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Getting Started

Welcome to ContractorScope AI, the estimating platform built specifically for contractors. Whether you run a roofing company, a general contracting business, or a specialty trade, ContractorScope AI helps you create accurate, professional estimates in a fraction of the time it takes with spreadsheets or pen-and-paper methods.

This guide walks you through everything you need to get up and running — from creating your account to completing your first estimate and tracking it on the dashboard.

ContractorScope AI dashboard overview

What Is ContractorScope AI?​

ContractorScope AI is a cloud-based estimating platform that combines traditional estimating tools with artificial intelligence to help contractors:

  • Build estimates faster — Start from AI-generated line items instead of a blank page.
  • Analyze job site photos — Upload job site photos so the AI can identify materials, condition, and fixtures present, and suggest line items from what it sees. Measurements always come from what you type in, never from a photo.
  • Present professionally — Send polished, branded estimates via email or a customer portal.
  • Stay organized — Track every estimate, client, and project from one dashboard.
  • Sync with your accounting — Connect to QuickBooks Online so accepted estimates become invoices without double entry.

Everything runs in your browser at contractorscopeai.com — there is nothing to install and it works on your computer, tablet, or phone.

Signing Up​

Create Your Account​

  1. Visit contractorscopeai.com and click Get Started.
  2. Enter your name, email address, and a password.
  3. Click Create Account.
  4. Check your email for a verification link, and click it. This opens a Finish signing in page in your browser — click the Sign in button there to complete the process.
  5. You are now signed in and ready to set up your company.
Closed beta: self-signup is limited to a named allowlist

During the closed beta, only people on a specific list of beta testers can create an account this way. If self-signup does not work for you, ask your company admin to add you directly instead — see Team Members below.

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Use the email address you want clients to see on estimates and invoices. This becomes your primary business contact email in the system.

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Opening the emailed link does not sign you in by itself — you land on a confirmation page and click Sign in to finish. This extra click exists because corporate email security scanners open links automatically to check them for safety, which would otherwise use up your one-time link before you ever see it.

Choose Your Plan​

Signing up requires a card, and your chosen plan is charged from day one. Every plan is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, no conditions: if ContractorScope AI isn't right for you, cancel within your first 30 days for a full refund. Plans are capacity-based and every plan carries the full core AI estimating workflow and the customer portal — the differences are your monthly AI estimate allowance, included seats, QuickBooks integration (Starter and up), and support level:

  • Foundation ($49/mo) — 10 AI estimates per month, 2 seats.
  • Starter ($99/mo) — 30 AI estimates per month, 5 seats.
  • Professional ($249/mo) — 75 AI estimates per month, 8 seats.
  • Business ($499/mo) — 120 AI estimates per month, 15 seats.

Extra seats are $15/seat/month on every plan.

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Your monthly allowance counts each AI-assisted analysis or refinement step, not just completed estimates. A wizard flow that asks a clarifying question and you answer it uses 2 units for that one estimate (the initial analysis plus the refinement round); an analysis you start but never save as an estimate still uses 1 unit. Fewer clarification round-trips means fewer units used.

The AI voice assistant, AI chat, and Visualize are separate monthly add-ons on every plan — they are not bundled into a tier. Plan changes are not self-serve today: email info@contractorscopeai.com to move between plans. Visit Account and Billing for full plan and add-on details.

Getting Started Checklist​

After you sign in for the first time, the dashboard shows a Get started checklist. Complete these four steps in order and you will be fully up and running:

  1. Add a customer — Create your first client record so you have someone to send an estimate to.
  2. Create your first estimate — Build and price the scope of work.
  3. Send the estimate — Deliver the estimate to your client by email or via the customer portal.
  4. Track on the Kanban — Watch the estimate move through statuses (Draft → Sent → Accepted) on the project board.

Each checklist item is clickable — tap it and ContractorScope AI takes you directly to the right screen.

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You can complete the checklist in under ten minutes on your first real job. The fastest way to learn the system is to work through it with an actual project rather than sample data.

Setting Up Your Company​

Once you have completed the Get started checklist, take a few minutes to fill in your company details. This information appears on every estimate you send.

