Quote vs. Estimate
A quote is a fixed price you commit to. An estimate is your best guess, and it can move once you see the job. Say which one you are sending.
What it means
Clients use the two words as if they mean the same. They do not, and the difference hits your bank account. A quote is a firm number you agreed to do the job for. If the job takes longer than planned, you pay that cost. An estimate is a rough figure given before you fully scoped the job. Both sides know it could move once the real work starts.
Your choice changes how you handle surprises. Under a quote, rotten wood behind a wall means you eat the extra hours. The exception is a signed change order. Under an estimate, you can revise the number and explain why. Most clients expect that. Trouble starts when you say "estimate" and the client hears "quote". Say the word you mean, and put it on the paper too.
You estimate a bathroom repaint at $800 after a five-minute look. You start stripping wallpaper and find water damage. You tell the client the real number is $1,150. That is an estimate doing its job. Call the same $800 a quote and you eat the extra $350 yourself.
Writing "estimate" at the top of the document but treating it as a fixed price. You are too embarrassed to revise it, so you eat the difference on every job that runs long.
See also
Where this shows up
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- guide How to price a job so the number holds up The quote works only if its number works. Start with the price, then write it up.
- tool Free Quote & Estimate Generator Fill in your business and client details. Add line items, mark any as optional, and set a deposit. A clean quote builds as you type. Turn it into an invoice with one click.
- tool Quote & invoice terms builder Tick the clauses that fit the job and fill in your numbers once. You get a plain-English terms block. Copy it, print it, or send it into the quote generator.