Overview

One of the best parts of Clear Estimates is the customizability! Since every contractor has their own process, the software is built to be tailored to your business. 

Out of the box, we provide contractors with a library of remodeling costs - but you can also add your own items, costs and categories. 

Parts are always categorized in Clear Estimates, making it easy to sort through a long list of items. 

Until recently, only “main” part categories could be created or edited - and the list of subdivisions (subcategories, part groups) could not be edited. Until now!

We're happy to announce a major update for Clear Estimates Pro accounts - giving you full control over your part categories, sub-categories, and part groups. 

How it works

To find this option, log in to Clear Estimates Pro and head to your Parts tool (top right corner).

From Parts, click More > Edit Part Categories: 

That will open your Category Editor. 

From here you will see a category tree on the left side of the editor. 

Click the arrow next to any category title to expand the list of subcategories: 

Click any subcategory arrow to expand the list of part groups: 

All “divisions” (categories, subcategories, groups) can be found from the tree on the left: 

Editing categories, subcategories & groups

As you click each division, you'll see its editor tool on the right side. From the editor, you can edit / rename categories, subcategories and groups. 

Just click a position in the tree on the left, and you'll see an option to edit the information on the right side.

In this example, we've clicked a part group title on the left, and we can edit the part group info on the right side:

It will work the same way for main categories and subcategories - just click a position on the left, and edit it on the right. 

Be sure to click Save (bottom right) after any changes. 

Creating main categories

To create a new main category, click a main category part position. Then, click Add Category in the top right: 

Now, title your category using the Category Title box. You'll have a separate description box for what will Display on Proposals. 

Now choose if you want to add the category at the bottom of the category list, or ahead of the selected category (grey). Then click Save:

Creating subcategories

To create a subcategory for your main category, first click a main category position. 

From the Edit Main Category screen, you'll see an option to Add Subcategory to your category:

Now, give your subcategory a title, and choose how to rank the subcategory. Then, click Save Subcategory: 

Creating part groups

To create a part group for a subcategory, first click a subcategory position on the left. 

Then, from the Edit Subcategory screen on the right, you'll see an option to Add Part Group to your subcategory:

Last, add your Part Group Title and choose how to rank your part group. Lastly, click Save Part Group: 

Moving / Rearranging

Within any section (category, subcategory, or group), you can rerank the categories using the Move tools. 

Just click any position in the tree, and use the Move tools to move your division up or down the list. 

Deleting categories

You can select any position on the tree, and you'll see an option to Delete the category, subcategory or group in the top right. 

First check that you have the correct category selected.

Be sure you won't need any parts sorted under that category, subcategory or group. Deleting any division will delete all parts within, permanently:

Confirm on the warning screen, and your category will be deleted. 

Assigning category info to parts

At this point, you've set up your categories, subcategories and groups. What's next? 

All you need to do now is assign you parts to the correct categories, subcategories and groups. 

You can do this from the Parts tool, by opening any part using the Pencil: 

Then, click Category Info > Edit, and use the drop downs to assign your parts:

Be sure to save your parts after any changes. 

*Please note it may take up to five (5) minutes for library changes to update in your project part browser. 

That's it! Now you'll be able to open a project and browse your new custom part library!