Customer estimate prompt

What most people type

write up an estimate for a customer: paint 3 bedrooms, walls and ceilings, two coats, they're providing paint

It works, but the AI has to guess your my business name, license number if required and contact info, so the first answer usually needs another round. The version below asks for exactly what a professional would deliver.

Write a professional painting estimate I can send to a customer, ready to fill in and paste into a document or email.

Job details:
- Paint 3 bedrooms: walls and ceilings
- Two coats on all surfaces
- The customer is providing the paint

Structure it the way a painting contractor would:
1. Header: [my business name], [license number if required], [contact info], [customer name and address], [estimate date], [estimate valid for how many days]
2. Scope of work: room-by-room, covering walls and ceilings with two coats. Add a line stating the customer supplies the paint, and a placeholder for [paint brand, color and finish, and who is responsible for having enough on site].
3. Surface prep: list typical prep tasks (covering floors and furniture, patching, sanding, masking) and mark each as included or excluded using [what's included]. Include [trim, doors, closets, and repairs: included or not].
4. Pricing: a table with a line per room and a total, using [labor price per room or hourly rate], [number of painters], [estimated days], and [materials or supplies I provide, such as tape, drop cloths and primer]. Don't invent prices. If any figure needs calculating, calculate it and show the math.
5. Schedule: [start date] and [estimated completion time].
6. Terms: [deposit and payment terms], [change order policy], [furniture moving policy], [warranty or workmanship guarantee], and a signature and acceptance line.

Keep the wording clear and plain for a homeowner. Don't add claims I haven't given you.

Replace the [brackets] with your details before you send it: my business name, license number if required, contact info, customer name and address, estimate date, estimate valid for how many days, what's included, trim, doors, closets, and repairs: included or not and a few more.

What a professional customer estimate prompt covers

• Line items
• Placeholders for room sizes, rates and total
• Terms such as timeline, deposit and exclusions

Watch out for

• Invented prices

Best AI model for this prompt

This is a everyday task: structured business document with placeholders; solid writing but no complex reasoning. You don't need the most expensive model. The cheapest model at each company that handles it well:

Pay-per-use list prices for this prompt and its expected answer (about 600 tokens). On a monthly chat plan, the same choice shows up as more messages before you hit your limit. See today's AI prices.