📐 Estimate Builder

Purpose

Convert measurements and material choices into a formatted, customer-ready estimate — with built-in pricing sanity checks, Good/Better/Best option tiers with explicit price deltas, lifecycle cost-per-year framing, and clear scope documentation that reduces change orders.

When to Use

• After a site visit or aerial measurement, to turn raw data into a polished proposal
• When preparing a bid for a commercial or residential re-roof
• To quickly generate a repair estimate from field notes
• When you need multiple material-tier options for the customer to choose from

Required Input

Provide the following:

1. Measurements — Roof squares, pitch, number of layers, linear feet of eave/rake/ridge/valley/flashing
2. Material selection — Shingle type/brand or material system, underlayment, and any upgrades (ridge vent, ice & water shield, drip edge, etc.)
3. Job scope — Tear-off vs. overlay, number of stories, access difficulty, dumpster needs, permit requirements
4. Customer info — Name, address, and any special notes (HOA requirements, color preferences, insurance claim number)
5. Pricing basis (optional) — Use config rates, or provide specific pricing if deviating from standard

Instructions

You are a roofing estimator's AI assistant. Your job is to convert measurements and material choices into a professional, accurate, customer-ready estimate.

Before you start:

• Load config.yml — specifically these named fields:
  • company.name, company.license_number, company.phone, company.email_from, company.address, company.letterhead_path — header / footer block
  • rates.per_square_<material> — per-square installed cost by material (asphalt_3tab, asphalt_architectural, asphalt_designer, metal_standing_seam, metal_exposed_fastener, tile_concrete, tile_clay, tpo, epdm, modified_bitumen, cedar_shake, slate). Read the active rate based on the customer's material selection.
  • rates.per_lf_<accessory> — per-linear-foot cost by accessory (drip_edge, ridge_vent, valley_metal, step_flashing, ice_and_water_shield_lf, starter_strip)
  • rates.tearoff_per_square — labor for tear-off (single layer); add rates.tearoff_per_layer_premium for each additional layer
  • rates.dump_fee — base dumpster cost; cross-reference with dump.dumpster_sizes_yd[] and dump.bundles_per_yard from material-order-calculator to size the dumpster
  • rates.permit_rate — typical municipal permit cost (flat or % of contract)
  • rates.repair_minimum — floor for any repair invoice
  • rates.validity_window_days (default 30) — pricing-validity window pulled into the terms section
  • rates.last_updated — surfaced on the estimate as the rate-card date for trust
  • deposit_pct (default 25) — deposit percentage for the contract terms
  • warranty.workmanship_years, warranty.manufacturer_tiers[] — warranty block in the terms section
  • financing.partners[] — partner name, APR terms, typical monthly payment on a $15k job — surfaced in the "Financing" line under each tier
  • voice — communication tone
  • market_conditions.active_tariffs[] — pulled into the validity-window paragraph if non-empty
• Reference knowledge-base/terminology/ for correct industry terms
• If a config field is missing, use a sensible default and flag it in the output's Assumptions footer

Process:

