How to Create an Estimate in Minutes

Watch this video tutorial to learn how to create a professional and branded estimate in minutes with Houzz Pro.

There are several options to choose from when creating a new estimate for your project. You can:

1. Create an estimate from an existing template
2. Create your own estimate template
3. Create an estimate from scratch
4. Create an estimate using AI
5. Upload an existing estimate
6. Duplicate an existing estimate
7. Convert selections to an estimate

To start:

1. Go to the project where you would like to create an estimate. From within the Estimates section of that project, click on the New Estimate button.

2. From the dropdown menu, select From Scratch, Upload, From Template, or Create With AI.

Create Estimate from Existing Template

The easiest way to create an estimate in minutes is by using one of our existing templates as your foundation.

When you select the Template option in the New Estimate dropdown, you will be able to pick from six options, including:

• New Build - Residential House
• Kitchen & Bathroom Remodel 
• Loft Conversion 
• Carpentry
• Drywall
• Painting - Residential Development

Create Your Own Estimate Template

If you have a standard template for your business that you would like to use time and time again, you can also create your own custom template.

Once you create your estimate with your preferred format, select the Actions dropdown, and find Save as Template.

From there, you can name your template and select all the sections you would like to keep for your estimate template. Click Save.

Once you create your template, you will be able to access it in the Template Center whenever you need it — just look under the Your Templates section.

Create Estimate from Scratch

If you would prefer to create your own estimate, no problem. There are two ways to do this:

1. On your Houzz Pro homepage, click the Estimate icon in the Create New section, select From Scratch, then assign it to a project.
2. From the Estimates section within a project, click on the New Estimate button, then select From Scratch.

Adding Items

Once your new estimate is created, you're ready to add items. You can click into the Add Item field in the document to manually add information. Here, you can either create a new item, or search for and select an existing item. You'll see items sourced from My Items, project items, and the Average Price catalog.

The menu on the right side of your document also gives you access to items from various sources:

• AutoMate AI: Add detailed project description to add line items (more below)
• My Items: Items from your product and item library
• Brand Catalogs: Items from The Home Depot catalog and the Average Price catalog
• Templates: Items from your existing document templates
• Recent Estimates: Items from other estimates across projects

Use the filters and the search bar to quickly find the items you want, then click the item(s) to add to the estimate. Once added, you can manually update the details, like descriptions, quantity or marking an item taxable.

Organize and Customize

You can customize your estimate by easily clicking into a field and editing it, and by using the Customize button to enable/disable columns and add your own fields.

Arrange your estimate how you want it by using the View By menu to organize your line items by category, room, section, any single-select custom column you added, or no grouping at all. The View By option you set will also be applied to the downloaded PDF and client view of the estimate.

Please Note: If you don't see a View By option in the dropdown you may need to enable the specific column under the Customize settings.

Create Estimate Using AI

For a quick and easy document creation process, you can use AI to help populate estimate line items and categories. Just provide an in-depth project description, and our AI, AutoMate, will take care of it from there. To learn more about AI-generated estimates, read How to Use AI to Create an Estimate.

Upload Estimate File

If you already have an estimate that you would like to upload into Houzz Pro, you can do this as well. Select the Upload option in the New Estimate dropdown. You will then be able to upload a file from your computer to use in your project.

You can read more about estimate uploads in this article: How to Upload Existing Estimates

Duplicate Existing Estimate

If you have an estimate that you used in a previous project and would like to use again, you also have the ability to duplicate that estimate and move it to another project.

To start:

1. Open up the estimate you would like to duplicate. Select the Actions dropdown, and find Duplicate and Edit.
2. From there, you can choose to either duplicate the estimate to the existing project, or you can duplicate the estimate and move to another project.

3. If you decide to use in another project, just select that Project from the dropdown menu that pops up, or you can choose to create a new project for this estimate.

Convert Selections to Estimate

If you've already had your client approve their choices on a selections board, you can quickly create an estimate for those items by clicking the Convert button on the top right of the selections board. You'll be able to select exactly which items to include on the estimate and then see the total for the items selected.

Edit Document Settings

The settings on your estimate are fully customizable to fit the need of each project and client. You can edit the general document details (title, document code, client and company info, creation date etc.) as well as payment schedule, terms & conditions and memos, signatures and automated tasks and reminders.

To learn more about your document settings, check out How to Edit Your Document Settings.

Add Files & Photos to Estimates

You can easily add any relevant files or photos to your estimate, either for your client to view or for your teams eyes only. To attach a file or photo, scroll down to the Files section and click on Attach Files. From here you can select existing project files, upload files from your computer, or select files from your Google Drive.

Learn more about managing files in How to Access and Organize Your Files.

Preview and Share Estimate

Before sending your estimate, you can preview it and choose exactly how it will look to your clients. First, select the Preview button in the top right of your screen.

Next, review the Settings dropdown next to "Customize what your client can see" to check off the relevant boxes next to the information you want to show to the client, including approval per line item if applicable.

You can read more about preview and share options for estimates in this article: How to Customize What Your Client Sees on Your Estimate

You can also show or hide your Files, T&C, Memo or signature sections of your estimate by clicking the eye icon in the top right of each section when you're in edit mode.

When your estimate is ready to go, click on Share and you can use your saved message templates instead of writing a new email from scratch every time. Your clients can view the estimate and approve or decline it directly from their computer, phone, or tablet device.

Print, Download and Export

Alternatively, you can opt to print your estimate to share a physical copy, download and attach it to an email, or export to Excel. To do so, open the Actions menu at the top of the page and select Download as PDF, Export to Excel, or Print, depending on your desired action. You can also download a PDF using the download icon at the top of the page.

Comment on Estimates

Once you share your estimate with the client, you can communicate with them (and team members) directly on the document by using the comment feature at the top. This allows you to easily reference document details you might be discussing, and keeps conversations organized. To learn more, read How to Comment on Documents in Houzz Pro.

Edit Approved Estimate

Once an estimate is approved, you will need to reopen the estimate if changes are needed.

To start:

1. Open up the estimate you would like to edit. Select the Actions dropdown, and find Reopen for Editing.

2. A popup will ask you to confirm you would like to reopen the estimate. Please note: When you do this, e-signatures will be removed, and you will need to reshare with your client.