Free plumbing estimate template

What goes on a plumbing estimate

A plumbing estimate needs what the price is based on, whether permits are in it, the hidden conditions that could change it, and how long it holds. Those are the lines this template adds to the scope, materials, timeline, labor and terms any estimate has (explained in what a service estimate needs), and each is explained below in the order it appears on the estimate.

1. 1

   How long the price holds

   Price valid30 days, until

   Put a date on the price. Material prices move, so say how long yours holds — thirty days is common — and write the day it runs out, not only the number of days, so nobody has to count. The sample carries it in the job details, “Price valid: 30 days”, with the date beside it, and repeats the promise as the first of its terms.

2. 2

   What the price is based on

   Based onVisual inspection only

   Say what you saw before you priced the job. If you only looked — no camera down the line, no wall opened — write “Based on: visual inspection only”, or charge a site visit fee and say so. It tells the customer the number rests on what was visible, and it is the line you point to when the job turns out bigger than it looked.

3. 3

   Three jobs, each priced as a range

   ProjectsPrice range

   Whole-house repipe

   Replace galvanized pipes with PEX — 2-bath home, including permits

   Low to high depends on what is behind the walls

   $4,500–$7,000

   List each project on its own line: the work in a sentence, then a price from low to high. The plumbing sample quotes three — a 50-gallon gas water heater swap at $1,800–$2,400, a whole-house repipe from galvanized to PEX at $4,500–$7,000, and a bathroom rough-in at $2,200–$3,500. The repipe has the widest range because it depends on what is behind the walls, and the estimate says so under its price.

4. 4

   Permits and inspection fees

   Permits & inspection Included Not included

   Say whether permits and inspection fees are in the price, as a tick box rather than a footnote. A customer comparing your number with a lower one cannot tell that the other leaves them out. The sample ticks “Included”, as its repipe line does; if you leave them out, tick “Not included” and write the fees on the line beneath.

5. 5

   Labor apart from materials

   Also quoted · a separate job

   Kitchen drain and faucet repair

   Labor$562.50

   Materials$222.00

   This job$784.50

   Work you can see and count is priced line by line, with labor listed apart from materials, so the customer sees what each costs. The second job on this sample is itemized that way — kitchen drain and faucet repair: $562.50 of labor and $222.00 of materials, $784.50 in all. It is quoted apart from the projects above, so its total is its own, not theirs.

6. 6

   Hidden conditions

   5.If corrosion is found behind walls, additional costs may apply.

   Name the condition that could change the price, in a term of its own. In plumbing it is often what is behind the walls: “If corrosion is found behind walls, additional costs may apply.” One specific sentence, agreed before the work starts, turns a surprise into a change the customer already signed for — it is why the repipe on this sample runs from $4,500 to $7,000.

7. 7

   The terms, and the signatures that close it

   2.A 50% deposit is required to schedule the work.

   Deposit received $ on

   Customer signature & date

   Contractor signature & date

   The plumbing sample’s terms hold the price for thirty days, ask half to schedule the work — $392.25 of the $784.50 drain and faucet job — and end on the corrosion clause, so the one thing a plumber cannot see from the room is agreed before a wall is opened. Write the deposit on its line when it arrives; once both of you sign and date it, the estimate is the agreement.