Estimates
Create the cost structure for a job and build out the breakdown that becomes your proposal.
Who this is for: Builders, estimators, and subcontractors who are ready to start pricing a job once the project is set up.
What Estimates is for
An estimate is where the pricing happens. Once a project exists, you create an estimate inside it and start building out the cost breakdown — section by section, line by line — until you've got a figure you can put in front of a client.
Think of the project as the job file and the estimate as the pricing document inside it. One project can hold multiple estimates, which is useful when you're pricing different scope options or revising figures after a client meeting. Each estimate has its own status, reference number, and full set of sub-pages for plans, takeoffs, costing, and proposals.
Before you start
You need a project before you can create an estimate. If you haven't set one up yet, go to Projects in the left menu list and create the project first. See the Projects tutorial for a step-by-step walkthrough.
Things worth knowing upfront
An estimate lives inside a project — you link it to a project when you create it. You can't move an estimate to a different project after it's saved.
The Estimate Reference (e.g. EST-2) is generated automatically. You can't set it manually — it's your internal identifier for the estimate.
One project can have multiple estimates. Use this for different scope options, budget versions, or revised figures on the same job.
The Construction Type and Construction Category options come from Setup. If the options you need aren't there, add them under Setup > Lists first.
Status defaults to In Progress when you create a new estimate.
How to get there
There are two ways to reach the Estimates list:
From the black header at the top of the screen, click Projects.
In the left menu list, click Estimates.
Or, if you're already inside a project:
Open the project from the Projects list.
Click the Estimates tab inside the project.
What you'll see
You land on the Estimates list. Across the top are three tabs:
Active — estimates currently in progress or pending (default view)
Completed — estimates you've marked as finished
Archived — estimates you've retired
The table shows the following columns:
Column | What it shows |
Estimate | The estimate name and its auto-generated reference (e.g. EST-2) |
Project | The project this estimate is linked to, and the project reference |
Status | Pending, In Progress, Completed, or Archived |
Construction Type | The construction type assigned (e.g. Residential, Commercial) |
Construction Category | The category assigned (e.g. New Build, Renovation) |
Client Budget | The client's stated budget, if entered |
Priority | Low, Medium, High, or Urgent |
A New Estimate button sits at the top right. Click any row to open the estimate.
Step-by-step: creating a new estimate
On the Estimates list, click New Estimate in the top right. A panel opens on the right side of the screen.
Fill in the estimate details:
Field | What to enter | Notes |
Project | Select the project this estimate belongs to — e.g. Brennan Street Kitchen & Bathroom Renovation | Required. The estimate is permanently linked to this project. |
Name | A name for this estimate — e.g. Kitchen & Bathroom — Stage 1 | Required. Shows in the Estimate column on the list alongside the auto-generated reference. |
Set as Template | Leave unticked for a real job | Tick only if this is a reusable estimate template. Templates don't appear in the standard Active list. |
Description | Optional notes about the scope or approach | Internal reference only. |
Status | In Progress | Defaults to In Progress. Change to Pending if you're not ready to start yet. |
Priority | e.g. High | Low, Medium, High, or Urgent. Useful for sorting when you have multiple active estimates. |
Due Date | Optional — the tender or submission deadline | Visible on the Overview page inside the estimate. |
Construction Type | e.g. Residential | Options come from Setup > Lists. Leave blank if the option you need isn't there yet — you can update it after adding to Setup. |
Construction Category | e.g. Renovation | Same — sourced from Setup > Lists. |
Client Budget | e.g. $85,000 | Optional. Useful for tracking how your estimate tracks against what the client has in mind. |
Builder's Initial Estimate | e.g. $92,000 | Optional. Your early ballpark before the detailed breakdown is done. For internal reference only. |
Click Save at the bottom of the panel.
Core Estimator creates the estimate and takes you straight to its Overview page. You'll see the estimate name and its auto-generated reference in the header, and a sub-navigation bar across the top with all the estimate's pages.
Worked example: setting up the Brennan Street estimate
The builder has already created the Brennan Street Kitchen & Bathroom Renovation project. Now they need an estimate to price the work.
They click New Estimate and fill in the panel:
Project: Brennan Street Kitchen & Bathroom Renovation
Name: Kitchen & Bathroom — Stage 1
Status: In Progress
Priority: High
Construction Type: Residential
Construction Category: Renovation
Client Budget: $85,000
Builder's Initial Estimate: $92,000
They click Save. Core Estimator creates the estimate — auto-assigning it a reference like EST-3 — and opens the Overview page. The builder can now go to Costing Items to start building out the cost breakdown, or to Upload Plans to bring in the plans and calibrate them for takeoffs.
