Overview Not computer savvy? No problem! Clear Estimates has help guides just for you. The Visual Library is a step by step walkthrough of Clear Estimates, to help even the greenest computer users get started with the software!  First, let's make sure you have what you need to get started. Below are resources for new computer users, to help you lear...

Curious how to sign your documents in Clear Estimates? This guide shows how you can use your preferred PDF editor to sign your proposals or contracts!   ...

Note This article is for changing a part category for one estimate on the new Projects page design. This option is only available on the new Projects page. If you want to learn how to change a part's category permanently, click here Overview Clear Estimates offers plenty of flexibility with your estimates! You can change anything you'd like about ea...

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Overview Welcome to Clear Estimates, a powerful estimating tool for residential remodelers and contractors! Clear Estimates offers a 15,000+ item library tailored to residential remodeling - perfect for kitchens, baths, additions, and more! Our library covers a wide variety of projects, and includes labor rates for many trades. Before you begin your...

This is a great introductory webinar for Clear Estimates - an in depth walkthrough of our software! Watch below to get started!   Want a one on one training session?  We include a full training call with your trial subscription! If you've already signed up, you can reach out to our team here to schedule your call!      Continued Learning  How To Cre...

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Overview Hey, something's changed! We've redesigned the Clear Estimates Projects page, giving you a new and improved estimating interface - plus, much more flexibility with your estimates and reports! Let's look at what's changed!  New Improvements   Mobile Friendly Design Now, you can pull up Clear Estimates on a phone or tablet, and estimate with ...

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The first installment of the Clear Estimates in Practice webinar series! Here we discuss the general process for estimating a bedroom remodel in Clear Estimates.  Click here to see this webinar on YouTube!...

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Welcome to episode two of the Clear Estimates in Practice webinar series! Here we discuss the general process for estimating deck builds in Clear Estimates. Click here to see this webinar on YouTube!...

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Overview Parts make up the core of your estimate. They contain your material & labor costs, markup amounts, labor rates & hours, and more! Clear Estimates gives you powerful tools to manage your parts, and keep your estimates organized. Let's take a look! Favorite a Part Favoriting a part lets you keep that item near the top of the list, so ...

Overview Lump sum is great when you want to charge a customer a fixed amount, regardless of the quantity. Perfect for installation costs when you don't want to get into the details about how many hours it will take: instead, just charge a flat rate! Where You Can Use It The lump sum calculation option is available for your Material, Labor, or Subcon...

Quick Steps Open Projects Scroll to the Misc Items tool at the bottom Click the Plus to add a new item  Add in your tax percentage or dollar amount and Save.  For discounts, place a "negative" sign before the value (i.e. -20%, -$1000).  Overview No matter what kind of service you offer, tax always needs to be accounted for! Clear Estimates offers pr...

Overview You've certainly seen this calculation type before! This is where you simply enter a cost per unit for a particular item. When Clear Estimates calculates the total cost of the part, it will multiply your cost/unit times the quantity you've entered. Where You Can Use It The $/unit calculation option is available for your Material, Labor, or ...

Overview Templates are a huge time saver when building estimates. Templates make it easy to add a full list of parts to your project, without searching for parts one by one! Templates are built to be customized - either per project, or on a permanent basis. This overview shows how to do both!    Continued Learning To learn about template formulas, c...

Overview Hours/Unit is great for when you want to charge a customer for a certain number of hours on a per unit basis. This is perfect for installation costs - when you know how long each unit will take, and the labor rate you want to charge. This is the default calculation in Clear Estimates for Labor Costs. Enter the number of hours per unit (i.e....

Overview We've recently updated our Customers page - making it easier than ever to keep track of your customer info! To help you get started, here is a convenient guide to everything in your new "Customers" page! As always, all of your customer information can be found by clicking "Customers", from your Managers: "Customers" is where you will keep t...

Clear Estimates is a cloud based tool which operates in your preferred web browser.  Since each web browser is a bit different from the next, sometimes certain browser issues can interfere with Clear Estimates. The following is a list of known conflicts, and potential workarounds for those situations.  Part Browser Dropdown Issue - Chrome Browser af...

