Stop Driving Across Town Just to Give Someone a Ballpark Price
The homeowner wants a rough cost. You want to know whether the project is worth a visit.
On this page · 12
- Find Out Whether You're Even in the Same Price Range
- Try a Real Estimator for Interlock Driveways
- You Know Their Budget Before You Book the Drive
- What an Online Estimate Does
- How an Online Estimate Becomes Your Quote
- One Estimator for Each Service You Sell
- Pricing Built Around the Work Your Company Does
- Who Controls the Estimator's Prices?
- Who Does What?
- What You Get
- From the Online Estimate to the Approved Quote
- Related Contractor Software
You drive across town, walk the yard, and measure the deck. Then you learn their budget is half your price.
That trip can take up an afternoon without bringing you closer to a job.
Find Out Whether You're Even in the Same Price Range
Let the homeowner answer a few questions and see a starting price based on your rates. You review the details before quoting.
The online estimate gives the homeowner a price to consider. Before you send a quote, check what the job will cost you and the margin you want. See how to check your margin.
Try a Real Estimator for Interlock Driveways
This isn't a sample calculator with imaginary prices. Try the estimator used on Darteno's website, with its actual pricing rules.
Change the job size, finish, or postal code and see how the estimate changes. Moving the same driveway from L3P in Markham to M5V in downtown Toronto raises its price 80%.
Price an Interlock Driveway
On your website, the homeowner leaves an email address after seeing the price, and the estimate goes into the Growth Engine app as a lead.
The price then goes into the homeowner's PDF quote, which you update after your call or visit. See the quote a homeowner gets.
You Know Their Budget Before You Book the Drive
Not every homeowner who asks for a price is ready to hire. Some are comparing contractors, and some are checking whether they can afford the work at all.
A homeowner's first price question, with and without an online estimate.
| Without an online estimate | With an online estimate |
|---|---|
| Homeowner asks for a rough price | Homeowner checks a starting price |
| You drive out to understand the work | Their answers arrive before you call |
| You discover their budget is too low | They can decide whether the price fits |
| You write another quote from scratch | Their answers become the quote's starting point |
Your site visits go to homeowners who already accept your price range.
What an Online Estimate Does
An online estimate is a preliminary price range from the homeowner's own answers. It shows the homeowner the likely cost, and it shows you which leads are worth a call.
The scope and price stay open until you confirm the job and send your quote. See how a quote differs from an estimate.
The online estimate sets the price expectation, and your quote sets the price.
Insured damage starts at your inspection instead, and the adjuster gets a claim quote built from it. See how a claim job differs.
How an Online Estimate Becomes Your Quote
1. The Homeowner Enters the Job Details
The estimator sits beside the service the homeowner is reading about, with no app to download.
A fence estimator asks for length, material, height, and whether an old fence needs removal. A painting estimator asks about the number of rooms, their size, and the preparation required.
2. The Growth Engine Calculates a Preliminary Estimate
The Growth Engine applies your approved pricing rules to the homeowner's answers, accounting for materials, quantities, chosen options, and the job's location.
The homeowner sees a preliminary price or range for the work they described, then leaves an email address to ask for the next step.
3. You Review the Opportunity
The estimate and contact details go into the Growth Engine app. You see what the homeowner asked for, the options they selected, and the price they saw. If they run the estimator again with different options, that version is saved as well.
When the homeowner asks for a quote or books a visit, the Growth Engine emails one built from every estimate they ran, so nobody on your team retypes the job. A homeowner who priced a deck and a fence gets one quote with both.
From their answers, you decide whether the job needs a phone call, measurements, or a site visit before you confirm the quote.
4. You Update the Quote After Your Call or Visit
For simple, repeat work, the answers often match the job, and the quote stands as sent. For work that depends on site conditions, you measure or visit, enter the actual values, and change the scope or price wherever the job differs.
The homeowner gets the updated quote, and every earlier version stays on the customer record.
You set the final scope and price, and the homeowner signs your quote, not the estimate.
One Estimator for Each Service You Sell
Each service page on your website, such as deck building, fence installation, or interior painting, has its own estimator.
A homeowner reading about fences answers questions about their fence and sees a price for that specific fence.
Each estimator asks only what a homeowner knows and what moves the cost, such as the length of the fence, the material, and the height. The details a homeowner can't judge are yours to confirm on the call or at the site visit.
A short set of questions the homeowner can answer gets finished, and a finished estimate is a lead.
A homeowner planning a bathroom and a kitchen runs two estimates, one for each, and both are saved on the same customer record.
Pricing Built Around the Work Your Company Does
A deck builder, a painter, and a fence installer each price their work differently, so they cannot share one formula.
I build each estimator around what drives the cost of that work. Depending on the trade, that includes:
- Job size, measurements, or quantities
- Materials and finishes selected
- Labour and service options
- Removal, preparation, or additional work
- The postal code of the job
One estimator prices several parts of a job and totals them. A fence estimate includes the new fence, removal of the old one, and additional gates.
The homeowner sees how each choice changes the total price.
You Adjust Every Estimate
No formula sees everything at a customer's home. A homeowner may enter a wrong measurement, overlook preparation work, or describe the job differently from what your crew finds.
You can change any estimate, whenever you choose:
- Actual values. Replace the homeowner's figures with the measurements and answers you find, and both versions stay on the customer record.
- Discounts and credits. Take an amount off the price whenever you choose, such as a discount for a repeat customer or a job next door to another one, or a credit for materials the homeowner supplies.
