GarageDoorBossPro Blog — Estimates & Quotes

Quoting a New Garage Door: Size, Material and Insulation on the Estimate

A new garage door is the biggest quote most homeowners will ever get from you. It is also the one they take longest to decide on. They will read it more than once, show it to someone else, and maybe compare it with another company's number. That quote needs to say exactly what door they are getting.

Bigger Than the Small Lines

The small items, covered in Quoting Sensors, Keypads, Remotes and Weatherstripping: The Small Line Items That Add Up, are often part of a new door quote too. But the door itself is the main event.

One honest note on how this works in GarageDoorBossPro: there is no built-in manufacturer catalog or door configurator. You price doors the way you already do, from your own supplier pricing and your own experience, and put that price on the estimate. What the software gives you is a clean place to write it all down, get it approved, and carry the details through to the install.

Set Up the Service

Most companies keep one or a few new door services on the list:

• New Door Install (single)
• New Door Install (double)
• Old Door Removal and Disposal, if you price it separately
• New Door Install (commercial), if you do commercial work

Because every door is different, the price on the line is usually set on each estimate. A $1,895 double door and a much higher custom door can both live under the same service, with the details telling them apart.

Write the Door Into the Details

The estimate's equipment details are where the door gets described. For a garage door, GarageDoorBossPro keeps brand, model number, size, material, year installed, bay and access notes. On a new door quote, fill in:

• Size: such as 16x7, 9x7 or 8x7.
• Material: steel, insulated steel, wood, aluminum & glass or composite.
• Brand and model of the door you are quoting.
• Bay: which opening, on houses with more than one door.

Then use the estimate notes for anything else the customer chose: insulation level, color, window inserts, panel style, hardware. Write it in words the customer used when they picked it, so they recognize their choice on the quote.

Insulation, Windows and Options

Insulation and options can go two ways on the estimate. If the price is the same either way, write the choice in the notes. If an option changes the price, put it on its own line so the customer sees what it costs:

• New Door Install, 16x7 insulated steel — your price
• Window Inserts (top section) — your price
• Upgraded Hardware — your price

Separate lines also make comparisons easy. A customer weighing a non-insulated door against an insulated one can see two options on the same estimate. The good, better, best guide covers that in more detail.

Don't Forget What Comes With It

A new door often means other work. Think through each one and decide whether it is included or its own line:

• Springs sized for the new door.
• Tracks and hardware.
• Opener. A new door is a natural time to quote a new opener as a separate option.
• Weatherstripping and bottom seal.
• Removal and disposal of the old door.

Whatever you decide, write it on the quote. “Price includes new springs, tracks, bottom seal and removal of old door” prevents the call that starts with “I thought that was included.”

Measuring Before You Quote

A new door quote needs real measurements, and the best quotes come after someone has seen the opening. A phone quote or a photo can give a ballpark, but the final estimate should be based on what a tech or salesperson measured on site. GarageDoorBossPro properties can hold measurements like the number of doors and openers, and the door size goes in the equipment details on the estimate.

If you do give a ballpark first, say so on the estimate: “Ballpark pending site measurement.” Then send the final version once the opening is measured.

From Approval to Install Day

When the customer approves online, the estimate becomes the scheduled job, with the door size, material and notes on it. The tech sees “Garage Door · 16x7 · Insulated Steel · Bay 1” on the job card on install day, and after the job the new door is saved on the house with its year installed. Years from now, when the customer calls about a spring, the office already knows the door. When the customer is not sure whether to buy a door at all, the next question is repair versus replace, covered in Repair or Replace: Putting Both Options on One Garage Door Estimate. For more, visit the GarageDoorBossPro garage door estimate software page.