Describe the job in cubic yards, loads, linear feet, tons and machine hours, and your AI builds the estimate in Projul: it creates the estimate on the project, adds a section per phase, and fills in the line items with your quantities, costs and markup. The estimate lands in "Estimates" as a Draft with the totals Projul calculates.
What to say to your AI
The job needs a project or lead first; ask your AI to create one if it does not exist. See How do I have my AI add a new lead? A project holds one estimate; if it already has one, your AI offers to change it or add a change order instead.
Copy a prompt like this and change the quantities and rates in brackets:
Build an estimate in Projul for [Halvorsen Septic and Driveway]. Four sections. Mobilization and site protection: [2] mobilizations at [$450] each plus [15]%, [300] lin ft of silt fence at [$2.10] plus [20]%, [24] tons of entrance rock at [$28] plus [20]%, and [8] hours of labor at [$52] plus [45]%. Clearing and rough excavation: [24] hours of excavator and operator at [$165] plus [35]%, [12] hours of dozer and operator at [$145] plus [35]%, [18] export loads at [$210] plus [15]%, and [220] tons of dump fees at [$12] plus [10]%. Septic system: one [1,000-gallon tank] at [$1,250] plus [20]%, [10] hours to set and connect at [$165] plus [35]%, [240] lin ft of drain-field trenching at [$9.50] plus [30]%, [260] lin ft of 4-inch perforated pipe at [$1.85] plus [20]%, [60] tons of drain rock at [$32] plus [20]%, [1] roll of filter fabric at [$180] plus [20]%, and the [septic permit and inspection] at [$525] with no markup and not taxable. Driveway and finish grade: [180] tons of 3/4-inch base at [$26] plus [20]%, [14] hours to place and compact at [$165] plus [35]%, [6] hours of finish grade at [$165] plus [35]%, and [4,000] sq ft of seed and straw at [$0.14] plus [25]%. Apply our [Utah] sales tax and tell me the estimate number and the total.
Or start from an estimate template instead of listing every line; your AI copies your section templates and cost-item library, using only the numbers you supply beyond that.
Every line keeps its quantity and unit, cubic yards, tons, linear feet, loads or hours. Markup can be a percentage or a dollar amount; tax applies only when you name a rate from your Projul settings. See How does my AI calculate prices, markup and tax?
Options, exclusions and change orders
Work the owner may or may not take can be a selections section, where only the items the client picks count toward the total. See How do I use subsections, selections and display-only sections with my AI?
Your AI can also write the introduction and contract text naming what the bid assumes and the unit prices for rock or unsuitable material found after digging starts. See How do I have my AI write the introduction and contract text?
When conditions change, ask for a change order pricing the extra work, with removed scope as a display-only section that counts against the total.
Add a change order to [Halvorsen Septic and Driveway] in Projul called [Rock in the drain-field trench]: [9] hours of hammer time at [$285] plus [20]%, [4] extra export loads at [$210] plus [15]%, and [46] tons of dump fees at [$12] plus [10]%. The owner is keeping the topsoil on site, so remove the [6] stockpile export loads at [$210] from the scope. Apply our [Utah] sales tax.
See How do I have my AI add a change order?
What you will see
Your AI asks you to approve each step, then reports the estimate number and total. In Projul, click "Estimates"; the new estimate sits at top as a Draft, with each section's subtotal on the card.
Note: Publishing and sending the estimate are done in Projul. See Can my AI publish or send an estimate?
Questions? Let's Chat.
support@projul.com
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