standinfor.me

Email templates · Contractor

Email template to ask a contractor for an itemized estimate

A contractor sent you a quote that's a single number, or a few big lines with no detail, and you can't tell what's in it. An itemized estimate splits the total into its parts: labor, each major material, permits, subcontractors (the electrician or plumber the contractor hires), and allowances. An allowance is a placeholder amount for something you haven't picked yet, like tile or fixtures; if you choose something pricier, you pay the difference. Without the breakdown you can't compare quotes, you can't see where the money goes, and you can't spot a lowball allowance that will balloon later. Asking in writing is normal, and a contractor who won't itemize is telling you something.

Before you send

  • The quote itself: its date, the total, and any reference number. Quote the total back so there's no confusion about which one you mean.
  • A list of what you most want to see separated. Labor, materials, permits, and allowances cover most projects; add anything specific to yours, like demolition or haul-away.
  • Any product choices you've already made. If you know the exact faucet or flooring, say so, so the estimate can price real items instead of allowances.
  • How many other quotes you have. You don't have to share the numbers, but knowing you're comparing gives the contractor a reason to be thorough.
  • A date you'd like the breakdown by. A week is fair; two days is pushy.
Subject Itemized version of your estimate for [project] at [your address] 
Hi [contractor name],

Thanks for the estimate dated [date] for [project, e.g. the bathroom remodel] at [your address]. The total of $[amount] is in the range I expected, and I'd like to move forward with comparing it properly.

Could you send an itemized version that breaks the total into:

- Labor, with a rough count of days or hours
- Materials, with the main items listed and priced separately
- Permits and inspection fees
- Any subcontracted work, such as electrical or plumbing
- Allowances for items not yet chosen, with the dollar amount assumed for each

I've already decided on [any specific products, e.g. the vanity and faucet, model numbers attached], so those can be priced as actual items rather than allowances.

I'm comparing a couple of quotes and want to make sure I'm looking at the same scope across all of them. If you could send the breakdown by [date], that would help me decide by [your decision date].

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • A good contractor sends the breakdown within a few days, often with a note explaining a line or two. That note is worth reading; it's where they tell you what surprised them about the job.
  • Watch the allowances. A $500 tile allowance on a full bathroom is a sign the real number will be higher. Ask what tile they priced and whether it's something you'd actually pick.
  • A refusal ("we don't itemize") or a breakdown with one giant "labor and materials" line is a bad answer. Reply once asking for at least labor separated from materials. If that doesn't come, prefer a contractor who will.
  • Once you have the breakdown, compare it against the other quotes line by line, not total against total. That's where you'll see who left out the permit or the haul-away.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Get an itemized breakdown of a contractor's estimate 
Hi StandIn,

I have a contractor's quote and I'd like you to get it itemized so I can compare it with the others.

The project: [what the work is].
My address: [street address].
The contractor: [name, company, and email address].
The quote: [date, total amount, and anything the quote says it includes].
Products I've already chosen: [item names or model numbers, or none].
Other quotes I'm comparing: [how many, and their totals if you want to share].
My decision date: [date].

Please ask them for a breakdown into labor, materials, permits, subcontractors, and allowances, follow up if it's slow, and when it arrives lay it next to my other quotes and point out any lines that look low, missing, or unusually high.

Thanks,
[Your name]

Related templates