A quote is a firm price for a defined piece of work. Describe the scope, add the priced lines, add any optional extras the client can tick, and set how long the price holds. The generator totals the quote with discount and tax, works out the deposit needed to accept it, and prints a PDF with an acceptance block for the client to sign.
A quote commits you to a price for the scope written on it; an estimate is your best approximation and can move if the job turns out differently. Clients tend to treat a quote as a promise, so only quote what you can define: the materials, the quantities, the finish and who supplies what. If the work can't be pinned down yet, send an estimate instead and say what could change it.
Put the word QUOTE on the document, a quote number, the date and a valid-until date. The validity date protects you from material price rises; 30 days is common, shorter when supplier prices move fast.
List what is included and, just as clearly, what is not: permits, disposal, painting after a repair, travel outside an area. Most disputes over a fixed price are really disputes over scope. For larger jobs a separate scope of work template and our guide on how to write a scope of work go further.
Anything the client asks for after accepting is a change: price it on a change order form before you do it, rather than adding it to the final bill.
Optional items let the client choose a better finish or an extra service without asking for a second quote. They print in their own table with a tick box and are left out of the total until you include them — so the headline price stays the price of the core job.
A deposit to accept the quote secures the booking and covers early material costs. Some states limit deposits on home improvement contracts (California, for example, caps most at 10% or $1,000, whichever is less), so check your state's contractor rules. Price your lines from cost with the markup calculator, and when the job is done, turn the accepted quote into an invoice.
A quote the client accepts — especially in writing with a signature — generally forms an agreement at that price for that scope. That is why the scope and the validity date matter. Contract rules vary by state, so take advice for large or unusual jobs.
A quote is a fixed price for a defined scope; an estimate is an approximation that can change. Use a quote when you can define the work fully.
Long enough for the client to decide, short enough that your costs won't change — 14 to 30 days is common. The PDF shows the valid-until date and the acceptance block repeats it.
Yes. Add optional items; they print in a separate table with a tick box and only count toward the total when you include them.
In this browser only, so you can start the next quote with your details already filled in. Nothing is sent to us.
Quoting on site? Instant Quote Maker builds the quote on your phone, sends the PDF while you're still there, and turns it into an invoice in one tap once it's accepted.
These templates do the same job as an editable document you can fill in again and again.
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