There are 7 steps to estimate a painting job:

1. Choose an estimate tool that fits your workflow and needs.
2. Review the project plans, ensuring you understand the scope and details of the job.
3. Use takeoff tools to automate complex calculations.
4. Estimate material and labor costs
5. Estimate painting labor based on job complexity and research hourly labor rates.
6. Apply markup for overhead and profit, then calculate the total cost by adding all expenses.
7. Seek a review from a trusted colleague or mentor to avoid overlooking important details.

To learn more about how to make a painter's estimate and to try our free template, explore our full guide on the subject.

Great question! Painting cost estimator software is a time-saving, accuracy-designed digital tool that painters use to convert measurements into documents that outline all costs of a project—from labor, and materials to markups, shipping, and more. Residential painting estimating software allows painting contractors to automate these calculations, leaving less room for human error that could lead to billing errors down the road. Additionally, painting estimating software helps painters digitize their business, helping to keep estimates organized within the software program or app. As a bonus, estimating software makes it seamless to share estimates with clients, other contractors, or vendors. 

At minimum, a painting estimate should contain the following elements:

• Your company’s contact information
• Your client’s contact information
• Date the estimate was prepared
• Item names, quantities and price for each material required to execute a project (you can include labor in the price or as a separate line item)
• Subtotal, taxes, fees and the grand total
• A place for both parties to sign and date the estimate once approved

If you want to add a competitive edge to your estimate, we recommend including:

• Your company’s logo to add an extra dose of professionalism
• Inspirational images to help clients visualize what they’re getting
• Dreamy descriptions of items to show how you plan to use them
• Terms and conditions that include any important information your client should be privy to before signing
• A payment schedule so your client knows when to expect an invoice

Sign up for a free trial of Houzz Pro’s painting estimate program to create an estimate that includes all of these elements and more! To continue learning, read our full guide on how to create a painter's estimate and use our free estimate template.

When looking for a paint job estimating software that suits your needs, be sure to consider the following features:

• Cloud-based: A cloud-based painting estimating software will help keep your estimates organized in the cloud so any team member, contractor, or client can access them when they need to. It also ensures you only ever have one version of an estimate floating around to create a single source of truth.
• Integrations: The painting job estimator app you choose should integrate with your other business tools so you don’t have to completely overhaul the way you work. Integrations with Gmail, Zoom and accounting software like QuickBooks Online are some important integrations to look for as you’ll commonly be using these tools to send and communicate your estimates, then align them with your business finances.
• All-In-One Tools: House painting estimating software is most useful for busy painters when it has other features that help optimize the entire project workflow. For example, if you use one tool to create your estimates and another to create invoices, you’ll be spending a lot of time entering the same data twice, which could hold you back from taking on more projects. Be sure to look for tools that can tackle takeoffs, estimates, invoices, change orders, and more so you can achieve maximum business efficiency.

P.S. Houzz Pro’s painting contractor software for estimating checks all of the boxes on this wishlist. Try a demo to see for yourself.

With a subscription to Houzz Pro’s paint job estimating software, you also get access to these project winning tools that help your business stand out from the competition:

• Proposals
• Mood boards
• 3D floor planner
• CRM

You can find more information about what features are included with each of our plans here.

When you subscribe to Houzz Pro’s painting estimating software, you gain premium access to our support team. That means you get an exclusive phone number that directs you to an onshore team member and you get pushed to the top of the queue.
You also get personalized on-demand onboarding support, showing you how to properly use the specific features you want, when you want, to help get your business up and running with Houzz Pro. We also have a wide variety of help articles available in our Help Center and in-depth how-to videos on our YouTube channel.