# Estimating in Quickbooks



## Damon T

Who uses customized cost items in quickbooks for estimating? And if so, what have you found to be the best way to set it up? I have just been using QB to type up estimates generated in other programs or from the old legal pad, but would like to set it up in an organized manner to quickly enter costs. Thanks.


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## Ramsden Painting

Just purchased QB contractor it will be delivered Tuesday. I hop it helps


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## RCP

I use it quite a bit, have items for every task with a description and unit price, makes doing estimates easy! Hard part is setting it up.


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## NEPS.US

I made categories and have sub sections off each. Start off with the basics and customise as you are doing estimates. It wont take long to have a foundation.


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## RCP

Here is a video I found on Youtube


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## MonPeintre.ca

Can someone post a printscreen of a quote in QB? Does it look professional with your logo???


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## Schmidt & Co.

I've been using QB for ten years now and do all my estimates in it. I have all my items set up for each task associated with a job. Drop out room, mask, prep, 1 coat ceiling, 2nd coat ceiling etc. I just click on the item, enter the quantity (time) and it multiplies it by my hourly rate. 

I also have every product that I use entered. Each item is already marked up, so all I do is count the gallons, sundries etc and it totals it for me. 

I use this only for my internal bid, as I have a separate proposal that I give to my customers.


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## Tonyg

Schmidt & Co. said:


> I've been using QB for ten years now and do all my estimates in it. I have all my items set up for each task associated with a job. Drop out room, mask, prep, 1 coat ceiling, 2nd coat ceiling etc. I just click on the item, enter the quantity (time) and it multiplies it by my hourly rate.
> 
> I also have every product that I use entered. Each item is already marked up, so all I do is count the gallons, sundries etc and it totals it for me.
> 
> I use this only for my internal bid, as I have a separate proposal that I give to my customers.


Same here. The QB estimate allows you to track every line item but I use an Excel form as a 'summary proposal' that I give to the customer without all the detail.


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## RCP

I just hide the fields and print/save for the customer copy.


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## Fresh Interiors

Hi Paul, I've always wanted to track everything in Quickbooks but found it difficult to set up for Job Costing. For example, i buy ceiling paint and primer by the pail, but charge by the gallon. How do you do that with your estimates? Ive been Job Costing in Excel where Ive designed some templates, but would love to have everything together so that expenses flow. 

I current build my quotes using my Excel tools then just enter expense and labour totals for each room I have set up as items. But then, I'm essentially building the quote twice! Takes a lot of time.....


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## Damon T

Schmidt & Co. said:


> I've been using QB for ten years now and do all my estimates in it. I have all my items set up for each task associated with a job. Drop out room, mask, prep, 1 coat ceiling, 2nd coat ceiling etc. I just click on the item, enter the quantity (time) and it multiplies it by my hourly rate.
> 
> I also have every product that I use entered. Each item is already marked up, so all I do is count the gallons, sundries etc and it totals it for me.
> 
> I use this only for my internal bid, as I have a separate proposal that I give to my customers.


Sounds like a good system. I go back and forth between time estimating as you are describing, and unit cost estimating, where you have costs set up per SF or LF etc. I think time estimating works better for me on exterior repaints, and unit cost is generally ok on interiors, as there seems to be less variables. I have started setting up my QB for drop down menu items and unit costs. 

Regarding job costing, we use QB to track those, as we enter employee time for each project. We also track store invoices per job, at least as much as possible. Some invoices get charged to "shop" when they're not job specific. This way we can get a pretty good idea of our actual costs and profit per job.


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## Fresh Interiors

Did anyone find it beneficial to meet with an accountant/book keeper to get QB all set up? Or was most of it done yourselves with just playing around and tinkering?


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## PatsPainting

Fresh Interiors said:


> Did anyone find it beneficial to meet with an accountant/book keeper to get QB all set up? Or was most of it done yourselves with just playing around and tinkering?


I know a few here, can't remember who but they said it was a well worth it for them to hire someone who set it all up for them. It probably made the difference between using QB and just writing it off to "I will learn it later"

Pat


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## RCP

Fresh Interiors said:


> Did anyone find it beneficial to meet with an accountant/book keeper to get QB all set up? Or was most of it done yourselves with just playing around and tinkering?


One of he best things I ever did was sign up with the local vocational school, they had a class that offered training and 4 hours follow up one on one with a certified QB trainer, who happened to be my accountant. Saved me tons of grief and trial and error!

You can find a certified pro here.


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## Schmidt & Co.

PatsPainting said:


> I know a few here, can't remember who but they said it was a well worth it for them to hire someone who set it all up for them. It probably made the difference between using QB and just writing it off to "I will learn it later"
> 
> Pat


That was me Pat. I hired another contractor from Minnesota that I met on another forum. I flew him in for the day to set me up and train me, and it was well worth it at the time. I tend to be a little slow when it comes to computers, and knowing myself I didn't want to have another program laying around that I bought, but never used.


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## JoseyWales

Schmidt & Co. said:


> That was me Pat. I hired another contractor from Minnesota that I met on another forum. I flew him in for the day to set me up and train me, and it was well worth it at the time. I tend to be a little slow when it comes to computers, and knowing myself I didn't want to have another program laying around that I bought, but never used.


 Yeah I bought Microsoft Office that has Publisher and Excel but I don't like studying manuals and the learning curve looks daunting.....so it sits unused on my computer.

First you have to learn Word,which is a thick users manual in itself...


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## Paint and Hammer

JoseyWales said:


> Yeah I bought Microsoft Office that has Publisher and Excel but I don't like studying manuals and the learning curve looks daunting.....so it sits unused on my computer.
> 
> First you have to learn Word,which is a thick users manual in itself...


Josey...check out Kijiji. 

Last week I contacted someone who is a trainer for Quickbooks. I am just going through this process. She charges $50 to set it up and $35 an hour after that to customize it. I expect an afternoon here and there.


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## Damon T

I initially set up my QB when I was with Summit. I had a QB pro advisor help me locally, and he has been my bookkeeper ever since. Great guy. I think it's very important to have someone like that get all the accounts set up in the right way. I bought the premier contractor edition, as he said that would be the best fit having around 6-9 employees at the time. The payroll feature was more robust. If you are outsourcing payroll, or if your bookkeeper has a intuit payroll package, then you may be ok going with a less expensive version. They get you every year with payroll subscription fees of several hundred bucks. Just another cost of doing business. Love QB as a whole, and am now pretty proficient on it, having been trained on it over the years.


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