How to write a quote request form tradies can price from

To write a quote request form that a tradie can price from, replace the open “describe your job” box with the questions a quote is actually built on: what the job is, its size in the unit you price by, the existing site, one photo taken a specific way, the access and ground conditions, when it is wanted, and a budget band. Keep the free text description, but make it optional and put it after the structured questions, where it catches what they missed.

Most quote forms collect a name, a phone number and “I need a fence”, which guarantees a call, then a visit, then a price. The quote request form for Ridgeway Fencing and Decking asks twenty one questions instead, and says on its welcome screen that two photos and a rough measurement are the difference between a price this week and a site visit next month.

The job description field

A description box is where quote requests go to die. People write one line, or three paragraphs about the neighbour, and neither tells you the length of the run. Break the description into the decisions a quote makes.

What kind of job. The fencing example opens its job section with checkboxes: new fence, replacement, gate, deck, deck repair, retaining wall, screening, and not sure, advise me. That one question sorts the request before anyone reads a sentence.

How big. Ask for a number in the unit you price by, and say how accurate it needs to be. The example asks for the approximate length of the run in metres. A blank asking for an exact figure gets skipped, and a skipped measurement is a site visit.

What finish. A dropdown of real specifications, with a “No idea, please recommend” option, gets you a usable answer from someone who has never heard the word paling.

What is there now. Old fences, footings and hedges are removal and disposal costs. The example asks what is there now and who removes the old one.

Then the open description, optional, last in the section. If you are asking yourself whether a quote is fixed or an estimate before you write one, the quotation note sets out the difference.

Photos

A photo prices a job faster than any paragraph, but only if you say which photo. The fencing example’s photo field asks for one photo along the whole run, and its help text says exactly how: stand at one end and shoot down the line so the far end is visible, and if the run bends, take it from the corner. That single shot shows slope, growth into the line and whether a truck can get close.

The photo upload field takes one image, so use it for the shot that matters most and describe it precisely. For everything else, add a file upload with images and PDF switched on. The example’s second field allows up to six files at 10 MB each for close ups, a site plan, a body corporate approval or a neighbour’s written agreement.

The maintenance request form for Ashcombe Property Management uses the same idea for repairs: one required photo of the fault itself, including the model plate if it is an appliance. Required works there because a tenant reporting a fault is standing in front of it.

Site details

The site decides access, approvals and hidden costs, so ask about it in ticks rather than prose. The fencing example’s access and ground checklist covers vehicle access within ten metres, access only through the house or a narrow gate, a step or drop, rock, clay or fill, services in the line, a pool inside the boundary, and a dog on the property, with a “None of these” option so the question can be required. Each tick is a cost or a delay the quote has to include.

Ask who the customer is in relation to the property. The example separates owners, renters whose owner knows, agents or builders, and shared boundaries, because each one needs a different approval before work starts. It also asks whether a neighbour is sharing the cost, which on a boundary fence changes who signs.

Timing

Timing tells you how serious the request is and when you would be committing a crew. The example asks when the job should be done, from as soon as possible to no rush, comparing prices, and follows it with an optional date for anything that has to be finished by a fixed day.

Be clear about the other side of the timing too. Under the consumer guarantees, the ACCC says services must be supplied within a reasonable time if there is no agreed time frame. A quote that names a start window, based on the answer to this question, is easier to keep than one that is silent.

The budget question

Ask it, as bands, with a way out. Customers worry a budget question is an invitation to quote to the ceiling. In practice, a band lets the person quoting pick between the full job and a scaled back version before writing anything. The fencing example offers five bands from under $3,000 to over $25,000, plus “I have no idea, that is why I am asking”.

The website brief form for Fable Studio does the same for a design job, with a budget band that includes “Not sure yet”, and its thank-you screen says that if the budget and the scope do not meet, the studio will say so before the call rather than after. Asking whether other quotes have been sought, as the fencing example does, tells you how competitive the price needs to be. The conversational demo request form asks the same kind of question for software, how soon a decision is being made.

The fields, in one table

The table at the end of this article lists fourteen fields for a trade quote request, the component that suits each and why the person pricing needs it. Keep the order: contact, property, job, photos, conditions, timing, budget, description.

Once a quote is sent, the paperwork changes. NSW’s Consumer Building Guide says residential building contracts must be in writing, that work valued at more than $5,000 needs a licensed tradesperson, and that the maximum deposit before work starts is 10 per cent. Consumer Affairs Victoria says a building deposit cannot be more than 10 per cent for contracts under $20,000 and 5 per cent for contracts of $20,000 or more. This is general information, not legal advice. The difference between the quote, a proforma and the invoice that follows is covered in quote vs invoice vs proforma.

Common mistakes

Only a description box. It produces a call, not a quote.

Asking for “photos” without saying which. Ten close ups of a fence post do not show the length of the fence.

An exact measurement nobody has. Ask for an approximate figure and say what tolerance is fine.

Collecting more personal information than the quote needs. A date of birth or a licence number does nothing for a price, and APP 3 limits collection to what is reasonably necessary. A name, a way to reply and the job address are enough.

No expectation after submit. Say when the written quote arrives and how long it stays valid. The fencing example promises two to three working days and a quote valid for thirty days.

Build it

The photo upload form page shows the single photo field this kind of form is built around. Photo upload and the signing fields work in a classic form only, so a quote request that relies on a photo should be classic. Add a file upload for extra photos and plans, with images and PDF as its two allowed types and 1 to 10 files per field. The rest is address, full name, number, dropdowns, checkboxes and long text. A classic field’s description is not shown, except on photo and file upload, which is why the fencing example puts its photo instructions exactly there.

Submissions reach you through the add-ons: email alerts to one address, a webhook that posts once with no retry, a redirect to a page of your own, and e-signing if the customer should sign something after submitting. To start from a written description of the form instead of a blank canvas, follow create a form from scratch with AI, then adjust the fields in the builder.