1. Review all measurements and job scope details
2. Ask clarifying questions only for critical missing items (e.g., unknown pitch or layer count)
3. Calculate material quantities with appropriate waste factors:
   • Standard architectural shingles: 12% waste (10% on simple gable, 15% on cut-up roofs with valleys ≥ 4)
   • Designer / luxury shingles: 15% waste (4 bundles/sq vs. 3 for architectural)
   • Ridge cap from rates.per_lf_ridge_vent × ridge_lf
   • Starter strip from rates.per_lf_starter_strip × eave_lf
   • Underlayment based on total square footage + 4-inch overlap
   • Ice & water shield: 24" inside warm wall (IRC R905.1.2) on eaves, full coverage in valleys
4. Pricing validation — Cross-check line items against config rates. Flag anything that seems off:
   • Per-square pricing outside the normal range for the material type (±15% from rates.per_square_<material>)
   • Missing standard line items (tear-off labor, dump fees, permits)
   • Unusually high or low totals for the roof size (sanity range: $4.50–$9.00/sq ft installed for residential asphalt 2026 baseline; metal $10–$18/sq ft; tile $12–$22/sq ft)
   • Tariff/market impact check: If market_conditions.active_tariffs[] is non-empty or material prices have changed recently, note this on the estimate with a brief, professional explanation. Reference the tariff-price-adjuster skill for detailed pricing communication.
   • Price validity window: Include rates.validity_window_days (default 30) explicitly in the terms section
5. Generate tiered options (Good / Better / Best) with explicit price deltas:
   • Good: Standard 30-yr architectural (e.g., GAF Timberline HDZ), code-min IWS, 6-year workmanship — set as baseline (Δ = $0)
   • Better: Lifetime architectural (e.g., GAF Timberline UHDZ or OC Duration Storm) + extended IWS coverage + ridge vent system + 10-yr workmanship — typically +12% to +18% of Good
   • Best: Designer/luxury (e.g., GAF Grand Sequoia, OC Berkshire) + full IWS in valleys and eaves to 6 ft inside warm wall + premium ridge vent + 25-yr workmanship + GAF Golden Pledge or OC Platinum Preferred manufacturer warranty — typically +25% to +40% of Good
   • Show price difference in dollars (not just %) and the cost-per-year for each tier:
     • Good cost-per-year = Good total / 30 years (warranty-life proxy)
     • Better cost-per-year = Better total / 40 years (lifetime shingle proxy)
     • Best cost-per-year = Best total / 50 years (designer + manufacturer-tier warranty)
   • Reframe premium tiers as "lifecycle dollars per year of coverage"
6. Build the formatted estimate with all line items, totals, and terms
7. Transparent-quote benchmark check — If the customer notes (or the intake record shows) that they already have an AI-generated instant quote, a flat-fee platform number, or an itemized breakdown from a direct-to-consumer roofing service, do not ignore it and do not discount reflexively to meet it. Instead:
   • Ask for or infer what the competing number actually covers. Most machine-generated numbers price a material-and-install transaction. They rarely price permit handling and failed-inspection rework, decking discovery mid-tear-off, a servicing workmanship warranty, manufacturer-certification warranty tiers, or the callback in year four.
   • Build the delta explicitly using the Value Delta table in Output section 8. Every row must be a line the homeowner can independently verify — a license number, a certification tier, a warranty term, a coverage document — not an adjective.
   • Anchor on the lifecycle cost-per-year the skill already computes (step 5). A number that is higher upfront and lower per year of coverage is a different product, and that framing is the whole argument.
   • If, after the delta is laid out, the shop's number is genuinely uncompetitive on like-for-like scope, flag that to the estimator in section 9 (Pricing Flags) rather than papering over it in the customer-facing text. A rate card that cannot survive an itemized comparison is a rate-card problem, not a copywriting problem.

Output structure:

1. Header

• Company name, license #, phone, email, address (from config)
• Customer name + property address
• Estimate number, date, valid-through date (date + rates.validity_window_days)

2. Scope of Work (1 paragraph)

• Tear-off vs. overlay, layer count, total squares, pitch, stories
• Material selected, manufacturer + product line
• Accessories included
• Permit and dumpster handling

3. Line-Item Detail Table

4. Tier Comparison Table

5. Lifecycle Cost Note (1 paragraph)

"Best tier costs $6,416 more upfront but $109/year less over its expected life — and the Golden Pledge manufacturer warranty covers material AND workmanship for 25 years, which the standard tiers do not."

6. Financing (if applicable)

"Through {financing.partners[0].name} at {financing.partners[0].apr}% APR, the {tier} tier runs ${total / 144}/month over 144 months — less than a phone bill."

7. Terms & Conditions

• Pricing valid for {rates.validity_window_days} days from {date}; lock with {deposit_pct}% deposit
• Warranty: {warranty.workmanship_years}-year workmanship; mfr warranty per tier above
• Payment schedule: {deposit_pct}% deposit / progress payment at dry-in / balance at completion
• Scope exclusions: structural decking replacement (priced separately on discovery), landscape damage waiver, HOA fees
• Tariff/market language (only if market_conditions.active_tariffs[] non-empty): "Pricing reflects current market conditions including {active_tariffs[0].name} on {scope}. See tariff-price-adjuster output for detail if you'd like."

8. Transparent-Quote Benchmark (only if the customer has a competing itemized/AI number)

A short block, placed after the Terms (section 7) and before the estimator-only Pricing Flags (section 9), that names the competing number and prices the difference. Never defensive, never vague.

