Free download
The Home Improvement Estimate Checklist
A free guide that walks you through a contractor's written estimate line by line, so you can tell a complete bid from a cheap one before you sign anything.
What is inside
- A one-page checklist of the items every written estimate should name, whatever the trade.
- The wording that predicts a change order, and the questions that close it off in advance.
- How to normalize three bids so you are comparing the same scope, not three different jobs.
- Trade-specific pages for windows, roofing, bathroom remodels, solar and walk-in tubs.
- Licensing, insurance and permit questions to ask before work starts.
- A short section on deposits, lien waivers and payment schedules.
The guide is free. We will email you the download link, and if you tell us about a project we can introduce you to contractors in your area. There is no cost and no obligation to hire anyone.
Send me the free guide
Why we wrote it
Homeowners rarely buy a roof or a bathroom often enough to get good at it. Contractors write estimates every day. That asymmetry is where most of the bad outcomes in home improvement come from, and almost none of it requires bad intent: a vague line item becomes a change order, an omitted item becomes a surprise, and a homeowner comparing three lump sums has no way to see either one coming.
The checklist is the questions we would want a member of our own family to ask. It is not a price guide, because prices move by region and by season. It is a way to read what is in front of you.
If you want the same material in longer form, our articles section covers windows, roofing, bathroom conversions, solar and walk-in tubs individually.
The Local Home Pros publishes this material for general education. We are not a contractor, manufacturer, installer, lender or insurer, and nothing here is a bid, a warranty or professional advice. Codes, utility rules and incentive programs vary by state and by municipality, so confirm anything cost or code related with a licensed local professional and your own authority having jurisdiction before you commit to work. See our About page for how this site is funded.
