Estimates

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Clicking Main Menu Estimates on the Menu Bar will display a list of all your estimates. You can sort the list by any column by clicking the column heading. Click the same column heading again to sort in the opposite direction.



To find an estimate just click a field in any column you want to search (i.e. Estimate Name) and start typing. Quick Estimator™ 2005 will move to the nearest match. Keep typing until you find the one you want. If there is more than one match (i.e. you have two estimates named "Smith Project Estimate") just hold down the Shift key and hit Enter. Quick Estimator™ 2005 will move to the next match.

F If you have the Full version you can also find estimates by estimate barcode. If you have a barcode scanner you can scan an estimate barcode on an estimate for example into the Find By Estimate Barcode field and Quick Estimator™ 2005 will open that estimate if found. If you don't have a barcode scanner, you can type the barcode number in instead and hit the Enter key. You will find the barcode number printed beside the barcode. See the example below.



Click the Add New Estimate button to add a new estimate.

Double-clicking a row will open the Estimates screen where you can view or edit the complete details for the estimate.

The Estimates screen is where you create, view and edit estimates. All items in an estimate can be divided into five categories, or they can be displayed in one list. Use the Item List View drop-down list to switch between views. If you have the full version you can also view the items by Assembly. This will only apply if you have used assemblies in the estimate.



Use the Browse drop-down list to browse through your estimates. You can also search for an estimate by typing a estimate name in the Browse drop-down list. As you type the list will filter out the closest matches. Keep typing until you find the one you want. Hit the Enter key to move to that estimate.

F If you have the Full version you can also find estimates by estimate barcode. If you have a barcode scanner you can scan an estimate barcode on an estimate for example into the Find By Estimate Barcode field and Quick Estimator™ 2005 will open that estimate if found. If you don't have a barcode scanner, you can type the barcode number in instead and hit the Enter key. You will find the barcode number printed beside the barcode. See the example below.



You can check the Customer View check box to hide all cost information and only show selling prices. This is useful if you are showing the estimate to the customer on your laptop. Uncheck it to return to normal view. It is also a handy way to see the selling price for individual items.

Clicking the Options button will display the drop-down menu shown below.


Select Add New Estimate to add a new estimate.

Select View / Edit Introduction to view or edit the introduction for the estimate. This will open the Estimate Introduction screen.
Select View / Edit Legal Notice to view or edit the legal notice for the estimate. This will open the Estimate Legal Notice screen .
Select Expand Item List to expand the item list area all the way to the bottom of the Estimates screen. This hides all the information at the bottom and gives you more room to view and edit items. This is useful if the estimate has a lot of items. Select this option again to return the screen to normal view.

Select Custom Fields to view or edit the custom field information for the estimate.

Select Add / View Assemblies to view, edit, or add assemblies to the estimate. See the Adding Assemblies topic to learn more about adding assemblies to an estimate.

F Select Add / View Super Assemblies to view, edit, or add super assemblies to the estimate. See the Adding Super Assemblies topic to learn more about adding super assemblies to an estimate.

Select Import Estimate to import a previous estimate you created into the current estimate. This will open the Import Estimate screen. This is useful if you are estimating a project which is very similar to a previous project. See the Importing An Estimate topic to learn more about importing estimates.

Select Import Template to import an estimate template you have created. This will open the Import Template screen. This is a great way to speed up estimating. See the Importing A Template topic to learn more about importing templates. See the Estimate Templates topic to learn more about estimate templates.

Select Adjust Price to adjust the total price for the estimate. This will open the Adjust Price screen. See the Adjusting The Price topic to learn more about this screen. This feature is useful if you want to round the price up or down to whole dollar amounts or to add a contingency to your estimate.

Select Recalculate to recalculate and refresh all numbers.

Select Schedule to open the Project Schedule screen to view or edit the schedule for that project.

Select Job Tracking to open the Job Tracking screen where you can view or edit job tracking information for the current estimate. See the Job Tracking topic to learn more.

F Select Create Quick Estimator Invoice to use the built-in invoicing feature to create an invoice from the estimate. See the Built-in Invoicing topic to learn more.

F Select Create QuickBooks® Invoice to copy the estimate to QuickBooks®. QuickBooks® must be running with you company file open. Also you must already have copied the project the estimate belongs to QuickBooks®. See the QuickBooks Invoicing topic to learn more.

F If you have created a built-in invoice Quick Estimator invoice, the Invoice Payments option will be available. Select this option to open the Invoice Payments screen. See the Built-in Invoicing topic to learn more.

F Select Archive Estimate to archive the current estimate. This will not delete the estimate, just remove it from view so they won't show up on any lists. To restore a estimate from the archive, click Archives on the top Tool Bar and click Estimate Archive. Locate the estimate you want to restore and check the Restore check box. See the Estimate Archive topic.

Select Delete Estimate to delete the current estimate.

Creating A New Estimate

If the Estimates screen is already open, click the Options button and select Add New Estimate, otherwise click Main Menu then Estimates on the Menu Bar on the Main Screen. and click the Add New Estimate button.