Always use a different cost, description, or report text for a particular item? No need to change it every time! This guide shows how to make permanent changes to the parts in your library:  Want to change items on a per-estimate basis? Here's how ! Need more information on material cost calculations? Click here . Want to learn adjust your part cate...

Click "Create Custom Part". Type your description and dollar amount. Change markup to "0". Add any needed contract language explaining the contingency.  Overview Regardless of your project size, you always need to be prepared for the unexpected. You can spend hours detailing every aspect of the job for your client - but there can always be those "un...

How to charge a Flat Rate for Labor In this example, we're looking at how you can input a flat labor cost for a part to charge for that on your estimate. This is great for when you know what you want to charge the customer already, you can quickly input this into your estimate! You can also do this for material or subcontractor costs! See these arti...

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Set-up a Part with Subcontractor Costs for Installation In this example, we'll take a look at how you can create a part that includes Material Cost for materials, but uses a Subcontractor for the installation cost. Simple Steps From your Projects page, open your part with the pencil button (far right). Un-check the "Labor Cost Calculation" box to re...

Want to know how to archive a customer or project? Here's a quick tutorial!...

Overview One of the great things about Clear Estimates is preloaded labor rates, sourced directly from your area! These rates are already included in your account when you sign up. Keep in mind that these labor rates are pre-markup and pre-tax, so they are the average labor cost you would expect to pay out, hourly, for a variety of different trades....

Overview Clear Estimates makes it easy to build unlimited estimates, proposals and invoices. As you add leads and start new projects, it's a good idea to keep your projects organized. An organized account means less time searching for information, and more time focusing on the task at hand! Clear Estimates will sort your customers and projects autom...

What would you like to do?  Edit my Labor Rates   Edit Labor Cost of an Item     This video is for editing labor cost for one item. To adjust your labor rates, click here. You're in the right place! See the walkthrough guide below     Learn to edit the cost of labor for any item in your estimate!   Part of a Series on Customizing Parts: Customize La...

Add something to your project by mistake? No problem! You can easily delete parts from your project.To delete a part, first find the part on your Project Overview, in your Projects page. Be sure you're selecting the item you want deleted.  To the right of your part, click the trashcan: Deleting Multiple Items You can also delete multiple items at ...

How to charge a Flat Rate for Materials In this example, we'll look at how you can input a flat material cost for a part in your estimate. This is great for when you know what you want to charge the customer already, and you can quickly put this into your estimate! You can also do this for labor or subcontractor costs! See these articles for more in...

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Hey! Something's different!  If you've been with Clear Estimates for a while, you may notice some changes! We've been working hard to make estimating even easier, and are ready to introduce powerful new tools to help you estimate your way! New estimating powers Introducing the all new Adjust Part tool in Clear Estimates  If you use Clear Estimates, ...

Overview A professional proposal goes a long way when it comes to winning bids. Clear Estimates creates a personalized, professional proposal automatically - which you can share with your clients in just a few clicks!  In order to fully personalize your documents, its important to include your company name and contact information.  Clear Estimates m...

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Note This tutorial is for the new Projects page design. For the older method, click here!...

We know that estimating is an "on-the-go" job. Whether you're at the job site, home or office, you need to be able to estimate fast - from anywhere!  That's why we've optimized the new Projects page for smartphones and tablets - so you can estimate here, there, or anywhere!  View, Print, or Download Proposals on Mobile! The Projects page features ne...

Estimating with Clear Estimates is a live, in-person estimating seminar for contractors! Take a look at this in depth walkthrough of Clear Estimates, with live Q&A!  Want to see this seminar on YouTube? Click here! ...

Pro only feature The Clear Estimates Zapier integration is available on Clear Estimates Pro plans.  Click here for more details!            ...

Open a part with the 'pencil' button. Click "Select Files" in the Miscellaneous section. Upload the image and click "Save". Go to Reports > Boilerplate. Check "Image Gallery" in your "Outro" boilerplate. On some estimates, you may want to include images for your customer to view. For example, maybe you want to include a picture of a new vanity si...

