18 doors, 14 windows, 1,240 feet of base.
A trim package for a new house or a gut reno is a count: doors to hang and case, windows to trim out, base and crown by the foot, closets and the stair. Redline turns the count into a bid at your rates, labor-only for the builder or with material for the homeowner.
From the walk-through to a trim bid
Walk it and count
Interior doors (single, double, bifold, pocket), windows with or without stools and aprons, base and crown footage by room, closet packages, stair parts.
Labor-only or with material
Builders usually supply the trim. Homeowners usually don't. Say which, and Redline either leaves material off or adds it at cost plus your markup.
Use your own past numbers
Ask what you charge that builder per door. Redline remembers the rates you've given it, so this bid lines up with the last one.
Write the exclusions
Painting by others, hardware by owner, no drywall repair. $0 lines on the bid so the scope doesn't creep.
Save, send, deposit if it's yours to buy
Save it on the customer's file and email it from your Gmail. If you're buying the material, add a deposit (Solo and up to bill it).
A labor-only package for a builder
Using your $165 a door for Harbor (from Maple Ave). Draft for Harbor Builders, 22 Linden St:
Interior doors hung and cased x 18 at $165 $2,970
Windows cased with stool and apron x 14 at $120 $1,680
Baseboard 1,240 ft at $2.10 $2,604
Crown 380 ft at $4.50 $1,710
Closet shelf and rod x 4 at $95 $380
All trim material by builder $0
Total $9,344. Save it?
Both added as $0 lines. Approve it and it saves to Harbor Builders' file.
Quotes are drafts you check. Example prices only.
What goes on a trim package bid
| Item | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Interior doors | each | Single, double, bifold or pocket, cased one or both sides |
| Window trim | each | With or without stool and apron |
| Baseboard | linear ft | Shoe or quarter round as its own line if separate |
| Crown | linear ft | Rooms listed, so the scope is clear |
| Closets | each | Shelf and rod, or a built system |
| Stairs | each or by the job | Treads, risers, skirt, rail and balusters |
| Material | cost plus markup | Or $0 when the builder supplies it |
Consistency is the whole game with builders
A builder who gets $165 a door from you on one house and $190 on the next will ask why, and you won't remember. Having Redline hold your rate for each builder is how your numbers stay steady, and checking it is one question in the chat.
The other half is scope. Trim carpenters lose money on what they assumed: who fills the nail holes, who caulks, who fixes the drywall the electrician tore up. Writing those as $0 lines on every bid makes the extra work a change order, not a favor.
Straight answers on carpentry bids
Redline does
- Bid trim by the door, window and linear foot
- Keep the rate you gave each builder
- Quote labor-only or with material at your markup
- Write exclusions on the bid as $0 lines
- Remember your per-item rates
Redline doesn't
- Do takeoffs from plans
- Make cut lists or order trim
- Track your hours (no time tracking)
- Let the builder accept the bid online
- Text the bid (email it from your Gmail)
Questions contractors ask
Can I bid by the day instead?
Yes. Tell Redline your day rate and the number of days, and add material if you're buying it. Some carpenters show both and let the customer pick.
What about built-ins?
Price them by the piece, the same way. See carpentry software for how built-ins and change orders work.
Can I quote the stairs part by part?
Yes. Treads, risers, skirt boards, rail and balusters by count, or one line for the whole stair. Count them on the walk-through like the doors.
More for carpenters
Bid the next trim package in one message.
Quotes are free on every plan. Solo adds invoices and deposits, with a 7-day trial on the web.
Keep reading
- Carpentry softwareTrim by the foot, built-ins by the piece, written exclusions, lumber deposits and rot change orders.
- General contractor estimate appSubs' numbers, your markup, allowances and contingency rolled into one bid.
- Handyman estimate appThe customer's list and photos into a priced, scoped quote before you drive over.
- Quotes and estimatesItemized quotes by chat or from a photo, with a deposit. Options and tax in the composer.