Real estimate samples · SaguaroScope
Xactimate estimate examples from complex project work.
See the scope detail behind a 319-item reconstruction estimate and a 443-item fire-cleaning and demolition estimate.
These anonymized excerpts come from estimates prepared by SaguaroScope founder Caleb Markosian. Review the actual operations, quantities and selected scope notes without exposing the client or insured.
Anonymized real work
Inspect the detail for yourself.
A useful sample should show how an estimate connects individual operations across rooms and trades. These two files were selected for their technical depth and breadth.
Sample 01 / Reconstruction
Fire reconstruction across multiple trades
Electrical, mechanical and finish work need a coordinated scope. This sample shows selected operations and the explanations supporting their place in the repair sequence.
Original estimate: 44 pages and 319 numbered line items.
Public excerpt: 65 selected line items across 6 pages.
- Separate operations within a room or assembly.
- Quantities and units attached to specific tasks.
- Selected notes explaining scope and sequencing.
Why finish quantities differ
- Item 31 · Ceiling drywall
- 117.96 SF
- Item 33 · Drywall texture
- 161.79 SF
- Item 35 · PVA primer
- 161.79 SF
The texture note explains the difference: a 117.96-SF ceiling plus a nominal one-foot blend along a 43.83-LF perimeter gives 161.79 SF. The measured finish area includes the blend at the retained walls.
Sample 02 / Fire cleaning & demolition
Detailed scope across a two-story property
A large fire-loss estimate separates room-specific cleaning, selective demolition and exposed framing work. This sample shows how individual quantities and operations are organized for review.
Original estimate: 40 pages and 443 numbered line items.
Public excerpt: 84 selected line items across 6 pages.
- Room-by-room scope with distinct removal and cleaning tasks.
- Exposed framing cleaning and sealing operations.
- Selected notes that explain quantity and scope adjustments.
How the scope avoids duplicate cleaning
- Item 144 · Finished-surface cleaning
- 0.00 SF
- Item 146 · Drywall removal
- 702.20 SF
- Items 145 / 162 · Stud-wall cleaning / sealing
- 482.54 SF each
- Items 164 / 165 · Ceiling-framing cleaning / sealing
- 219.66 SF each
Finished-surface cleaning is zeroed because that drywall is being removed. The 702.20-SF removal quantity combines 482.54 SF of walls and 219.66 SF of ceiling. Cleaning and sealing the exposed framing remain separate operations on the underlying substrates.
Each download is a reformatted excerpt. Original item numbers, descriptions and quantities are retained; selected notes are shortened for clarity. Client, insured and contractor identifiers, project dates, pricing, photographs and complete property plans are omitted. The original page and item counts describe the full source estimate, not the excerpt.
The samples demonstrate estimating structure and documentation. They are not complete project files, current price quotes or evidence of carrier approval. Estimate Only includes the estimate and corresponding sketch; F9 documentation is a separate service.
Teaching example 01 / Fictional measurements
One wall can have more than one valid area.
A fictional room has a wall 12 feet long and 8 feet high. The contractor’s documented removal scope is a lower band 4 feet high. The gross removal area is 12 × 4 = 48 square feet, before any applicable opening deductions. The full wall measures 12 × 8 = 96 square feet.
If the accepted painting scope covers the entire wall, its measured extent could differ from the removal band. That does not automatically justify full-wall painting: the contractor still needs to define the repair requirements and provide the relevant evidence. It also does not establish how a particular estimating line should treat openings or other quantity adjustments.
What the handoff should say
“Wall A is 12 feet long and 8 feet high. The documented removal band is the lower 4 feet. Photograph set A shows its extent. Confirm opening deductions and the accepted finish-repair area before writing.”
Avoid “48 SF drywall” without naming the operation. Removal, replacement, insulation and finishing may have different requirements and measured extents.
Estimate Only starts with those contractor decisions and includes one project-specific estimate and corresponding sketch. Estimate + Sketch Only. No F9 Notes. For a separate, team-assigned Simple F9 Documentation or Advanced F9 Documentation service, F9 notes can connect supported additions to relevant file evidence and repair logic. You request F9 Documentation Review. SaguaroScope assigns the documentation level after reviewing the complete file. Clients do not choose between Simple F9 Documentation and Advanced F9 Documentation. The entire F9 Documentation fee, including the applicable minimum, is billed after approval. No F9 deposit or handoff minimum is billed before approval. Carrier Technical Coordination is available by written Service Order for eligible F9 Documentation assignments and SaguaroScope-written mitigation estimates. F9 Documentation and Carrier Technical Coordination are separately priced services. Your company reviews and approves every deliverable.
Teaching example 02 / Fictional equipment records
A deployment row is not an equipment billing day.
In this fictional completed water file, one air mover is recorded in a bedroom and then moved to a hallway. A dehumidifier remains in the bedroom. The job spans September 1 through September 5: five inclusive calendar days.
| Equipment | Location | Recorded interval | Deployment record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air mover AM-01 | Bedroom | Sept. 1–3 | Row 1 |
| Air mover AM-01 | Hallway | Sept. 3–5 | Row 2: changed location |
| Dehumidifier DH-01 | Bedroom | Sept. 1–5 | Row 3 |
These records create three deployment rows for estimating workload. They do not authorize a number of billable equipment days. The move date appears in two intervals, so actual placement and removal times and the applicable accepted billing basis need review. Do not count the shared date twice simply because it appears in two rows.
SaguaroScope’s water writing tiers use inclusive calendar span and deployment-row counts to classify estimating workload. Calendar span runs from the earliest placement date to the latest removal date, including gaps. Distinct equipment or location/interval records can create separate rows. Identical units can be grouped only when their actual dates and location match.
What to resolve before writing
- Confirm equipment identity, quantity, actual location and placement/removal times.
- Reconcile the movement record with dated photographs and job logs.
- Flag a missing removal record; do not extend a deployment by assumption.
- Keep workload counts separate from any proposed equipment charges.
The free mitigation checklist identifies record groups to gather. The fee calculator illustrates the separate writing-tier schedule once the workload facts are known.
Teaching example 03 / Fictional scope overlap
Separate completed mitigation from remaining reconstruction.
A fictional mitigation record says a wet baseboard section was removed and its debris hauled away. A draft reconstruction scope also includes removing and disposing of that same section. The useful next step is to reconcile the records before counting the same completed operation twice.
| Operation | Record to check | Question for the contractor |
|---|---|---|
| Remove affected baseboard | Mitigation photos and completed work record | Was this exact section already removed? |
| Dispose of removed material | Haul record and documented quantities | Is this the same debris or distinct remaining material? |
| Install replacement baseboard | Reconstruction measurements and material specification | What length, profile and finish are actually included? |
| Protect unaffected finishes | Work sequence and site conditions | Does the later operation require a separate documented protection step? |
Matching descriptions alone do not prove duplication. Separate stages can involve distinct work, materials or protection requirements. Compare the actual operation, location, quantity and timing. Preserve distinct supported work and remove unsupported repetition from the proposed scope.
This review also keeps the service assignment clear. Water writing, reconstruction writing and supported scope development have separate accepted scopes and fee rules. Combining them in one job folder does not automatically combine their prices or include every research and documentation service.
Use the outsourcing handoff guide to identify the approved reviewer, unresolved questions and final deliverables before production begins.
From example to your actual file
Send the records behind the scope.
We review fit and missing information, then confirm the service, scope and price before accepting production. Your company controls every submission.