Company Profile​

  1. Click Settings in the left sidebar.
  2. Select Company profile.
  3. Fill in:
    • Company Name — Your registered business name as it will appear on estimates.
    • Support Phone and Support Email — The contact details clients see on estimates and in the portal.
    • Mailing Address — Your business address.
    • Website — Your company website (optional but recommended).
    • License Number — Your contractor license number. This builds client confidence and may be required in your state.
    • Legal business name and Legal business address — Your business as it appears on your government filings. Both are required before AI texting can be registered, and the legal address is a separate field from Mailing Address above.
    • EIN — Your Employer Identification Number. Optional for sole proprietors. See Activating Your AI Texting Number.
  4. Click Save.

The last three are grouped under the License & legal section and are never shown to clients.

A logo makes your estimates look polished and professional.

  1. In Company profile, click Upload Logo.
  2. Select a PNG, JPG, GIF, or WebP file from your computer, up to 500 KB. SVG files are not accepted.
  3. Adjust the crop if needed and click Save.

Your logo appears in the header of every estimate, on the customer portal, and in emails sent to clients.

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For best results, use a logo that is at least 400 pixels wide with a transparent or white background. Square or horizontal logos work best.

Markups and Pricing​

Your markup settings drive the pricing on every estimate.

  1. Go to Settings > Markups & pricing.
  2. Configure:
    • Tier markups — Your standard profit margin by cost tier. For example, 20% means a $100 cost item shows as $120 to the client. You can override this on any individual estimate or line item.
    • Contingency — A percentage held back to cover unexpected site conditions (capped at 20%).
    • Default Tax Rate — Your local sales tax rate, applied to items marked as taxable.
    • Default Payment Terms — Your standard payment terms (Due on Receipt, Net 15, Net 30, or custom progress payment terms).
  3. Click Save.
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Not sure what markup to use? Most general contractors use between 15% and 30% depending on the trade, market, and project size. Start with 20% and adjust based on your experience.

Team Members​

If you have estimators, project managers, or office staff who need access, add them from Settings > Team.

  1. Click + Add Team Member.
  2. Enter their name and email address.
  3. Select their role:
    • Admin — Full access including settings, billing, and team management.
    • Estimator — Can create, edit, and send estimates. Cannot change company settings or billing.
    • Viewer — Read-only access. Useful for field supervisors who need to reference estimates on the job site.
  4. Click Send Invite.

This only works for someone who already has a ContractorScope AI account (for example, from another company). If they do, they are attached to your company immediately — there is no pending "Invited" status to wait on, and no acceptance step on their end. Each plan includes a set number of seats (see Choose Your Plan above); extra seats are $15/seat/month.

If the person you enter has never had a ContractorScope AI account, Send Invite fails immediately with an error — no invite is created. They need to sign up for their own account first (see Create Your Account above); once they have signed in at least once, an admin can add them from Settings > Team as described above.

During the closed beta, adding a brand-new teammate isn't possible at all

ContractorScope AI is currently in a closed beta, and self-signup is limited to a named list of beta testers. This means the "sign up first, then get added" path above is also closed for now: someone who has never had a ContractorScope AI account can neither be invited directly nor sign up on their own to clear the way for an invite. For now, adding a team member only works for someone who already has an account (from anywhere, including another company). Brand-new teammates will be able to join once the beta opens up more broadly.

Automatic invitation emails are not enabled yet

Adding a team member does not currently send them an email. Let the person know directly that you have invited them, and tell them which email address you used — they must use that exact address to sign in.

The invited person must sign in with the exact address you invited

Adding someone attaches whichever ContractorScope AI account is registered to the exact email address you entered — not an alias or a second address they also use. If they normally sign in with a different address, let them know which one you used so they sign in with that one.

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Each team member gets their own login. You never need to share passwords. Team members see the same client list and estimates, so everyone stays on the same page.

Connect Integrations​

ContractorScope AI connects with tools you already use so data flows automatically.

  1. Go to Settings > Integrations.
  2. Available integrations include:
  3. Click Connect on any integration card and follow the authorization steps.

You can connect integrations now or come back to this later. The estimating features work independently — integrations just add convenience.

Optional: Finish Company Setup​

The dashboard also shows a Finish company setup task that links to additional configuration (estimate notes, terms and conditions, customer portal customization, and more). This is optional — your estimates work before it is complete — but finishing it makes everything more polished for clients.

After setup, you land on the dashboard. This is your home base for everything in ContractorScope AI.

