Restoration
Restoration Estimate Calculator
Builds a restoration estimate, where the reader is usually an adjuster rather than the customer.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus equipment, materials and the call-out, then tax. The discipline that makes a restoration estimate work is itemisation against recognised scope and pricing conventions, because it is reviewed by an adjuster against a database rather than accepted or declined by a homeowner. Each element needs to be identifiable, quantified and justified: affected area, materials involved, equipment units and run days, and the reasoning for anything outside a routine scope.
What moves the number
- Whether the estimate maps onto line items an adjuster can verify.
- Equipment units and days, justified from moisture readings rather than asserted.
- Whether mitigation and reconstruction are separated clearly.
- Supporting documentation attached to the estimate.
Where this one goes wrong
Supplemental scope is normal in this trade and it needs handling properly rather than apologetically. Water losses reveal themselves as material is removed, so the initial scope is based on what could be detected and the final scope on what was found, and that difference is documented as a supplement with evidence rather than absorbed. Absorbing it teaches the business to under-scope. The other thing to be explicit about is the customer's deductible and anything outside coverage, since the person paying part of the bill should know which part before the work rather than at the end.
Before you quote
- Itemise so each element is verifiable against standard scope.
- Justify equipment days from readings rather than asserting them.
- Document supplements with evidence as the scope develops.
- Tell the customer upfront what they are paying rather than the insurer.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
Why do restoration estimates get supplemented?
Because a water loss reveals itself as material is removed. The initial scope reflects what could be detected with meters and inspection; the final scope reflects what was found. That difference is documented as a supplement with evidence. It is normal rather than a sign of a poor initial estimate.
Who reads a restoration estimate?
Usually an insurance adjuster, who compares it against standard scope and pricing conventions. That is why it is itemised in a particular way rather than written as a quote. A lump sum is hard to approve, and an unjustified line is hard to defend.
What does the homeowner actually pay?
Normally the deductible, plus anything outside their coverage, and they should be told which parts those are before the work rather than at the end. Clarity on that point early avoids most of the disputes that arise at the close of an insured job.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 22 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $135.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $1,300.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 22 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $135 |
| Parts and materials | $1,300 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $4,365 |
| Labour | $2,970 |
| Before tax | $4,365 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $4,365: $2,970 of labour, $1,300 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $68 | $2,891 |
| $101 | $3,617 |
| $135 example above | $4,365 |
| $203 | $5,861 |
| $270 | $7,335 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 22 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $135.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $1,300.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.