Charleston AI Playbook

Directory / Prompts / Home services & trades

Service estimate email

Updated

Problem it solves

The price was said on the porch and the email never went out, or it went out without the exclusions.

Best tool

  • ChatGPT (free chat)
  • Claude (free chat)
  • Gemini (free chat)
  • Copilot (free chat)

The free chat is enough for one draft. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and the free Microsoft Copilot chat can each do this. A paid plan only helps if you hit a usage limit. Copilot inside Word, Excel, or Outlook is a separate paid Microsoft 365 feature. You do not need it to try this once.

Copy-paste prompt

Write an estimate email. Include the work, the price, and what is not included. Do not add a warranty or a start date unless I wrote one.

Customer: [name]
Trade: [plumbing / electrical / painting / other]
Work: [what you will do]
Price: [price]
Not included: [list]
Start date: [date or "not promised"]
How long the price lasts: [your rule or "do not state a deadline"]
Your name: [name]

Replace every [bracket]. If you cannot fill one, delete that line.

Template

Subject: Estimate for [work]
Hello [name],
Work: [what you will do]
Price: [price]
Not included: [list]
Start: [date or "we will set a date if you accept"]
This price: [how long it lasts, or leave out]
Reply to accept or to ask a question.
[your name]
[business]

Download saves a .txt file. service-estimate.txt

Example output

A usable draft is an email the customer can accept or decline. The price matches. Exclusions are visible. No warranty you did not type.

Tips

  • If the job may change when you open a wall, say that in the “not included” line yourself. Do not hope the draft infers it.
  • You send it. Keep a copy of what you sent.

Time saved

Estimate: the email is a few minutes after you have a price. Pricing the job is the long part and is not this prompt.

How to use it

  1. Copy the prompt. Copy the prompt on this page into a free chat.
  2. Fill every bracket. Replace each [bracket] with a fact from your own notes. If you cannot fill one, delete that line instead of guessing.
  3. Edit before you use it. Read the draft against your notes. Delete any price, date, name, or promise you did not supply. You decide what gets sent.

Where this came from

  • Original to this library.