Clear Estimates comes pre-built with over 15,000 + line items dedicated to residential remodeling. With so many line items to choose from, it helps to know where to look!  This article is an overview of what types of parts are included in each category.  Once you know where to look, you'll want to head back into Clear Estimates and follow these inst...

  Part of a Series on Customizing Parts: Edit the Cost of a Part Edit Labor Cost of a Part Add Subcontractor Cost to a Part Customize you r Part Libra ry...

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Overview In this example, we'll show how you can customize the markup for one particular line-item. Its extremely easy to do, let's take a look! Simple Steps: Let's say your item is using 50% markup for Material, Labor, and Subcontractor costs (this is the default in Clear Estimates) but you want to use 25% for Materials, 10% for Labor, and 75% for ...

This video will show you how to add subcontractor cost to a part!  Pa rt of a Series on Customizing Parts: Edit Line Item Text    Edit the Material Cost of a Pa rt Edit the Labor Cost of a Part Customize Your Part Library...

How to charge a specific $/unit cost to a customer for labor In this example, we're looking at how you can input a $/unit cost for the labor cost of a particular part in your estimate. Simple Steps: Let's say you're installing a ceramic tile floor and you want to charge $1.50/square foot for the installation labor. Well, that's easy! First, Open the...

Your boilerplate language makes your proposals look like well-written contracts, so set these up once and have every contract look professional! Continued Learning Click here for a visual guide on setting up boilerplate! For information about custom fields in boilerplate, click here! Learn more about report settings here!...

When adjusting items in your Adjust  Part tool, you may have noticed the grey “Insert” buttons: “Provide and Install”, “Quantity”, “Unit Type”, and “Part Description”. What are these? When should you use them? You’ll see these buttons right below the text boxes for the “Preliminary Text”, “Formal Text” and “Subcontractor Text”. These text boxes are ...

Click "Options" Click "Cancel Subscription" Overview: You can easily cancel or change  your subscription at any time - right from the software. All of your subscription preferences can be found in your "Options" tool, located in the upper right hand corner of your screen. From the Options Tool, find the list of options on the left. At the very botto...

How to charge a Flat Rate for a Subcontractor Cost In this example, we'll look at how you can enter a flat subcontractor cost for any part in your estimate. This is great for when you know what your subcontractor charges, and you want to quickly add this into your estimate! You can also do this for labor or material costs! See these articles for mor...

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Note This tutorial is for the new projects page design. For the older method, click here !...

Overview You've worked hard putting your estimate together - adding parts, setting up components, and calculating markup. Now it's time to see the final product!  To do this, you'll want to know how to use your Reports Tab - where you can look at your proposals, and send them out! Let's walk through all the options available in your Reports tab, and...

Need to add in your own parts? Follow the guides below! Add a Custom Part to an Estimate Add Custom Parts to Your Part Library Importing Your Own Parts from Excel...

  Continued Learning: Modifying Parts in Your Parts Tool Adding Custom Parts to Your Part Librar y Customizing Categories for One Estimate...

Overview Clear Estimates is built for remodelers, but did you know you can customize Clear Estimates for other types of work? In this guide, we'll talk about how to customize Clear Estimates. Below the video, you'll find in-depth resources for personalizing your part library!           Important If you edit part costs for pre-built Clear Estimates p...

1. Click Options  2. Under “Report Settings”, click Formal 3. Click "Includ e Alterna te line item details" 4. Click "Save" at the bottom!   Overview  It's common for contractors to show options on an estimate. For example, your client may have agreed to a kitchen upgrade - but they're also curious about the cost of a bedroom remodel. Clear Estimate...

Overview  Welcome to the first installment of the Clear Estimates User Guide! In this guidebook, you'll learn the very basics of setting up your Clear Estimates account.  As a first time user, this section will show you the process for setting up a new account - step by step! Signing Up The first step to using Clear Estimates is to sign up for a sub...

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Clear Estimates now offers a project / estimate number option! This is a great way to organize your proposals using an estimate or project number, claim number, etc.  With this new workflow, Clear Estimates will automatically generate project numbers based on your preferences, so that those will always be available for your estimates. Let’s get star...

