builder is inside GHL because everything else lives in GHL: the contact, the SMS history from the lead qualifier, the project pipeline, the draw schedule, the change orders. The estimator never leaves the contact record. One tap to send, one workflow to track, one place to look when the homeowner asks “what did we agree to on the backsplash?”