In this post
- 1 · Site visit — existing system
- 2 · Site visit — load, duct and airflow
- 3 · Site visit — access and site conditions
- 4 · Takeoff — equipment
- 5 · Takeoff — materials (the section that gets forgotten)
- 6 · Takeoff — labor
- 7 · Takeoff — everything else
- 8 · Costing
- 9 · Pricing
- 10 · The document
- 11 · Send and follow up
- The eight that cost the most when missed
- Turning the checklist into a system
- Related
# HVAC Estimating Checklist
Estimates don't usually fail on the big numbers. The equipment cost is right. The labor hours are roughly right. What goes missing is a $180 permit, a $95 thermostat, a $310 lineset, and four hours nobody accounted for because the attic access is a folding ladder in a closet.
This is the checklist that catches those. Work it in order: site visit → takeoff → costing → pricing → document → send.
1 · Site visit — existing system
- Make, model, serial and age of existing equipment recorded
- Photographs: equipment nameplate, install location, plenum, electrical panel, condenser pad, attic/crawl access
- Fuel type confirmed; gas line size and capacity checked
- Existing electrical: breaker size, panel space, whip and disconnect condition
- Refrigerant type of existing system noted
- Condensate routing and existing drain condition
- Any pre-existing code issues noted and photographed
- Reason for the call recorded (breakdown, comfort complaint, bills, home sale)
2 · Site visit — load, duct and airflow
- Load calculation performed or scheduled (don't size off the old unit by default)
- Square footage, ceiling heights, window and insulation condition noted
- Return air adequacy assessed — the most common reason a correctly sized system underperforms
- Supply and return duct sizing checked against the new equipment
- Duct condition, insulation and accessibility recorded
- Plenum and transition dimensions measured against the new cabinet
- Registers and grilles counted and condition noted
- Zoning present or requested?
3 · Site visit — access and site conditions
- How the equipment physically gets in and out — stairs, turns, doorway widths
- Attic/crawl access type and working clearance
- Whether a crane, lift or extra crew member is required
- Condenser pad condition, clearances, drainage
- Parking and material staging
- Anything on site that turns a two-person day into a three-person day
- HOA, gated access, or scheduling restrictions
- Pets, occupancy, or working-hours limitations
4 · Takeoff — equipment
- Condenser / heat pump — model, tonnage, efficiency
- Evaporator coil — matched, correct orientation
- Furnace or air handler — model, AFUE/kW, cabinet dimensions confirmed against the space
- Thermostat
- Equipment cost is net after rebates and current pricing — not last quarter's price sheet
- Availability and lead time confirmed
- Manufacturer rebates or utility incentives identified
5 · Takeoff — materials (the section that gets forgotten)
- Line set — length, size
- Condenser pad
- Disconnect and whip
- Supply plenum
- Return transition / plenum
- Filter cabinet and initial filter
- Flex or rigid duct modifications
- Registers or grilles if being replaced
- Condensate drain, trap, float switch
- Condensate pump if required
- Vent pipe / flue materials
- Gas flex connector, shutoff, sediment trap
- Refrigerant — additional charge beyond factory
- Nitrogen, brazing supplies
- Duct sealant, mastic, tape, insulation
- Fasteners, hangers, strut, vibration pads
- Surge protector (if included in the tier)
- Consumables and shop supplies
Build this list once as a job-type assembly. Starting from a full list and deleting what doesn't apply is far more reliable than building one from memory in a driveway.
6 · Takeoff — labor
- Hours estimated from your own completed-job data, not a book
- Crew size and composition
- Removal and disposal of old equipment
- Sheet metal fabrication time
- Line set replacement or reuse decision (and time)
- Electrical connection time
- Start-up, testing, commissioning
- Customer walkthrough and system demonstration
- Travel and material pickup
- Difficult-access adjustment applied if warranted
- Return trip for inspection, if applicable
7 · Takeoff — everything else
- Mechanical permit — cost and jurisdiction
- Additional permits (electrical, gas)
- Inspection lead time and its effect on scheduling
- Subcontractors: electrician, crane, abatement, drywall
- Disposal / recycling fees
- Load calculation cost, if outsourced
- Equipment rental
8 · Costing
- Labor costed at burdened rate, not wage (payroll taxes, workers' comp, insurance, PTO, benefits)
- Burden percentage current — recalculated at least annually from payroll
- Equipment costs current
- Subcontractor quotes in hand, not assumed
- Overhead recovery applied — once, not twice
- Total job cost calculated and sanity-checked against similar completed jobs
9 · Pricing
- Price derived from a target margin, not a markup applied by habit
- Margin verified:
(Price − Cost) ÷ Price - Margin compared against the company target
- Any discount checked for its effect on gross profit before it's offered
- Price is above the approved floor for this job type
- Good / Better / Best tiers all priced at the same target margin
- Optional add-ons priced separately
- Financing terms current and correct
- Sales tax treatment correct for equipment vs labor in your state
10 · The document
- Company name, address, phone, license number
- Estimate number, date, prepared-by
- Customer name and billing contact
- Service address, if different
- Scope of work in plain language a non-technical reader understands
- Equipment listed by make, model, tonnage, efficiency
- Materials and accessories included, itemised
- Labor described in words
- Exclusions written out explicitly
- Change-order clause — additional work requires written approval first
- Price and tax treatment
- Parts warranty and labor warranty stated separately
- Registration requirement noted, if the manufacturer's warranty depends on it
- Payment terms, deposit, financing
- Expiration date
- Optional add-ons listed with prices
- Signature / approval block
- Document type correct for the job — estimate, quote or proposal
11 · Send and follow up
- Sent same day or next day (not "when I get to it this weekend")
- Sent by email and text, if you have both
- Delivery confirmed
- Owner assigned
- Status set — not "sent" indefinitely
- Day 1 confirmation contact scheduled
- Follow-up cadence set with dates on a calendar or in a system
- Expiration reminder scheduled before the price runs out
- Outcome recorded when it resolves: sold, lost, and why
The eight that cost the most when missed
If you only spot-check a handful, check these:
| # | Item | Typical cost of missing it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Labor costed at wage instead of burdened rate | ~$110 on a 16-hour job at 30% burden — before overhead |
| 2 | Permit fee | $100–$400, entirely out of your margin |
| 3 | Plenum and transition fabrication | Materials plus 2–4 hours |
| 4 | Difficult access not adjusted for | Hours, on every job with the same conditions |
| 5 | Overhead not recovered, or recovered twice | Structural — affects every job you price |
| 6 | Markup used where margin was intended | 40% markup = 28.6% margin. Eleven points, every job. |
| 7 | Exclusions not written | One dispute can cost more than the job's profit |
| 8 | No expiration date | Being held to old equipment pricing |
Turning the checklist into a system
A printed checklist works. It works better than nothing by a wide margin, and if you take one thing from this page, print it.
But a checklist still depends on someone using it at 6pm after a full day. The version that doesn't depend on discipline is the same list built into the estimate itself: job-type assemblies that already contain every material line, burden and overhead set once centrally, price derived from a target margin with the margin visible on screen, exclusions and warranty terms that populate automatically, and a status on every estimate until it's sold or lost.
That's the difference between a contractor who estimates well and a company that does.
How HVAC estimating software handles this →
Open the calculator → Price a job — equipment, materials, labor, overhead, margin.
Open the live demo → Or build a complete sample estimate. No signup.
Related
- How to Estimate an HVAC Job →
- What Should Be Included in an HVAC Estimate? →
- HVAC Markup vs Margin →
Want this checklist built into the way your team actually estimates? Talk to BDEVY →
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