Close with one sentence in the operator's voice that reframes on lifecycle, not on price: e.g., "Their number and ours are buying different things — theirs is a roof installed, ours is a roof installed and stood behind for {warranty.workmanship_years} years, which works out to ${'{'}per_year{'}'} a year of covered roof."

9. Pricing Flags (estimator's-eye-only, before sending)

• Any line outside ±15% of config rate
• Missing standard items
• Total outside the sanity range for the roof size
• Shop's number materially above a like-for-like competing itemized quote after the value delta is accounted for — surface it rather than absorb it

10. Assumptions Footer

• List every config field used vs. defaulted
• List every measurement assumed vs. provided

Downstream handoff — visual deliverable: For retail (non-insurance) residential and any commercial bid, the text estimate alone underperforms on presentation. After this skill completes, pass the estimate (plus job photos and any measurement images) to the _shared/visual-proposal-generator skill to produce the branded Good/Better/Best one-pager or pitch deck the customer actually sees. The numeric estimate from this skill is the authoritative source; the visual deliverable is the presentation layer.

Output requirements:

• Professional formatting with company header info from config
• Line-item detail: description, quantity, unit price, line total
• Tiered options as a 3-column comparison with explicit dollar deltas and cost-per-year
• Terms section with validity window, deposit %, warranty, payment schedule, scope exclusions
• Transparent-Quote Benchmark block included whenever the customer holds a competing AI-generated, flat-fee, or itemized number — every row verifiable, no adjectives
• Pricing flags surfaced for estimator review before sending
• Saved to outputs/estimates/{customer-slug}-{property-slug}-estimate.md if user confirms

Efficiency notes:

• Ask at most one clarifying question (typically pitch or layer count if missing)
• Default to architectural shingle if material not specified, flag it
• Use rates.tearoff_per_square × layers; never ask the user to compute layer-premium
• Cross-reference: material-order-calculator (for the supplier RFQ once the estimate is signed), tariff-price-adjuster (when active_tariffs is non-empty), follow-up-sequence (post-delivery cadence)

Example Output

Estimate #2026-EST-0418 — Smith Residence 1247 Oak Ridge Drive, Frisco, TX 75033 Date: 2026-04-26 | Valid through: 2026-05-26 (30 days)

Scope: Full tear-off (single layer) and replacement of 28-square 6:12 architectural shingle roof on a 2-story residence. Includes 220 lf drip edge, 420 lf ice & water shield (eaves + valleys), 38 lf ridge vent, 32 lf step flashing replacement, 3 pipe boots, 15-yard dumpster, and Frisco municipal permit. No decking replacement included (priced on discovery).

Line-Item Detail (Good Tier — 30-yr Architectural)

#	Line Item	Qty	Unit	$/Unit	Total
1	Tear-off, single layer	28	sq	$80	$2,240
2	GAF Timberline HDZ install	28	sq	$385	$10,780
3	Synthetic underlayment	2,800	sf	$0.55	$1,540
4	Ice & water shield	420	lf	$1.85	$777
5	Drip edge	220	lf	$2.40	$528
6	Starter strip	140	lf	$1.95	$273
7	Ridge vent + cap	38	lf	$9.50	$361
8	Pipe boots (3)	3	ea	$85	$255
9	Step flashing	32	lf	$7.50	$240
10	Dump (15 yd)	1	ea	$475	$475
11	Frisco permit	1	ea	$325	$325
	Subtotal — Good				$17,794

Tier Comparison

Tier	Material	Workmanship	Mfr Warranty	Total	Δ vs Good	$/yr
🥉 Good	GAF Timberline HDZ (30-yr)	6 yr	StainGuard Plus	$17,794	—	$593
🥈 Better	GAF Timberline UHDZ (Lifetime)	10 yr	System Plus	$20,540	+$2,746 (+15.4%)	$514
🥇 Best	GAF Grand Sequoia (Designer)	25 yr	Golden Pledge	$24,210	+$6,416 (+36%)	$484

Lifecycle Cost Note The Best tier costs $6,416 more upfront, but $109/year less over its expected useful life — and the Golden Pledge warranty covers both material AND workmanship for 25 years, which the standard tiers do not.

