Remodeling software for allowances and decisions.
A bathroom quote isn't one number. It's demo, tile by the foot, a vanity allowance, a fixture allowance and two finish levels, then weeks of the client deciding. Redline builds that quote by chat and keeps the follow-up going until they sign.
Two finish levels, two quotes
Two quotes drafted for Kate Lindgren:
Subway tile: $21,400
Large-format porcelain: $24,150
Vanity and fixture allowances are listed as their own lines in both. Deposit?
Deposit set at 30% on both quotes. Reminder set for the 20th: follow up with Kate Lindgren on the hall bath.
Quotes are drafts you review. Good and better on a single quote is in the quote composer (Solo and up). Reminders show up in the iPhone app's morning push.
How Redline fits kitchen and bath work
Allowances on their own lines
Cabinets, vanity, fixtures and tile each get an allowance line, so when the client picks the $2,400 vanity instead, the overage is obvious. See remodeling estimates.
Good and better, side by side
Offer two or three finish levels on one quote in the quote composer (Solo and up). The client compares subway tile and large-format porcelain without asking for a second estimate.
Follow-up through a long decision
Kitchens can take months to decide. The job pipeline shows days in Quoted, and date reminders bring the client back up before they cool off.
Milestone invoices
Deposit at signing, then demo complete, rough-in passed, tile done and final. Each is an invoice you draft in one message when you get there. On Solo and up.
Selections and change orders
When the client swaps the faucet or adds a niche, note it on the job with the price. It goes into the next milestone invoice, named in the description.
The punch list on the crew's phones
On Team and up, the punch list (set vanity, caulk tub, adjust shower door, touch-up paint) goes in the job notes your crew sees on the tech app.
How a remodeler's month really goes
Kitchen and bath work is sold slowly and built in stages. The design visit turns into a quote with allowances, the client takes weeks to decide, and in the meantime you're running two or three active jobs with subs for plumbing, electrical and countertops coming in on their own schedules.
The friction is in the middle. Selections change after the contract is signed, allowances go over, and every change needs a price and a line on the next payment. Clients call for updates because nobody told them the cabinets are delayed. Redline keeps the quote, the change notes and the milestone invoices on one job, and drafts the update email from your Gmail when you ask.
Many remodelers book heavily in winter and spring for the warmer months, so the pipeline in February is where next summer is won. Every open quote is there, colored by how long it has been waiting.
What remodelers get, and don't
Redline does
- Quote with allowances, and finish options in the quote composer (Solo and up)
- Follow up through long decisions with reminders and Gmail drafts
- Bill deposits, milestones and change orders (Solo and up)
- Put the punch list on your crew's phones (Team and up)
- Keep progress photos and notes on the job
Redline doesn't
- Do 3D design or kitchen layouts
- Give clients a portal to make selections
- Let clients sign or approve the quote online
- Offer customer financing
- Order cabinets or track deliveries
Questions contractors ask
How do I bill an allowance overage?
On the next milestone invoice: "invoice Lindgren, tile complete, plus vanity overage $1,200". The overage is in the total and named in the description, so the client sees exactly what changed.
Can clients pick their option online?
Not right now. Walk them through the options, use your own contract, and move the job to Accepted when they sign. Then bill the deposit.
What plan does a remodeler with a small crew need?
Solo at $29 a month covers quotes, invoices and payments for the owner. Team at $129 adds the crew board and tech app with 3 seats, counting you.
Remodeling paperwork and tools
- Remodeling estimate templateKitchen or bath with allowances and a deposit
- Remodeling invoice templateMilestone payment with change orders
- Remodeling estimate softwareBuilding an allowance quote by chat
- Remodeling CRMNot-yet leads, past clients and referral sources
- Markup vs margin calculatorPrice subs and materials for the margin you want
Keep reading
- Remodeling estimate softwareFixed scopes plus finish allowances, in finish-level options with a deposit.
- General contractor softwareProgress draws, same-day change orders and homeowner updates from your Gmail.
- Quotes and estimatesItemized quotes by chat or from a photo, with a deposit. Options and tax in the composer.
- Flooring softwareMaterial and labor by the square foot, waste on material, deposits and subfloor change orders.
- Painting softwareRoom-by-room quotes, deposits for paint, colors on the job and the final after walkthrough.
Run your business by chat.
Redline is free to start. Tell it about the job and it handles the quote, the schedule, the invoice and the follow-up.