PlumbingBossPro Blog — Quotes & Estimates

Presenting Plumbing Quotes Clearly: Line Items, Descriptions and Plain Words

Two plumbing companies quote the same water heater replacement at about the same price. One estimate says “WH R&R 50G NG — $X.” The other says “Water heater replacement: remove existing 50-gallon gas tank, install new 50-gallon natural gas tank in garage, new connections, haul away old unit.” Most homeowners will call the second company. Clarity is a selling point.

Clear Quotes Get Approved

An inspection report gives the customer the reason behind a quote, as covered in Backing Up a Plumbing Estimate With the Inspection Report. The estimate itself still has to be easy to read. Customers approve what they understand and hesitate over what they do not.

That matters even more with online approval. When the customer reads your estimate on their phone at 9pm, nobody is there to explain it. The estimate has to explain itself.

Line Names Are for the Customer

Every line on a PlumbingBossPro estimate comes from your service list, so the names you set there are the names customers read. Write them for a homeowner:

• Spell out abbreviations. “Pressure reducing valve (PRV)” the first time, not just “PRV.”
• Say what and where. “Kitchen sink drain clearing” is better than “Drain — secondary.”
• Avoid shop slang. “R&R,” “ML,” and “T&P” are fine in the van. On the estimate, use full words.

Getting the names right once on the service list fixes every future estimate. See Building a Plumbing Service List for Estimates: Service Calls, Drain Cleaning and Common Repairs.

One Sentence of Why

A short description under a line answers the question every customer has: why do I need this? Keep it to one sentence:

• “Shut-off valves under the kitchen sink are corroded and weeping.”
• “Camera found roots at a joint about 38 feet from the cleanout.”
• “Existing water heater is leaking from the tank.”

The finding is the sales pitch. A plain, specific reason is more convincing than any adjective.

Say What Is Included, and What Is Not

Most disputes over plumbing invoices come from assumptions. The customer assumed haul-away was included. The customer assumed drywall would be patched. The customer assumed the new faucet was part of the price. Head those off on the estimate:

• Included: “Includes removal and haul-away of old unit.”
• Not included: “Drywall patching and paint not included.”
• Customer-supplied: “Labor to install customer-supplied faucet.”

Two short lines like these prevent a phone call and a bad review.

Keep Options Simple

If you offer options, make them easy to compare. Name each by what it does, say what each leaves undone, and keep the count low. When the options are different jobs, separate estimates usually read better than one long list. Avoid labeling options as “Basic,” “Premium” and “Platinum” with no explanation; the customer should be able to tell from the line itself what they are getting.

Make the Total Unsurprising

The total is the number customers remember. Make sure it is the number they will actually pay:

• Show the service call fee as its own line, and show a credit if you apply one.
• Be consistent about sales tax. Either show it as a line or say the total includes it.
• Say how long the price is good for if your prices change during the year.

Because the approved estimate becomes the job and the job becomes the invoice, a clear total on the estimate means a matching total on the invoice.

Put the Important Thing First

Order the lines the way the customer thinks about the job. The service call first, then the main repair, then anything that goes with it, then optional lines at the end. A water heater estimate should lead with the water heater, not with the haul-away or a fitting. When the first lines tell the story, the customer understands the quote before they reach the total.

Keep the equipment details tidy too. If you filled in the type, size and fuel of a new water heater, the customer sees exactly what they are buying, and the tech sees the same details on the job card after approval.

A Short Note at the Top

For bigger jobs, a two- or three-sentence summary before the line items helps a lot. “Your water heater is leaking from the tank and needs to be replaced. This estimate covers a like-for-like 50-gallon gas replacement in the garage, including haul-away.” The customer reads that first and every line after it makes sense. Short jobs do not need it. Water heaters, repipes and sewer work usually do.

Read It on a Phone

Before you send a new kind of estimate, read it on a phone. Is the first line clear? Can you tell what you are approving without scrolling back and forth? Would your least technical customer understand every line? If not, tighten the wording. Then save it as an estimate template so every future quote of that kind starts from the clear version.

A clear quote is not a fancy one. It is just honest, specific and easy to read. For how presentation fits with the rest of quoting in PlumbingBossPro, see the plumbing estimate software overview.