How do I get a building estimate?

The estimate is an essential element in any project. It represents a showcase for the company, a first contact with the customer and, if accepted, is synonymous with additional business. But for this to happen, it has to be carefully prepared. Discussions with the customer, costing, service details, legal information, presentation: here are 5 tips for drawing up a good building estimate.

Before drawing up your building estimate, you should firstwith your customer and and visit the site where the work is to be carried out. This may seem obvious, but it's a good idea to avoid rushing into drawing up an estimate.

This exchange will enable you to better understand your customer's expectations, propose the most appropriate service and lay the foundations for a good working relationship. Above all, this meeting is an opportunity to ask questions to define the essential points of the project :

• What are its precise expectations?
• How long does it take to complete the work?
• What is the customer's budget?

This exchange is essential: it will enable you to the most accurate estimate possibleIt's also a good way of showing off your company's professionalism.

When it comes to drawing up a building estimate, one of the most important steps is site costing. All work costs must be accurately estimated in order to to produce a commercial proposal as close as possible to reality.

There are several key factors to take into account when calculating the precise cost of a project:

• the cost of materials required to complete the work;
• visit labor costs You need to estimate the total number of hours on the site, taking into account the hourly cost of employees (gross wages and social security charges);
• visit VAT rate (see below).

As far as VAT is concerned, several rates may apply depending on the service:

• 20% VAT This is the default rate for all construction work;
• 10% VAT for renovation, conversion, conversion and maintenance work on homes completed more than 2 years ago;
• 5.5% VAT A reduced rate for energy renovation work;

0% VAT a rate that applies to subcontractors, auto-entrepreneurs and micro-entrepreneurs.

Drawing up an estimate for a building site means being as precise as possible. This means detailing the nature of each service. This transparency will enable the customer to see your proposal more clearly and to understand the details of all the costs involved in the work.

Regardless of the type of work involved - construction, renovation, repair, troubleshooting - clearly detail each job:

• total surface area ;
• labor employed ;

price of supplies per unit, etc.

A successful site estimate is one that includes all the compulsory legal information. The document must include several elements:

• the date of quotation ;
• the quotation so as not to confuse it with an invoice;
• visit information about your company company name and address, Siret number, etc. ;
• visit customer's name ;
• the where the work is to be carried out ;
• visit conditions of sale and payment ;
• the detailed breakdown - quantity and price - of each service and material required;
• the hourly labor rate ;
• the total amount to be paid excluding and including VAT, with VAT rate ;
• visit mention on the estimate whether the estimate is free of charge or subject to a charge, and the cost of the estimate if it is subject to a charge.

Drawing up a site estimate also means paying attention to the presentation of the document. It may seem secondary, but a perfectly presented estimate can make all the difference when it comes to the customer's choice: it conveys the image of a serious, professional company.

There are several ways to make your quote more attractive:

• insert company logo ;
• aerate the layout ;
• add colors colors, but no more than three to avoid overloading the page;
• take care spelling Many mistakes can damage your company's credibility;
• stay simple and concise, The quotation must be clear.

Whether you are a carpenter, electrician or painter, Techtime can help you manage and plan your projects thanks to a web application and a mobile application.

You can even add specific functionalities such as a gateway to quotation software, for a customized platform tailored to your company's day-to-day needs.