A clearer quote starts at the site visit.

A site visit carries more than dimensions. It carries access constraints, an uncertain sub-base, a client preference mentioned at the gate, and the item nobody remembered to ask about. Useful estimating software should preserve those notes and show where the scope is still open. Lode is designed around that handoff: source notes stay connected to the draft, while a person decides what becomes a priced line.

Ask how the tool handles a UK quote with provisional sums, a US estimate with allowances, or an Australian proposal written in m² and linear metres. It should also let a firm speak in square feet and linear feet when that is the working idiom. That language is a part of checking that a tool suits the way your firm prices work.

Fictional worked exampleAlder & Field has a garden-build enquiry. The visit notes contain a 42 m² terrace, 18 linear metres of stone edging, three days of installation labour, and a narrow side access. A draft can group those inputs, flag the missing drainage connection, and leave the stone finish as an allowance. The principal then confirms the finish, changes the labour allowance if needed, and decides whether the margin suits the risk.

The example uses firm-entered assumptions. It does not require CAD, a digital takeoff, or a live pricing database. If a supplier price, measurement, or design decision is absent, the responsible result is a visible question for the team.

For a printable version, use the quote and site handover checklist. It is plain text so a principal can add the firm's own questions.

Lode is intended to prepare a reviewable estimate from the evidence a firm chooses to connect. It does not choose a finish, certify a measurement, set a rate, or decide a margin on its own. The person responsible for the work approves the scope and the proposal, and the record should make that approval legible afterwards.