October 26, 2026

The Complete Gutter Estimate Sheet: Every Line a Bid Should Never Miss

Ask any gutter contractor where a bid loses money and they'll tell you: it's rarely the coil. It's the small lines that never made it onto the estimate sheet — the miters nobody counted, the downspout elbows that got guessed, the hangers that came out of the shop's pocket. A complete gutter estimate sheet is less about neat handwriting and more about never leaving a line blank.

The takeoff lines

Gutter runs, by run — each straight run measured separately, not one lump number, so the crew's cut list matches the bid
End caps — lefts and rights counted per run
Miters — inside and outside strip miters, counted at every corner
Downspouts — footage, size (2×3 or 3×4), and count
Elbows — A and B elbows counted, not estimated — they add up fast on two-story drops
Outlets, hangers, screws, and sealant — the consumables that quietly eat margin when they're "included" but never priced
Gutter screen or guard — footage and product, listed as its own line so the customer sees it

The scope lines

A good sheet also states, in writing: the color, the gutter size (5" or 6"), tear-off and haul-off if you're doing it, fascia condition notes, and anything the price depends on. When a customer later asks "was that included?", the sheet answers — not your memory.

From sheet to sold job

The sheet is only half the job. What happens after decides whether it makes money:

Options — a Good / Better / Best version of the same bid (add screen, step up to 6") lifts the average ticket without a second sales call
Follow-up — most bids aren't lost, they're unanswered. A reminder at day 2, day 7, and day 21 catches the ones that just got busy
The load list — the same takeoff should become the pick list the crew loads from, so the truck carries what the bid sold

That's the flow built into NCGS CRM: the gutter estimate sheet is the bid, the signing page, the material pick list, and — once the job is paid in full — it triggers the review request automatically. Plans and the full feature comparison are here: https://northcentralguttersupply.com/crm-compare/

The bottom line

Print this checklist and pin it in the shop. Every blank line on an estimate sheet is a cost you'll absorb later. Contractors don't lose money on the jobs they price carefully — they lose it on the lines they forgot to write down.