- Special cases. Raise or lower the price for an uncommon condition the formula doesn't cover, such as difficult access or an unusual material.
The quote updates to match, while the homeowner's original answers and estimate stay on the record.
The Estimator Keeps Up With Your Prices and Services
An estimator built on last year's material costs shows homeowners last year's price. When your prices change, or you add or drop a service, tell me, and I update the estimator's formulas, questions, and services to match.
If you keep making the same change on real jobs, tell me that too, and I update the formula so the estimate is closer on the next job.
Homeowners see your current prices for the services you sell today.
Who Controls the Estimator's Prices?
Estimator pricing on each plan.
| Feature | Pay When Paid Plan | Own Website Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Online estimates | Included | Included |
| Estimator questions | The same for every company in your trade | Built around your services |
| Prices shown | Prices you set | Prices you set |
| Change the final quote | Yes | Yes |
Pay When Paid Plan: you agree to provide every service the shared website describes for your trade. Every contractor in your trade uses the same estimator questions, each with their own prices. You set your price adjustment for the job's location, such as a downtown markup, and that adjustment is part of your price for the job, not a Strategic Mind fee.
Own Website Plan: you set the estimator's prices. I build the formulas around your services and update them when your prices, your services, or real jobs show a change is needed.
Who Does What?
Who does what on an online estimate.
| Who | Job |
|---|---|
| The homeowner | Enters the job details, sees the preliminary estimate, and approves the quote you confirm. |
| The Growth Engine | Asks the questions, calculates the preliminary estimate, saves it to the customer record, and emails the quote built from the homeowner's answers. |
| Me | Builds the formulas for your trade and updates them when your prices or services change, or when you keep making the same change. |
| You | Review each estimate, decide whether the job needs a call, measurements, or a site visit, enter actual values, and update the quote with the final scope and price. |
What You Get
- An estimator beside each service you sell
- Questions and pricing formulas built for your trade
- A preliminary price or range adjusted for the job's postal code
- Every estimate and rerun saved on the customer record
- A quote built from the homeowner's answers, ready for you to update after your visit
- Formula updates when your prices or services change
From the Online Estimate to the Approved Quote
Each estimate goes into the homeowner's quote, and contractor quotes take it from your updates after the visit to the homeowner's approval.
Book a one-hour review. I review which of your services can be priced online, what questions each estimator asks, and which jobs still need a site visit.
Common Questions About Online Estimates for Contractors
What is an online estimator for contractors?
It is a tool on your website that calculates a preliminary price from a homeowner's answers, and each service you sell has its own.
The estimate, job details, and contact details go into the Growth Engine app, where you review them before you quote.
How do we stop driving out to quote people who only want a ballpark?
The homeowner sees a price range before asking for your time. A homeowner whose budget falls short stops there, and one who accepts the range contacts you already knowing the likely cost.
Is an online estimate the final price?
No. It is a preliminary price from what the homeowner enters, and it changes when the measurements, materials, site, or scope differ. For simple, repeat work, it is often close to the final quote.
You confirm the job and set the final price on the quote the homeowner signs.
Can an online estimator work for my trade?
It works for services whose price follows from answers a homeowner can give, such as a fence's length and material. Complex repairs, hidden damage, and uncertain site conditions need an inspection before you quote.
I review your services with you and build estimators for the ones homeowners can price from their own answers.
Does the online estimator replace a site visit?
No. The estimator prices what the homeowner describes, without seeing the site. You decide which jobs you quote from the answers or a phone call, and which need measurements or a site visit first.
On the Own Website Plan, you choose which jobs need a site visit and how many visits each one takes.
On the Pay When Paid Plan, the option to book a visit is the same for every contractor on the shared website. Your price covers every visit the job requires.
Does the online estimator work for insurance jobs?
An online estimate prices planned work from the homeowner's answers. Insured damage starts at your inspection, and the Growth Engine builds a claim quote for the adjuster from what your team records. See insurance claim quoting.
Who sets the prices in my online estimator?
You set your business's prices, and I set up the questions and formulas around the work and update them when your prices or services change. On the Pay When Paid Plan, contractors in the same trade share the estimator questions but use their own prices.
What happens if the homeowner changes their mind about the job?
They run the estimator again with new answers, and their quote updates to match. Every version stays on the customer record, so you see what they asked for first and what they want now.
What happens if the homeowner enters the wrong measurements?
You confirm the measurements and scope before you set the final work and price. The homeowner's original answers stay on the customer record, and you update the quote to match what your team finds.
Can homeowners see a price without giving their contact details?
Yes. They see the estimate first, then provide their email address when they ask for the next step. The demonstration on this page stops at the price and does not create a customer record.
Does the estimator account for where the job is located?
Yes. It adjusts the price using a factor set for the job's postal code. It does not inspect or measure the property, so site conditions are yours to confirm.
Can the estimator calculate more than one part of a job?
Yes, within one service. A fence estimate totals materials, installation, gates, and removal of an old fence. The options depend on the formulas set up for each service.
Related Contractor Software
- Contractor Quotes: turn a confirmed estimate into the quote the homeowner signs.
- Insurance Claim Quoting: build the adjuster's claim quote from your inspection of insured damage.
- Contractor Online Booking: let homeowners book the site visit a job needs.
- Growth Engine App: see each estimate, its reruns, and the quote on one customer record.
- Working Example: test a live contractor website the way a homeowner does.
- Growth Engine Pricing: compare the two plans and what each includes.