Proposal guides for trade contractors
These guides are for HVAC, roofing, electrical and plumbing contractors who write their own proposals and want them to win more often. Each one starts from a real job (a changeout, a hail claim, a service upgrade) and shows the actual wording, numbers and mistakes, not general advice about "being professional."
You'll find copyable templates, sample scope and exclusion language, sizing rules of thumb with their limits spelled out, and honest comparisons of the tools contractors use to write bids. Where a guide uses a formula, there's a free calculator that does the same math. Where it quotes a code section, it says which one, and reminds you that your jurisdiction's adopted code is what counts.
Every guide shows when it was last updated. If something is out of date or wrong, email the author and it gets fixed.
Start here
How to write an HVAC proposal that closes (with a real example)
Most HVAC proposals lose the job before the homeowner reads the price. Here's the exact structure that closes: what to include, what to leave out, and a full sample proposal you can steal.
Roofing proposal template — what to include (insurance and cash jobs)
The single biggest reason roofers lose insurance claims: proposals missing supplement language. Here's the complete template that adjusters accept, plus the scope-gap clauses that prevent change-order disputes.
HVAC
Sizing, changeout scopes, SEER2 and refrigerant changes.
AC tonnage per square foot — the honest answer HVAC pros give homeowners
Homeowners keep asking for a magic number. Contractors know it's more nuanced. Here's the honest 1-ton-per-600-sq-ft answer, when it's right, and when it's off by 40%.
How to write an HVAC proposal that closes (with a real example)
Most HVAC proposals lose the job before the homeowner reads the price. Here's the exact structure that closes: what to include, what to leave out, and a full sample proposal you can steal.
Roofing
Templates, insurance claims, supplements and decking.
Insurance supplement language for roofing — RCV, ACV, and the phrases adjusters accept
Roofers lose $2,000–$8,000 per supplement fight because their scope language doesn't match what the adjuster's software recognizes. Here's the terminology that gets approved on the first pass.
Roofing proposal template — what to include (insurance and cash jobs)
The single biggest reason roofers lose insurance claims: proposals missing supplement language. Here's the complete template that adjusters accept, plus the scope-gap clauses that prevent change-order disputes.
Electrical
Service upgrades, load calcs and EV chargers.
No electrical guides yet. Meanwhile, see the Electrical proposal generator and the Electrical load calculator.
Plumbing
Water heaters, repipes and staged scopes.
No plumbing guides yet. Meanwhile, see the Plumbing proposal generator.
Business & software
Tools, AI drafting and how proposals win jobs.