The first step is to assign a project to the estimate. This will be the project that the estimate belongs to. You can select an existing project from the Project drop-down list or create a new project by clicking the button to the right. See the Customers or Projects topics to learn more about adding new customers and projects. Once you have assigned a project, you cannot change it.

If you are not using the Replication feature, the Estimate # will be automatically entered for you. You can edit the number as required. If you are using the Replication feature then you will have to enter the Estimate # yourself. The replication feature is only available in the Full version.

When you select a project, a default name will be entered in the Name field. You can change this to something more meaningful.

Select the payment terms for this estimate from the Terms drop-down list. If you have setup a default terms in the Setup / Defaults section, then those terms will already be selected. You can change them if you want.

The current date will already be entered in the Date field. If you want to change the date, click anywhere in the Date field to display a drop-down calendar. Select the date you want from the calendar. See the Entering Dates topics to learn more about the drop-down calendar.

Select the estimator for this estimate from the Estimator drop-down list. If you have setup a default estimator in the Setup / Defaults section, then that estimator will already be selected. You can change it if you want.

Select the introduction you want to use for this estimate from the Introduction drop-down list. The introduction will be printed at the top of your estimate. Typical uses for the introduction would be to give a brief outline of what you propose to do and/or to convey some other information or notes to the customer. If you have setup a default introduction in the Setup / Defaults section, then that introduction will already be selected. If you want to edit the introduction for this estimate click the Options button and select View / Edit Introduction. This will open the Estimate Introduction screen shown below.

Use Ctrl + V to paste text in that you have copied from another application. You can click the Edit In Word Processor button to open the text in a small word processor where you can format it. See the image below. When you have finished typing the introduction, click the Close button.

Select the warranty you want to use for this estimate from the Warranty drop-down list. If you have setup a default warranty in the Setup / Defaults section, then that warranty will already be selected. You can change it if you want..

Click the Options button and select Show Legal Notice to enter any legal information you want printed on the estimate. This will open the Estimate Legal Notice screen shown below.

Use Ctrl + V to paste text in that you have copied from another application. . If you have setup a default legal notice in the Setup / Defaults section, then that legal notice will already be entered. You can edit or delete is as required.

The legal notice will be printed just above the signature / agreement area on the customer estimate. Some states or provinces require certain legal notices to be presented to home owners prior to entering in to a contract for home improvements.

If you do not require a legal notice, you can just leave it blank or use it for another purpose such as more detailed warranty information or any other default information you want to have printed on your estimates. When you have finished typing, click the Close button.

Click the Options button and select Custom Fields to open the Estimate Custom Fields screen as shown below.

There are four custom fields you can use to store additional information about an estimate. To edit the names of the custom fields, click Setup / Tools on the Menu Bar on the Main Screen, then click Set / Defaults and then click Custom Fields.

To add items to your estimate, first select the category by clicking any the category buttons If you have selected Not Grouped or Grouped By Assembly in the Item List View drop-down list then these buttons will not be visible.

There are seven different ways to add individual items to the estimate which are listed below. Some of these options will only be available in the Full version. These options give you great flexibility when adding items to an estimate.

1.

Type a partial or full item name in the Item field and press Tab or Enter and the item will be looked up in the cost book. If the item is not found you will be asked if you want to add it to the cost book.

If you click Yes, the small screen shown below will open. This lets you add basic information about the item.

If you have select Grouped By Category in the Item List View drop-down list, the

Category will be set to the category selected on the Estimates screen. The Name will be filed in with what you had typed into the Estimates screen. Enter the rest of the information for the item and click the OK button. This will save the item to the cost book and return you to the Estimates screen where the item will have been updated with the information you entered. Click the Cancel button to not add the item to the cost book.

If you click No when asked if you want to add the item to the cost book, you can carry on entering the rest of the information for the item in the estimate without adding it to the cost book.

If you don't want to be asked every time you enter an item that is not in the cost book, click the Cancel button. You can switch this back on from the Setup / Defaults screen under General.

2.

F Type * in the Item field and press Tab or Enter to select an one or more items from your Cost Book Favorites list. This opens a screen exactly like the Cost Book Item Selector screen but which only shows items you have added to your Favorites list. The favorites list allows you to add you most used items to a list so that you can easily locate them without having to browse through all your cost book items. See the Cost Book Favorites topic to learn more about managing favorites.

3.

Type an Item code in the Item field and press Tab or Enter and the item will be looked up in the cost book. (Only applies if you use Item Codes (CSI Codes)). If the code is found the item will be added to the estimate.

4.

F Type an item barcode number in the Item field and press Tab or Enter and the item will be looked up in the cost book. If the item is found it will be added to the estimate.

5.

F Scan an item barcode into the Item field using a barcode scanner and the item will be looked up in the cost book. If the item is found it will be added to the estimate.

6.

Click the button to the right of the item field to open the Cost Book Item Selector screen where you can add multiple items at once. This screen allows to easily find and choose items from your cost book and add them to the estimate. If you have selected Grouped By Category in the Item List View drop-down list then only items from the category chosen on the Estimates screen will be available on the Cost Book Item Selector screen. See the Cost Book Item Selector topic to learn more about this screen.

