Plumbing Estimate Options Builder
Plumbing Estimate Options Builder
Present plumbing estimate options as separate scopes with included work, exclusions, written terms, and the payment still due. Start with a completed example, then build two or three actual choices and apply any diagnostic-fee credit once.
Scope choices · separate totals · one fee credit
Present the plumbing work actually available
Start with a completed practice comparison. Keep two valid choices, or add a third only when it describes a different useful scope.
Fictional technician finding: the existing faucet can be repaired with an available cartridge. The customer may instead choose a new fixture. These example scopes, prices, and warranty terms are not a diagnosis or your company’s offer.
- Remaining work payment
- $450.00
- Diagnostic credit applied
- $0.00
- Combined spend, including the paid visit fee
- $539.00
- Remaining work payment
- $900.00
- Diagnostic credit applied
- $0.00
- Combined spend, including the paid visit fee
- $989.00
Enter each work price before the fee credit, including the charges intended in that option. The fee is already paid; it is not added to the remaining payment. No option is ranked as best.
Practice draft: actual technical review and written terms are still required.
Read the complete worksheet
PLUMBING OPTIONS COMPARISON — REVIEW DRAFT Example loaded: Fixture repair or replacement. Replace with the actual technician-approved scopes and terms. User confirms actual scope review: No — example / technical review pending Already-paid diagnostic fee: $89.00. Documented fee credit enabled: No. OPTION 1: Repair existing faucet Included: Replace the confirmed faulty cartridge in the existing bathroom faucet; reconnect and check operation and visible connections. Excluded: New faucet, sink work, concealed piping, and finish restoration. Warranty: Example terms: 1-year workmanship coverage on the described repair; unchanged fixture parts excluded. All-in work price before credit: $450.00 Diagnostic credit applied to this option: $0.00 Remaining work payment: $450.00 Combined spend including already-paid diagnostic fee: $539.00 OPTION 2: Replace faucet Included: Remove the existing bathroom faucet; supply and install the selected standard faucet and connectors; check operation and visible connections; remove the old fixture. Excluded: Sink replacement, concealed piping changes, and countertop or finish repair. Warranty: Example terms: 1-year installation workmanship coverage; separate manufacturer product warranty supplied with the selected faucet. All-in work price before credit: $900.00 Diagnostic credit applied to this option: $0.00 Remaining work payment: $900.00 Combined spend including already-paid diagnostic fee: $989.00 READBACK: These are separate choices. Each shows its own included work, exclusions, and terms. The diagnostic fee has already been paid. Any displayed credit applies once to the option you choose. Which scope questions should we resolve before a decision? All scope fields contain entered text; this is not technical verification. A fee credit is capped at the chosen work price; no refund of a larger diagnostic fee is assumed. Prices are alternative choices, not amounts to add together. This worksheet records no customer approval.
A plumbing estimate should explain what each option includes, what it leaves out, what the customer pays, and which written terms apply. Two well-defined choices are useful. A third choice earns its place only when it solves a different customer need.
What belongs in a plumbing estimate template
Start with a technician’s finding, not with a price ladder. If the cause is not yet known, the next scope may be an agreed diagnostic step. Do not offer a repair as confirmed or describe replacement as necessary merely because the homeowner reported a symptom during intake.
| Field | Write this | Avoid this gap |
|---|---|---|
| Work | Named item, location, documented action, and completion checks | “Fix plumbing” with no defined boundary |
| Materials | Actual supplied item or a clearly identified pending selection | Unspecified “premium” replacement |
| Exclusions | Access, finish restoration, or other work outside this price | Assuming the customer knows what is excluded |
| Terms | Workmanship coverage and separate product terms | “Lifetime warranty” without the written conditions |
| Money | All-in work price, paid fee, eligible credit, remaining payment | Deducting an already-netted credit again |
ServiceTitan’s plumbing proposal resource includes scope, job details, and multiple proposal options. This builder adds original completed scenarios and a clear fee reconciliation; it does not replace your company’s estimate or approval process. See ServiceTitan’s plumbing proposal template.
Faucet repair versus fixture replacement
Assume a technician has confirmed an available replacement cartridge can address the reported faucet problem. The existing fixture can remain, while the customer also wants to see a new-fixture option. That makes two genuine choices; an arbitrary third tier would not improve the decision.
| Comparison | Repair existing faucet | Replace faucet |
|---|---|---|
| Included | Replace confirmed faulty cartridge; reconnect and check operation and visible connections. | Supply selected standard faucet and connectors; install, check operation, and remove old fixture. |
| Excluded | New fixture, sink work, concealed piping, finish restoration. | Sink replacement, concealed piping changes, countertop or finish repair. |
| Illustrative terms | One-year workmanship coverage on the described repair; unchanged parts excluded. | One-year installation workmanship coverage; separate product warranty supplied with the selected faucet. |
| Work price before credit | $450 | $900 |
| Paid fee / eligible credit | $89 / $89 | $89 / $89 |
| Remaining work payment | $361 | $811 |
These amounts and terms are planning examples, not local rates or GhostRep warranty offers. Replace every detail with your actual scope. A different faucet may need different materials or labor; changing the option name alone does not establish an equivalent installation.