What's inside an estimate
Once an estimate is open, a sub-navigation bar runs across the top with every page for that estimate. Each page handles a different part of the estimating workflow:
Page | What it's for |
Overview | Estimate details — name, status, priority, due date, construction type, property details, and budget figures. Edit any field and save. |
Tasks | Create and assign tasks specific to this estimate — RFIs, approvals, follow-ups. |
Upload Plans | Upload the plan set for this job and calibrate the scale for takeoffs. |
Plans & Takeoffs | Run digital takeoffs against the uploaded plans — measure lengths, areas, and counts that feed directly into Costing Items. |
Costing Items | The main cost breakdown — where you build out every line item for the job, assign cost codes, link Price Lists and Grouped Prices, and arrive at the total cost. |
Total Cost Summary | A rolled-up view of costs by category, with markup applied. Shows the total sell price you'll put to the client. |
Quote Descriptions | The written scope sections that appear in the proposal alongside the pricing. |
Produce Proposal | Combine the pricing and scope into a formatted proposal document ready to send to the client. |
Proposals Sent | A record of every proposal sent for this estimate, including status and client responses. |
Note: You don't need to work through these pages in strict order, but the most common sequence is: Upload Plans → Plans & Takeoffs → Costing Items → Total Cost Summary → Produce Proposal.
Understanding Status
Status | What it means | Appears on |
Pending | Estimate is queued but work hasn't started yet | Active tab |
In Progress | Actively being worked on — default when created | Active tab |
Completed | Pricing is done and the job has been awarded or closed | Completed tab |
Archived | Retired from the active list — kept for reference | Archived tab |
Step-by-step: editing an estimate
You can update estimate details at any time from the Overview page inside the estimate.
Click the estimate row from the Estimates list to open it.
On the Overview page, update any fields — name, status, priority, due date, construction type, budget figures, or property details.
Click Save.
Tip: If you update the Client Budget or Builder's Initial Estimate as the job develops, you can use these fields to track how your detailed costing is tracking against the early expectations. It's a useful sanity check before you finalise the proposal.
Step-by-step: archiving an estimate
Open the estimate from the Estimates list.
On the Overview page, change the Status field to Archived.
Click Save.
The estimate moves to the Archived tab. Nothing is deleted — all costing, plans, takeoffs, and proposals remain intact.
Tips
Name estimates clearly. If a project has multiple estimates, the name is the only thing distinguishing them on the list. "Option A — Timber Frame" and "Option B — Steel Frame" are more useful than "Estimate 1" and "Estimate 2".
Set Priority when you create it. High and Urgent estimates are easy to spot on a busy list. It takes two seconds and saves scanning later.
Use Construction Type and Category consistently. They're not just labels — they'll be useful for filtering and reporting once you have a library of jobs. Agree on the values in Setup with your team before you start.
One estimate per pricing version. If a client asks for a revised scope, create a second estimate on the same project rather than overwriting the first. You keep both versions and can compare them.
Troubleshooting
Symptom | Cause | Fix |
The Project dropdown is empty when I try to create an estimate | No projects exist yet | Create a project first under Projects in the left menu list, then come back to create the estimate |
The Construction Type or Category I need isn't in the dropdown | It hasn't been added to Setup yet | Go to Setup > Lists and add the option, then return to the estimate |
I can't find an estimate I know exists | It may be on the Completed or Archived tab | Check the other tabs, or search by estimate name in the search input above the table |
I created an estimate but it's not showing under the project | The estimate was linked to a different project on creation | Open the Estimates list, search for it by name, and check the Project column to confirm which project it's under |
The Estimate Reference (e.g. EST-2) isn't what I expected | References are auto-generated sequentially — you can't set them manually | Use the estimate Name field for the label that matters to you. The reference is the system ID. |
Related articles
Projects — set up the job container before creating an estimate
Costing Items — build out the detailed cost breakdown inside an estimate
Total Cost Summary — review the rolled-up costs and apply markup before producing a proposal
Produce Proposal — turn the completed estimate into a formatted proposal document
Still stuck?
Reach out through the chat bubble in the bottom right of Core Estimator and we'll give you a hand.