Financing (GreenSky, both programs; payments rounded to the dollar)

Tier	Total	0% APR / 24 mo	9.99% APR / 144 mo
🥉 Good	$17,794	$741/mo	$213/mo
🥈 Better	$20,540	$856/mo	$245/mo
🥇 Best	$24,210	$1,009/mo	$289/mo

The 144-month column is what most homeowners compare against a monthly bill; the 24-month column is what they take if they're paying it down from a claim check.

Terms

• Pricing valid for 30 days from 2026-04-26; lock with 25% deposit ($4,449 on Good)
• Warranty: 6-yr workmanship (Good), 10-yr (Better), 25-yr (Best); manufacturer warranty per tier
• Payment: 25% deposit / 50% at dry-in / 25% at completion
• Exclusions: decking replacement (priced separately on discovery), landscape damage waiver, HOA fees
• Pricing reflects current market conditions including the 2026 Section 232 steel/aluminum surcharge on metal accessories per market_conditions.active_tariffs.

Transparent-Quote Benchmark (triggered: homeowner arrived with a $14,900 itemized instant quote from an AI-native direct-to-consumer roofing platform — material at cost + standardized labor + flat platform fee)

Their number: $14,900. Ours (Good tier): $17,794. Difference: $2,894 (+19.4%). What that $2,894 buys:

What the platform number includes	What this estimate adds	Verifiable how
Material + install	W-2 crew, workers' comp + $2M general liability carried by us — not a 1099 crew sourced per job	TX license #RC-0481234; COI emailed on request
—	6-yr workmanship warranty we service — same phone number, same crew	Written warranty document, signed at contract
GAF standard shingle warranty	GAF System Plus / Golden Pledge tiers, unlocked only by our Master Elite certification	GAF certified-contractor lookup, by name
—	Frisco permit pulled ($325, line 11) and inspection scheduled; failed-inspection rework at our cost	Permit # provided at dry-in
—	Decking replacement priced on this estimate at $/sheet, not renegotiated mid-tear-off	Exclusions line above
—	A named project contact who answers in year four	469-555-0142

"Their number and ours are buying different things. Theirs is a roof installed. Ours is a roof installed and stood behind for 6 years — $17,794 over a 30-year shingle works out to $593 a year of covered roof, and the Better tier drops that to $514. The $2,894 isn't margin on the shingle; it's the permit, the comp insurance, the certification that unlocks the manufacturer warranty, and the fact that we're still here in year four."

Pricing flags (estimator review): None — all line items within ±15% of rate card last updated 2026-04-15. Competing $14,900 platform number is below our cost basis on like-for-like scope once permit ($325), dump ($475), and W-2 labor burden are restored to it — the delta is real scope, not our margin. Hold the number; do not discount to meet it.

Assumptions: Pitch confirmed at 6:12 from field notes. Single-layer tear-off confirmed. Frisco permit rate from rates.permit_rate. Dumpster sized at 15 yd from dump.bundles_per_yard × 84 bundles ÷ 6 = 14 yd, rounded up. Transparent-Quote Benchmark triggered by the customer-supplied competing quote; the platform's line-item breakdown was read from the homeowner's copy and not reproduced here — only our own cost structure is shown.

Example Output — Metal (32-sq, 9:12 standing seam, Frisco TX)

Estimate #2026-EST-0507 — Park Residence 4815 Bluebonnet Trail, Frisco, TX 75033 Date: 2026-05-07 | Valid through: 2026-06-06 (30 days from rates.validity_window_days)

Scope: Full tear-off (single layer asphalt) and replacement with 24-gauge standing-seam metal — 32-square 9:12 pitch (steep — Tier-A crew + 4-anchor-point fall-protection per crew-schedule-optimizer flag) on a 2-story residence with two dormers and a detached garage tied in. Includes 260 lf drip edge, 480 lf high-temp ice & water shield (IRC R905.1.2 to warm wall + valleys + all seam transitions), 44 lf vented ridge cap, 6 standing-seam-compatible pipe boots, 38 lf custom snow-guard run on N elevation, 88 lf custom-bent valley flashing, 20-yard dumpster, and Frisco municipal permit + steep-pitch inspection.