7.

F To enter a note or heading item type - followed by the text you want in the Item field and press Tab or Enter. None of the other fields will apply and they will be set to blank.. This is useful if you just want to add a note item that does not have a quantity or price or if you want to add a group heading to organize the items in the estimate. These items will be formatted in bold text both on screen and when printed. You must leave the - (dash) at the beginning for it to be recognized as a note. If you remove it Quick Estimator™ 2005 will assume it is a regular item.

In the Variation / Type field you can enter information like color, sizes, type or any other information you want to give your customer about an item. This is optional. If you have setup multiple variations for an item in the Cost Book, then these variations will be available from the drop-down list.

Next enter or select a task that you want to group this item by in the Task drop-down list. If you have selected a default task for the item in the Cost Book, then that task will already be entered for you. Using tasks is optional but will give you more control and options when printing your estimate. A typical use for tasks is if you are estimating for pavers and for a retaining wall on the one estimate. You would enter pavers as a task for all paver items and Wall as a task for all wall items. You can then print your estimate grouped by task so that all paver items and all wall items will be grouped together with their own subtotals. You are not limited to what is on the list, you can type in what you require. To add to or edit the list of tasks, simply double-click the Tasks drop-down list. This will open a screen where you can add, edit or delete tasks. See the Project Tasks topic to learn more about this screen.

The Supplier field will already be filled in if you have entered a supplier for the item in the Cost Book. You can change the supplier or if one has not been entered just select one from the list. Double-click the Supplier field to open the Suppliers screen where you can add, edit or delete suppliers. Having suppliers assigned to items allows you to print purchase orders.

The Unit field will already be filled in but you can change it by selecting a new unit from the drop-down list. You are not limited to what is on the list, you can just type in what you require. If you change the unit you will also have to change the unit cost.

Next enter the quantity in the Quantity field. If you used the Cost Book Item Selector to add an item then the quantity will already be entered. Once you enter the quantity, the total cost for that item will be calculated. You can change the quantity at any time and every thing will be recalculated. You can also double-click the Quantity field to open the pop-up Calculator to help you calculate the quantity.

The Unit Cost field will already be filled in if you have entered unit costs for all the items on the Cost Book. You can change the cost if you want.

The overhead, profit and taxes will all be calculated and the totals will be displayed at the bottom of the screen.

You can also add a description or note to any line item. You can have a different note for customers and your crew. This is useful if you would like to give more information about a product or describe how you to install it. To do this check the Show Line Item Notes check box. A blank line will appear below each item where you can type free screen text. It is divided into two sections. The left section is for customer notes and the right is for crew notes. Use the two small buttons to the right of the Show Line Item Notes check box to increase or decrease the height of the field. When typing use the Enter key to move to a new line. You can include as much text as you require. Uncheck the Show Line Item Notes check box to return to normal view. If you have added customer or crew notes to items in the Cost Book and have checked the Add Notes To Estimate check box, then those notes will automatically be added to the estimate when you add the item

Each line item will be given a number as it is added to the estimate. This number is used to sort the items on screen and on printed reports. You can edit these numbers to resort the items or you can use the up and down buttons at the bottom of the details area to move items up or down in the list.

To delete an item, click the button to the right of the item you want to delete.

Click the Options button and select Add / View Assemblies to add one or more Assemblies to the estimate. Assemblies are a powerful way to create estimates. See the Adding Assemblies topic to learn more about using assemblies in estimates. See the Assemblies topic to learn more about creating assemblies.

Click the Options button and select Add / View Super Assemblies to add one or more Super Assemblies to the estimate. Super Assemblies are a combination of regular assemblies are a powerful way to create estimates. See the Adding Assemblies topic to learn more about using super assemblies in estimates. See the Super Assemblies topic to learn more about creating super assemblies.

Items that belong to an assembly are color coded down the left side in green. Items that belong to a super assembly are color coded in orange. This makes it easy to tell which items were added individually and which ones were added as part of an assembly or super assembly. Items that are not in your cost book such as items you just typed in or notes are color coded in blue.

You can lock an item that is part of an assembly or super assembly by checking the box. This prevents the quantity of the item from being changed when you change the assembly or super assembly quantity. This will only apply to items that belong to assemblies or super assemblies.

You can adjust the price of your estimate before tax by clicking the Options button and selecting Adjust Price. This will open the Adjust Price screen. See the Adjusting The Price topic to learn more about this screen. This feature is useful if you want to round the price up or down to whole dollar amounts or to add a contingency to your estimate.

Click the Options button and select Recalculate to recalculate and refresh all numbers.

Enter the number of days the estimate is valid for in the Valid For Days field. If you have set a Default Estimate Valid For Days on the Defaults section of the Setup / Defaults screen, then that default will be entered for you.

The Accepted, Declined and Completed check boxes can be checked later depending on the outcome of the estimate.

Click the Print button to open the Estimate Print Options screen. See the Printing Estimates topic to learn more about printing estimates.

Click the Close button to close the Estimates screen. If this is a new estimate, you will be asked if you want to save it or not.

Also see the Creating A New Estimate quick step-by-step guide.

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