EstiMate User Guide

Learn how to create risk-adjusted quotes that protect your profit margin.

Quick Start

Create a new estimate - Tap the + button on the home screen
Add your costs - Enter line items with their estimated costs
Set risk levels - Mark uncertain items as Medium or High risk
Run the analysis - Tap "Run Risk Analysis"
Choose your quote - Pick P50, P80, or P90 based on your comfort level
Export PDF - Send a professional quote to your customer

Understanding Risk Levels

Every cost estimate has uncertainty. EstiMate lets you quantify that uncertainty:

Risk Level	Variance	When to Use
Low	±10%	Fixed prices, contracted rates, reliable suppliers
Medium	±25%	Standard market prices, typical materials
High	±50%	Volatile prices, uncertain scope, new suppliers

Tip: When in doubt, go higher. It's better to quote safely than to lose money on a job.

Project Setup

Basic Details

Project Name - A name to identify this estimate
Client Name - Optional, appears on PDF quotes
Profit Margin - Your markup percentage (default 20%)

Job Duration

Estimated Days - How long you expect the job to take
Hourly Rate - Your labor rate per hour
Hours per Day - Working hours per day (default 8)

Job Complexity

This affects how much your duration estimate might vary:

Complexity	Duration Variance	Description
Routine	±10%	Standard work with familiar scope
Moderate	±20%	Some complexity, occasional unknowns
Complex	±35%	Challenging work, multiple variables
Unknown Scope	±50%	High uncertainty, scope may change

Travel Settings

Travel Time - One-way travel time in minutes
Include Return Trip - Toggle for round-trip calculations
Site Visits - Number of trips (leave at 0 for auto-calculation based on duration)
Distance & Mileage Rate - For vehicle cost reimbursement

Traffic Variability

Traffic	Variance	Description
Predictable	±10%	Rural areas, off-peak times
Variable	±25%	Suburban, mixed traffic
High Variability	±50%	Urban areas, peak hours

Line Items

Add individual cost items for your project:

Item Name - Description of the cost
Cost - Your estimated cost
Type - Category (Material, Labor, Equipment, Other)
Risk Level - How certain you are about this cost

Tip: Break down large costs into smaller items. This gives you more control over risk levels and makes quotes easier to explain to customers.

Understanding Results

The Histogram

The chart shows the distribution of possible total costs from 10,000 simulations. The curve shows where costs are most likely to land.

Percentiles Explained

Percentile	Meaning	When to Use
P50	50% chance of coming in under	Competitive bids where you're willing to take risk
P80	80% chance of profit	Recommended for most quotes
P90	90% chance of profit	High-stakes jobs, new clients, complex work
P95	95% chance of profit	Maximum safety, fixed-price contracts

PDF Exports

Customer Quote

A clean, professional quote for your customer:

Shows aggregated costs by category (Materials, Labor, Travel)
No risk levels or Monte Carlo jargon
Profit margin folded into costs (not shown separately)
Includes terms and conditions

Detailed Estimate

A complete breakdown for your records:

Full line item list with risk levels
Profit margin shown separately
Monte Carlo simulation results
All percentile values

Settings

Your Contact Details

Add your business information to appear on PDF quotes:

Company Name
Your Name
Phone Number
Email Address
Business Address

Currency & Region

Tap the flag/currency button on the home screen to change your region. This affects:

Currency symbol and formatting
Auto-detected from your device on first launch

Tips for Better Estimates

Be honest about uncertainty - If you're not sure, mark it as higher risk
Include everything - Travel time, site visits, and small items add up
Use P80 as your default - It balances competitiveness with safety
Save your estimates - Build a history to improve future quotes
Review before sending - Use the PDF preview to check your quote

Need Help?

Questions or feedback? Contact us at support@estimate-app.com