The estimator workshop is where you set up the menu of services your customers can choose from. This page is a complete reference for every option.
Anatomy of an Estimator
Every estimator is made of four kinds of content:
- Services — Line items the customer ticks on or off.
- Add-ons — Extras attached to a specific service (e.g., “Add Stump Grinding” on a Tree Removal service).
- Packages — Bundled offerings shown as alternatives to picking individual services (e.g., “Bronze / Silver / Gold maintenance plan”).
- Project Questions — Context that adjusts the total (e.g., “Is the lawn on a slope?” → 15% multiplier).
You can use any combination. A simple estimator might be just five services. A complex one might use all four.
Services
Each service has these fields:
Name
What the customer sees on the checkbox row. Keep it short and concrete: “Lawn Mowing” not “Standard Weekly Lawn Maintenance Service”.
Description
A one-liner shown below the service name. Use it to clarify scope or set expectations: “Front and back yard — clippings bagged and removed.”
Pricing Type
Two choices:
- Flat Rate — Single fixed price. Use when the price does not change with size: a tune-up, a service call, a flat-rate package.
- Per Unit — Price multiplied by a quantity the customer enters. Use when size matters: per sq ft of roof, per linear ft of fence, per window cleaned.
Price
The dollar amount. For per-unit services, this is the rate per unit.
Unit Label (Per-Unit Only)
What unit the price is in. ApproxIt provides a dropdown of common options:
- Area: sq ft, sq yd, sq m, acre
- Linear: linear ft, linear yd
- Time: hour, day
- Discrete: item, room, window, panel, fixture, person, visit, session
You can also type your own (e.g., “skylight”, “section”, “chimney”).
Tip: If you choose an area-based unit (sq ft, sq yd, sq m, acre), customers with the Pro plugin enabled can use Google Maps to draw the area on a satellite map, and the square footage will auto-fill the quantity. Free-text units like “skylight” do not get the auto-fill.
Billing Period
How often this service charges: One-Time, Per Visit, Weekly, Every 2 Weeks, Monthly, Quarterly, or Yearly. The estimator shows the customer their total for each distinct billing period (e.g., “$85/week + $325 one-time”).
Duration (Optional)
Free-text estimate of how long the work takes: “1–2 hours”, “Half day”, “2–3 days”. Shown as a small hint under the price.
Add-ons
Each service can have multiple add-ons. Add-ons appear as secondary checkboxes once the parent service is selected. Each add-on has:
- A name (“Edge Trimming”)
- A flat price (“+ $12”)
- An optional description (“Along sidewalks, driveways, and beds”)
Add-ons are great for upselling without cluttering the main service list.
Packages
Packages are pre-bundled service combinations shown as alternatives to picking individual services. Customers see a “Choose individual services OR a package” toggle.
A package has:
- Name (“Standard Plan”)
- Tagline (“Our most popular plan”)
- Badge (optional, e.g., “Most Popular”)
- Price
- Billing period
- What’s included — A multi-line list of bullet points
Useful for businesses that want to anchor customers to bundles. Skip them if your business is more à la carte.
Project Questions
Note: Project Questions are a Pro feature. In Lite you will see this section marked with an upgrade prompt; the workshop hides the editor but Lite-installed templates that include questions will still render them on the public form.
Three question types:
Multiplier Select
“How steep is the roof?” → Options each apply a multiplier to the total.
- Walkable (4/12 or less) → ×1.0
- Steep (5/12 – 8/12) → ×1.25
- Non-walkable (9/12+) → ×1.5
The customer picks one option. The multiplier applies to all selected services.
Per-Unit Surcharge
“How many roof layers to tear off?” → Adds a flat fee per unit.
- $50.00 per “layer”, default 1.
Toggle Surcharge
“Need permit & inspection?” → Simple yes/no with a flat fee.
- $125 when checked.
Questions can be tagged as “all” (always applied) or “one_time” (only applied to one-time billing services, not recurring).
Templates
When you create a new estimator, you can load a pre-built template to start with a full catalog. Lite includes:
- HVAC
- Window Cleaning
- Pool Service
- Lawn Care & Landscaping
- House Cleaning
- Painting
Pro adds seven more: Roofing, Power Washing, Tree Service, Plumbing, Concrete & Paving, Garage Door, Solar.
After loading a template, everything is editable. The template is just a starting point — change names, prices, add-ons, packages, and questions to match your business.
Loading a template replaces any existing services and packages on that estimator. Save your work first if you want to keep what you have.
Form Copy
Each estimator has two fields that customize the public form’s intro:
- Form Title — The big heading above the service list. Default: “What do you need?”
- Form Subtitle — The supporting line below the title. Default: “Select all the services you’re interested in.”
Use these to set context or instructions specific to your business: “What can we help with today?” or “Pick the services that apply — we’ll quote everything together.”
Accent Color
Each estimator has an accent color in the style sidebar. The form’s primary buttons, highlights, and progress bar pick up this color. It also drives the colored bar at the top of customer emails for that estimator.
If you do not set one, the estimator inherits the plugin’s default (“Construction Professional” orange — #EA580C).
Multiple Estimators
Build as many estimators as you want. Each has its own services, packages, accent color, and shortcode/block ID. Common use cases:
- Residential vs. Commercial — Different pricing structures.
- Service Line Per Estimator — One for HVAC, one for plumbing, etc.
- Per Location — One per market or franchise location.
- Seasonal — A winter snow-plowing estimator separate from your summer lawn estimator.