Estimate Maker for Phone and Desktop

Two minutes, start to finish

Most of the time spent on an estimate is spent deciding the price. Getting that price into a document a client takes seriously should not add another evening. Here is roughly how the two minutes go with this estimate maker:

• 0:00 to 0:20 — your details. Business name, phone, email, address.
• 0:20 to 0:40 — the client. Name, email, address, estimate number, valid-until date.
• 0:40 to 1:40 — the work. Five to ten line items, each a description, quantity and unit price. The subtotal, tax and total update with every keystroke.
• 1:40 to 2:00 — terms and download. Tax rate, a line on deposit and payment in the notes, a glance at the preview, then the PDF.

There is no account to create first, so the clock really does start when the page loads.

Making an estimate on your phone

The best time to send an estimate is while the client still remembers your visit. That usually means the driveway, not the office. The estimate maker is a web page, so it works in Safari or Chrome on your phone with nothing to install. On a narrow screen the form and the preview stack into one column, so you fill in the fields and scroll down to see exactly what the client will get.

When you download, the PDF lands in your phone's files or downloads. From there, use the share button to send it by text, email, or whatever app your client prefers. A PDF opens the same way on an iPhone, an Android phone or a laptop, so you do not need to know what the client is using.

Writing line items clients understand

A fast estimate is only useful if it does not trigger ten questions. Write each line so it would make sense to someone who was not at the walkthrough.

Vague	Clear
Labor	Remove and haul away old vanity, 1 bathroom
Paint	Interior paint, 2 coats, walls only, 380 sq ft
Cleaning	Move-out clean, 3 bed / 2 bath, includes inside oven and fridge
Yard work	Spring cleanup: leaf removal, bed edging, 6 yd mulch installed
Editing	Photo editing, 4 hours at $65/hr, up to 60 final images

Putting the unit in the description (sq ft, hours, yards) and the count in the quantity field lets the client check your math, and makes a revised estimate a one-field change.

Estimate maker or estimating software?

They solve different problems. Estimating software, the kind general contractors use for large builds, helps you work out what a job should cost from plans, quantities and cost databases. An estimate maker starts where that ends: you know the numbers, and you need them in front of the client in a form they can approve. If you are a one-to-five person operation pricing jobs from experience, an estimate creator is usually all you need.

Habits that make the next estimate faster

• Keep a price sheet. A note on your phone with your standard rates per hour, per square foot or per visit means you are filling in, not calculating.
• Reuse your wording. The description you wrote for "toilet replacement, standard two-piece" on Monday works on Thursday too. Keep your best ones in the same note.
• Number consistently. EST-2026-017 tells you the year and order at a glance, and a revision suffix like -R2 settles which version is current.
• Set a default validity. Pick 14 or 30 days and stop thinking about it.
• Send it before you drive off. An estimate that arrives within the hour is more likely to be accepted than one that arrives three days later.

Free to use

The estimate maker is free, with no signup and no limit on how many estimates you create. Free PDFs carry a light makemyestimate.com watermark. Pro removes it, adds your logo, and saves your business profile.