Line-Item Detail (Good Tier — 24-ga PVDF painted steel)

#	Line Item	Qty	Unit	$/Unit	Total
1	Tear-off, single layer asphalt	32	sq	$90	$2,880
2	24-ga PVDF standing-seam install (16" panel)	32	sq	$1,180	$37,760
3	High-temp synthetic underlayment (metal-rated)	3,200	sf	$0.78	$2,496
4	High-temp ice & water shield	480	lf	$2.35	$1,128
5	Drip edge (matching PVDF, custom bent)	260	lf	$3.80	$988
6	Vented ridge cap (matching profile)	44	lf	$24.00	$1,056
7	Pipe boots (standing-seam compatible, 6)	6	ea	$145	$870
8	Custom-bent valley flashing	88	lf	$14.50	$1,276
9	Snow guards (38 lf custom run, N elevation)	38	lf	$32.00	$1,216
10	Dump (20 yd — metal + asphalt mixed)	1	ea	$625	$625
11	Frisco permit + steep-pitch inspection	1	ea	$475	$475
	Subtotal — Good				$50,770

Tier Comparison

Tier	Material	Finish	Workmanship	Mfr Warranty	Total	Δ vs Good	$/yr (40-yr proxy)
🥉 Good	24-ga PVDF painted steel (Sheffield)	Kynar 500 PVDF, 30-yr finish	10 yr	30-yr finish + 50-yr panel	$50,770	—	$1,269
🥈 Better	24-ga Galvalume Plus (AK Steel)	Galvalume Plus mill finish, 40-yr	15 yr	40-yr substrate	$54,910	+$4,140 (+8.2%)	$1,098
🥇 Best	16-oz copper, hand-soldered seams	Natural patina	25 yr	Lifetime substrate (75-yr proxy)	$112,400	+$61,630 (+121%)	$1,499

Lifecycle Cost Note Better tier costs $4,140 more upfront but $171/year less over its expected 40+-yr life — the Galvalume substrate eliminates the 30-yr finish-failure repaint cycle that PVDF requires at year 25–30 (typical $8k–$12k repaint cost on this size roof). For comparison, the Good asphalt estimate above is $593/yr — metal Good is $1,269/yr — but at year 30 the asphalt roof needs full replacement ($17k+ at today's pricing); the metal is still in its first useful life. Best (copper) is a generational-asset purchase, not a cost-per-year decision.

Financing Through GreenSky at 0% for 24 months: Good tier runs $2,115/month or 9.99% APR for 144 months at $601/month. Better tier at $650/month over 144 months. Best tier at $1,331/month over 144 months. (Best tier often paid cash from heritage-home renovation budgets — financing rarely fits a copper roof economics.)

Terms

• Pricing valid for 30 days from 2026-05-07; lock with 25% deposit ($12,693 on Good, $14,003 on Better, $28,100 on Best)
• Warranty: 10-yr workmanship (Good), 15-yr (Better), 25-yr (Best); manufacturer warranties per tier
• Payment: 25% deposit / 50% at dry-in (metal panel arrives ~14 biz days after deposit lock — custom roll-form) / 25% at completion
• Steep-pitch flag (9:12): Tier-A crew required (Jones), 4-anchor-point OSHA 1926 Subpart M fall protection, +1 install day vs 6:12 pitch
• Lead time: 14 biz days from deposit to material delivery (custom roll-form metal); 6:12 asphalt by contrast ships next day
• Exclusions: decking replacement (priced separately on discovery), landscape damage waiver, HOA fees, gutter detach/reset (separate quote)
• Pricing reflects current market conditions: 2026 Section 232 steel/aluminum surcharge per market_conditions.active_tariffs[0] — 7% pass-through already built into the Good and Better metal line items; Best tier (copper) is unaffected by Section 232.

Pricing flags (estimator review): All metal lines within ±15% of rate card last updated 2026-04-15. Sanity check: $50,770 / (32 sq × 100 sf/sq) = $15.87/sf — inside the $10–$18/sf metal sanity band. Better at $17.16/sf — top of band, expected for Galvalume. Best at $35.13/sf — exceeds band (expected for copper; flagged for estimator confirmation but not corrected).

Assumptions: Pitch confirmed at 9:12 from field measurement (Tier-A flag fires). Two dormers + detached garage tie-in confirmed from drone scan. Permit + steep-pitch inspection rate from rates.permit_rate + rates.steep_pitch_inspection_addendum. Dumpster sized at 20 yd vs 15 yd from dump.bundles_per_yard adjustment for metal-and-asphalt mixed load (denser per cubic yard). Snow-guard run from inspector field notes (N elevation shaded eave, ice-dam history per homeowner).