Present water-heater options without inventing a diagnosis
Assume an electric water heater has a confirmed repairable control fault, the tank is not leaking, and the technician considers the defined repair appropriate. The homeowner may still ask about replacement. The two choices have different boundaries and need different explanations.
Repair: $520 illustrative work price
Describe the identified control component and the technician’s completion checks. Exclude tank replacement, unrelated faults, and unlisted building-system upgrades. State what the repair workmanship terms cover; do not imply that the entire existing heater gains a new product warranty.
With an already-paid $89 fee credited once, the remaining work payment is $431. Combined spend is $520. A repair price alone does not establish the heater’s future life.
If the required installation scope is not yet known, mark the replacement draft incomplete. Do not display a tentative number as an all-in commitment. Likewise, if the technician has not confirmed that repair is appropriate, this fictional repair scenario is not a recommendation to offer it. The tool organizes approved alternatives; it cannot supply the assessment behind them.
Make access and restoration responsibility visible
Not every useful choice is repair versus replacement. Consider a documented pipe repair behind a small drywall opening. Both alternatives perform the same plumbing work; one leaves restoration to the customer’s contractor, while the other includes a defined patch.
| Scope | Customer arranges finish work | Plumber coordinates a scoped patch |
|---|---|---|
| Shared plumbing work | Open the documented access area, complete the identified pipe repair, and perform the specified checks. | |
| After the repair | Leave the opening ready for a separate finish contractor. | Patch the listed drywall opening, ready for painting; a second visit may be needed. |
| Excluded finish work | Drywall, texture, and painting. | Painting and exact texture matching. |
| Illustrative work price | $780 | $1,180 |
Customer explanation: “The plumbing repair is the same in both choices. The $400 difference adds the described patching responsibility. Painting remains excluded. Let’s confirm who owns that finish work and when each visit would occur.”
Document the access area and restoration boundary before approval. If concealed conditions later change the work, use the change-order builder to separate the original scope from the proposed addition or credit. Editing an old estimate after work begins can obscure what the customer originally accepted.
Apply a diagnostic-fee credit once
This worksheet assumes the diagnostic fee has already been paid. Enter each option’s work price before any credit. If your entered price already includes the discount, leave the credit off or restore the pre-credit price; doing both would deduct the same fee twice.
One option, one reconciliation
$450 work price − $89 eligible credit = $361 remaining payment.
$89 already paid + $361 remaining = $450 combined spend.
Without a credit, the remaining payment is $450 and combined spend is $539.
The credit is capped at the chosen work price. For a $50 work scope and an already-paid $89 fee, an enabled credit reduces the work payment to $0; the worksheet does not assume a $39 refund. Confirm your actual company policy before applying that result. Option totals are alternatives and must never be added into one customer invoice.
Walk through the options before asking for a decision
- Restate the finding. Name what the technician confirmed and what remains unknown.
- Describe each outcome. Explain the actual repair, replacement, or restoration difference in plain language.
- Read the boundary. Show exclusions and separate product and workmanship terms.
- Reconcile payment. Distinguish work price, paid diagnostic fee, applied credit, and remaining amount.
- Resolve questions. Confirm the preferred scope through your actual approval process; a printed worksheet is not acceptance.
If a third option has the same work and only a different adjective, remove it. If only one technically valid scope exists, explain that scope honestly instead of inventing alternatives. “Good, better, best” is a presentation convention, not proof that the highest-priced choice fits the customer.
Use the plumbing intake script to preserve the homeowner’s reported concern for the technician. Once the scope is confirmed, the proposal wording tool can help explain it clearly. Keep the technical finding and final written terms attached to the real estimate.
How to use the Plumbing Estimate Options Builder
Describe complete options
Enter the independently assessed work, exclusions, and warranty for each genuine option.
Reconcile the visit fee
Set the diagnostic charge and the credit actually offered, and check that the amount is counted once.
Explain the comparison
Read the scope differences with the customer, resolve missing information, and export the options for review.
Questions about this tool
What belongs in a plumbing estimate?
Identify the problem assessed, work included, materials or equipment, access and restoration, exclusions, warranty, price, and any diagnostic charge or credit. The examples distinguish repair, replacement, and broader access work.
Do I need three good-better-best plumbing options?
No. Use two or three options only when each describes a real, appropriate scope. Every option should solve its stated problem; an expensive option is not automatically best. Diagnosis and code requirements belong with the qualified plumbing professional.
How should a diagnostic fee appear on the estimate?
Show the visit fee and whether it has already been paid, then apply only the credit offered under your actual terms. Explain what is included in the displayed amount so a paid fee is not charged twice.
Can the tool choose a water heater or diagnose a repair?
No. It organizes the scope and prices you supply. It does not size equipment, inspect conditions, determine code compliance, or recommend a technical repair.
Practice the conversation beyond the script.
Use this guide to prepare, then explore GhostRep Role Play for interactive sales practice and session feedback.