Click OptionsUnder "Preferences", click "Rounding". Set up your rounding preferences. Click "Save" at the bottom.   Overview Clear Estimates includes a number of settings for your proposals. One of those options is your rounding preferences, which allow you to customize how costs add up on your proposal.  Rounding allows you to remove extra cents fr...

Need to add sales tax, discounts, profit margin, or other line items below the “base bid”? This will walk you through all your options for adding these items.       ...

In this joint webinar from Clear Estimates and Clearent by Xplor, we discuss tips for contractors for simplifying payments.  We also discuss modernizing your payments workflow, reducing failed payments, and streamlining your accounting process overall. Join us for this fun and informative virtual seminar!    ...

Are you looking for a refund of $189 charged to you by a service called Clear?  If so, you're on the wrong website.  Clear Estimates is frequently confused with Clearme, the airline service.  Clear Estimates is an estimating software for remodelers. While we have a similar name, we are not associated with Clear.  We do not have reps at the airport, ...

Not a Pro User? Click here for details on Clear Estimates Pro!   Interested in upgrading? This will show you how! Welcome to  Clear Estimates Pro !  As a new Clear Estimates Pro user, you'll have access to additional features & integrations to help streamline your estimating. You'll find your Pro-only features in a few different spots throughout...

Open your project. Click "More" at the top right, and click "Duplicate Project".Click "More" again on the new copy, and click "Refresh Prices".Choose if you want to update previously adjusted parts.  Overview The cornerstone of our software is the built-in pricing! Clear Estimates updates material prices for over 400 locations nationwide, every quar...

Note This article is for adjusting which categories print on a proposal. If you want to change a category in your estimate,  click here ! If you want to permanently adjust part categories, or create a new category, click here ! Overview You have a number of options in your  Reports tool for customizing proposals. Each proposal export has its own tab...

    More Learning: Edit Material Costs Edit Labor Cost Edit Labor Rates Edit Line Item Text Payment Schedules Boilerplate Language Using Components Using Alternates Creating Invoices  ...

Overview Clear Estimates allows you to email an estimate directly from your account. This is a major timesaver when sending out proposals to your clients!  Like with any email system, it's important to understand how email delivery works, and how to troubleshoot issues.  In this guide, we'll talk about how to check your email Activity History, and w...

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Curious about your formatting options in Clear Estimates? This walkthrough guide will show you how to change text size, font or color on your proposals. We'll also talk about some general set up options, and how to fix some common formatting issues.   ...

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Overview  Clear Estimates comes pre-loaded with over 200 different templates for common jobs. Sometimes, though, you may want to create new templates for your own specific project types.  We're thrilled to introduce a brand new feature that will make building your own templates easier than ever!  Using the brand new Save Project as Template feature,...

This article is not for anyone using the online version of Clear Estimates. This article is for those using the desktop version. How can I tell? If you signed up for Clear Estimates before 2015, you are most likely using the desktop version. If you have been with us for the last several years, you may have noticed that Clear Estimates has gone onlin...

No Clearent Account? If you are looking to accept payments, but have not yet set up your Clearent account, click here to sign up for a Clearent account and start accepting payments through Clear Estimates!...

Overview In Clear Estimates, the cost of your project is calculated by adding up each individual item in your estimate. When you want to change your project's cost, you'll need to start with your parts! In this article, we'll walk through the different ways you can calculate the cost of a part! Each part has three cost buckets - Material Cost, Labor...

Overview The Hours cost calculation is a mix between the Lump Sum and the Hours/Unit calculation. This is great for when you want to charge a customer for a certain number of hours, regardless of the quantity / size of the project. Like Lump Sum, Hours will ignore the quantity of the part itself. For this calculation, you will simply enter the total...

Overview This is the popup window you'll see when you want to edit a part. You'll see this tool both in an individual estimate you're working on, or in your Part Library - when permanently adjusting the items in your account. Here, you can customize part information - such as the description, material costs, labor costs, the report text, internal no...