The Estimate Autopsy: Quoted vs Actual Job Costing

The sample quarter: eight jobs, $40,100 quoted. The estimates promised $13,182 of profit; the jobs delivered $10,263. The missing $2,919 didn't vanish on one bad job — it leaked 19% at a time, because the gut consistently estimates hours 19% light. That consistency is the good news: it makes the bias measurable, and measurable means correctable.

How it works

• The Autopsy — every finished job: estimated vs actual hours and materials → the profit leak per job and a plain verdict: ON TARGET, SLIPPING, BLEEDER (or SANDBAGGED? — fat estimates lose bids too)
• The Multiplier Fix — your own history becomes two correction factors, applied inside your next quote: a 30-hour gut estimate becomes 35.7 corrected hours and a $4,400 quote instead of $3,950. The $450 difference is money you were already spending — finally being charged for
• Where Hours Leak — small jobs bleed worst (setup doesn't scale down), the "while you're here" gets a cheerful yes with a number in it, demo surprises get quoted as contingencies, and the punch list gets one scheduled return trip, not three

Built for

Handymen and remodelers · electricians, plumbers, painters · any contractor whose invoices keep coming in thinner than the quotes promised.

What you get

One .xlsx file, four tabs, instant download. Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, LibreOffice. No macros, no subscription. Twenty job rows; re-derive the factors each quarter.