Contractor estimate example
- Estimate total
- $3,320
- Labor
- $1,560
- Materials and subs, marked up
- $1,610
Every figure on this page is computed from the inputs you enter, by the method stated below it. TakeoffDeck publishes no market rates and quotes no survey: the defaults are a worked example to replace with your own.
A contractor estimate example is only useful if it shows the lines a real estimate carries and the order they come in: labor at a stated rate for stated hours, materials at cost with the markup inside the price, subcontractors, equipment and disposal, permits, sales tax on the materials where the state charges it, the total, and the deposit to start. This guide walks that example, and the free contractors estimate template on this site builds one from your figures with no account.
Try the free estimate calculator Free to use. No account, no card, no trial clock.
Labor first, at a rate and a quantity the customer can check
The labor line is hours times your rate, and both numbers are on the estimate, because a labor figure with no rate behind it is the line every customer argues with. If you price by the day, enter the day rate and the days; the arithmetic is the same and the transparency is the point.
Materials and subs at your price, with the markup inside
Materials are entered at your cost and marked up, and the estimate shows the marked-up price as one line rather than a cost and a markup line, because the markup is how the price was reached and not a fee. Subcontractors are treated the same way: their quote plus your margin for carrying them, shown as one figure.
Equipment, permits and tax as lines, then the total and the deposit
Equipment rental, disposal and permits are pass-through costs that belong on their own lines, and sales tax applies to the materials in most states and not to the labor, so the estimate shows the taxed base. The total comes last, and the deposit to start comes under it as a percentage of the total, so the customer sees exactly what signing today costs.
Contractor estimate example: common questions
What does a contractor estimate include?
Your company name and license, the customer and the job address, the date and how long the price holds, the scope in plain words, labor at a rate and a quantity, materials and subs at your price, equipment and disposal, permits, sales tax where it applies, the total, the deposit to start and the payment terms. The template on this site carries every figure; the paid plan adds your name, logo and license to the printed estimate.
Is there a free contractor estimate template?
Yes. The contractors estimate template on this site is free and needs no account: enter your hours and rate, materials, subs, markup, equipment, permits, tax and deposit and it prices the job and prints. TakeoffDeck Pro adds your company name and logo, a PDF with no watermark, and saving it against the customer so a revision starts from the original.
How much deposit should a contractor ask for?
Whatever your terms say and your state allows, entered as a percentage of the total; the worked example uses 30%. Some states cap the deposit a home improvement contractor may take, so the figure on your estimate should be the one your state permits, and the tool shows it as a line so the customer sees it before signing.
TakeoffDeck Pro
Keeping what you make
The estimates are free forever. Pro turns them into your paperwork: your name and logo on it, no watermark, every estimate filed against the customer and the job, your rates remembered, and a clean export when the accountant asks.
- Download as PDF
- No TakeoffDeck watermark
- Save every estimate and reopen it later
- Your logo and license on it
- Export every estimate in one go
- Estimate follow-ups emailed to your customers
- Connect your own Stripe account and get paid online
- Connect your QuickBooks Online or Xero
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Cite or embed this figure
On the worked example, 24 labor hours at $65, $1,400 of materials marked up 15% to $1,610 and $150 of equipment come to an estimate total of $3,320, with a 30% deposit to start of $996.
Contractors estimate template (Estimate total): $3,320, TakeoffDeck, worked example.
Cite as: "Contractor estimate example, TakeoffDeck", updated 2026-09-05, https://takeoffdeck.com/contractor-estimate-example/.