The Left Sidebar​

The sidebar is your main navigation. Here is what each section contains:

  • Dashboard — Your overview page with the Get started checklist, recent estimates, quick stats, and notifications.
  • Estimates — The full list of all your estimates. Filter by status (Draft, Sent, Accepted, Declined, Expired), search by client name or project, and sort by date or amount.
  • Clients — Your client database. Every client you have ever created an estimate for is here, along with their contact information, property addresses, and estimate history.
  • Import — Bring in existing clients, estimates, or price book data from CSV files or a CRM.
  • Reports — Business insights including estimate volume, close rates, revenue by project type, and team performance.
  • Settings — Company profile, markups, team members, integrations, billing, and account preferences.

The Dashboard Overview​

The main dashboard shows you the information you need at a glance:

  • Get started checklist — Shown until all four steps are complete. Each item links directly to the relevant screen.
  • Recent Estimates — Your most recently created or updated estimates with their current status.
  • Estimates Needing Attention — Estimates that have been sent but not yet viewed, estimates nearing their expiration date, and estimates where the client requested changes.
  • Quick Stats — Key numbers for the current month: total estimates sent, total dollar value, acceptance rate, and average estimate size.
  • Notifications — Real-time alerts when clients view, accept, or decline estimates.

Quick Actions​

From the dashboard, you can jump directly into common tasks:

  • Click the green + New Estimate button in the top right corner to start a new estimate immediately.
  • Click any estimate in the Recent Estimates list to open it.
  • Click a client name anywhere in the app to view their profile and estimate history.
  • Use the search bar at the top of the page to find any estimate, client, or project by name.

AI-Powered Features​

ContractorScope AI is not just a digital estimate form — the AI features are what set it apart from every other estimating tool.

Catalog-driven AI estimates are bathrooms-only today

Full catalog-driven AI estimate generation — where the AI builds a complete, priced scope from your photos and answers using the built-in cost catalog — currently supports bathroom projects only. Kitchen and basement projects are gated off while we finish authoring their catalog content.

This limit applies only to the full catalog-driven generation flow. Manual line items and AI-suggested line items still work for any project type (kitchen, roofing, additions, repairs, and everything else), so you can build any estimate today.

AI Photo Analysis​

Snap photos at the job site and upload them to an estimate. The AI examines the images, identifies existing materials and their condition and which fixtures are present, and suggests repair or replacement items based on what it sees. Measurements always come from what you type in, never from a photo. This is especially useful for insurance restoration work, roof inspections, and remodel assessments.

AI Line Item Suggestions​

Select a project type (like "Kitchen Remodel" or "Roof Replacement") and the AI generates a comprehensive list of suggested line items organized by category. You pick the ones that apply, adjust quantities and pricing, and your estimate is built in minutes instead of hours.

Voice Input​

Tap the microphone icon and speak naturally to Scout, your AI voice assistant. Say something like "Add 500 square feet of luxury vinyl plank at four fifty per square foot" and Scout creates the line item for you. You can also ask pricing questions by voice: "What is the average cost of cabinet installation per linear foot?"

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AI features provide excellent starting points, but always verify quantities, measurements, and pricing against your own knowledge of the job. You know the site conditions, local labor rates, and material availability better than any AI. Use the suggestions as a fast first draft, then refine with your expertise.

Your First Estimate​

Now that your account is set up, you are ready to create your first estimate. Head over to Creating Your First Estimate for a complete step-by-step walkthrough.

Here is a quick preview of how fast it can be:

  1. Click + New Estimate.
  2. Select your client (or add a new one).
  3. Choose a project type.
  4. Click AI Suggest Items to get a full set of line items.
  5. Adjust quantities and pricing for the specific job.
  6. Click Send to Client.

That is it. What used to take an hour or more can be done in minutes.

Getting Help​

If you run into any issues or have questions:

  • Email support — Reach us at info@contractorscopeai.com. We respond within one business day.
  • In-app help — Click the question mark icon in the bottom right corner of any page for contextual help articles.
  • Documentation — You are already here. Browse the sidebar for guides on every feature.
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Bookmark contractorscopeai.com for quick access. Since everything runs in the browser, you can sign in from any device — your office computer, your laptop at the kitchen table, or your phone at the job site.

Next Steps​