PipeStitchTurn job notes into clean quotes
Every bigger quote says what’s in, what’s out, and what you assumed.
The short version
- Who runs it: The owner or estimator, at the desk the evening after a site visit for a bigger job, for 20 minutes.
- Set it up once: about 30 minutes
- Check it’s working: Every quote over $1,000 this month has a “not included” list and no [?] left in it. Check each one before you press send.
The short version
- Who runs it: The owner or estimator, at the desk the evening after a site visit for a bigger job, for 20 minutes.
- Set it up once: about 30 minutes
- Check it’s working: Every quote over $1,000 this month has a “not included” list and no [?] left in it. Check each one before you press send.
What it costs you today: Most arguments about a finished job start with something nobody wrote down. The fix costs you, not the customer.
What you’ll use
- Google Docsfree
- Google Drivefree
- Gmailfree
- Your AI assistantfree plan works
Set it up once
about 30 minutes
Make a Google Drive folder called Estimates, with one folder per bigger job for notes and photos.
Write down, once, the things you never include unless asked: permits, patching drywall, hauling away, and so on. Keep it in the folder.
Save the prompt below as a saved chat or a note called Scope.
Run it every time
Gather everything from the visit: your notes, what the customer said, and your “never included” list.
Paste the prompt and all of it. You get four lists: the work, what’s not included, what you’re assuming, and questions for the customer.
Send the customer the questions today, in one short email. Don’t price anything still marked [?].
Once they answer, write the quote from the first two lists, and put the assumptions in the quote’s notes.
Copy this prompt
Paste this, then your visit notes and your “never included” list underneath.
Sort the notes below from a site visit into four lists: 1) The work: what we are doing. 2) Not included: what we are not doing, including anything from my “never included” list that applies. 3) Assumptions: things I’m treating as true that the customer hasn’t confirmed. 4) Questions for the customer: what I need answered before I can price it. Where something is missing or unclear, write [?] instead of filling it in. Do not write prices or a quote. Here are my notes:
The number to check
When not to use it
- The job is small and standard, like a water heater swap. Use the same-day quote playbook instead.
- The job needs drawings or an engineer’s sign-off. The scope comes from those, not from your notes.
Privacy: Paste the notes about the work. Leave out the customer’s name, address, and gate or lockbox codes.
When you outgrow this
Next playbook: Follow up without being pushy →