Construction Proposal Software

Construction proposal software built for small contractors.

Send proposals clients actually approve. Line items, scope, one-tap approval, and a client view that works on a phone. No enterprise bloat, no per-seat pricing, no demo required. $49/mo Starter or $99/mo Pro.

Try it free for 7 days See how it works
No credit card required Built by a former contractor Direct founder support

The plain-English version

What is construction proposal software?

Construction proposal software is the tool you use to put together the document a client signs before you start a job. Scope of work, line-item pricing, payment schedule, terms, and a signature line, all in one place.

It's different from generic proposal tools like PandaDoc or Proposify, which were built for software salespeople and don't know what a markup percentage is. And it's different from estimating-only software, which spits out a number but doesn't help you turn that number into something a homeowner will actually sign.

Good construction proposal software does three jobs: it makes you look professional, it makes the client say yes faster, and it doesn't make you re-type everything into your project tracker after they do.

How it works

From "let me put a proposal together" to signed in 4 steps.

1

Build the estimate

Line items by section. Materials, labor, markup, photos. Reuse items from your cost library so you're not starting from a blank page.

Easy-to-use construction proposal software showing a line-item estimate editor with markup and margin tracking
2

Organize into sections clients can read

Group line items by section (Foundation, Framing, Electrical), each with subtotals. Add notes and photos so the client knows exactly what they're paying for.

Construction proposal organized into sections with subtotals that clients can read and understand
3

Send to the client, get questions answered

They get a link. They open it on their phone, no password or app download. Questions go through the built-in estimate chat so you're not playing phone tag.

Construction proposal software that lets clients ask questions through a built-in chat on the proposal
4

Get approved, convert to project

They tap Approve. You get an email. One click turns the approved estimate into an active project with the budget pre-loaded. Need a legally binding contract too? Attach one to the project and send it for e-signature.

Converting an approved construction proposal into an active project with the budget pre-loaded

Features

Features that actually matter for a 10-person shop.

Skip the enterprise feature dump. These are the six things you'll use every week.

Line-item estimates with markups

Cost vs. price on every line. Margin calculated automatically. Costs stay hidden from the client view, always.

Reusable templates and cost library

Save your standard line items and bundled assemblies. Drop a bathroom remodel into a new estimate with one click.

One-tap approval and e-signature

Clients approve the proposal with one tap from their phone. Need a binding contract too? E-sign that from the project, ESIGN/UETA compliant. No bolting on DocuSign.

Custom branding on every proposal

Your logo, your colors, your contact info on the proposal, the PDF, and the client portal. Looks like you, not us.

Change orders from the same proposal

Scope creep happens. Send a change order with the same line-item editor, e-sig the addition, and update the project budget automatically.

PDF export, every time

Sign in-app or print and sign on a job site, your call. The PDF looks professional either way.

Quick clarification

Proposal vs. estimate vs. contract. What's the difference?

These three words get used interchangeably, but they're not the same thing. Here's how to tell them apart.

Estimate Proposal Contract
Purpose Internal or external pricing Pitch to win the job Legal agreement
Detail level Line items and costs Scope, price, terms Scope, terms, obligations
Legally binding? No Usually no Yes
Signed? Rarely Sometimes Always

In BuilderBase, your estimate is the proposal you send. Build line items, scope, and terms in one place, the client approves it from a passwordless portal, and one click converts it into an active project. Need a fully binding legal document? Attach a contract to the project. See contracts →

Pricing

Honest pricing. Right here on the page.

Because nobody else on Google's first page will show you theirs without a sales call.

Starter
$49 /mo

Or $40.83/mo billed annually. 7-day free trial.

  • Unlimited estimates and proposals
  • One-tap client approval
  • Passwordless client portal
  • Projects, invoicing, payments
Recommended
Pro
$99 /mo

Or $82.50/mo billed annually. No per-seat fees.

  • Everything in Starter
  • Custom branding on every proposal
  • AI contract drafting + e-signature
  • Bids, RFIs, daily logs, transcription

No 12-month contracts. No "contact us for pricing." No per-seat charges. See full pricing →

Honest answer

Who BuilderBase is for (and who it isn't).

Good fit
  • Residential remodelers, GCs, custom home builders, specialty trades
  • Under $5M revenue, 1 to 10 employees
  • You text more than you email
  • You're tired of writing proposals in Word and Excel
  • You want one tool, not seven
Not a fit
  • Commercial GCs who need AIA G702/G703 billing
  • Companies with 50+ employees needing complex permission matrices
  • Anyone wanting a CRM, payroll, accounting, and timesheets all bolted together
  • Folks who want a 90-minute demo before they can see a screenshot
  • If you outgrow us, that's fine. We'll wave on the way out.
Chris Thorn, founder of BuilderBase, with his family

A note from the founder

I got tired of writing proposals in Word.

I built BuilderBase because the existing tools felt like they were made for accountants, not the people actually swinging the hammer. Bloated, expensive, and impossible to learn without a manual. Meanwhile I was reformatting an estimate in Word on a Sunday night, hoping the totals were right.

Got feedback on the proposal flow? An idea? A bug? You'll hear back from me, usually the same day. Your input genuinely shapes what gets built next.

Chris Thorn
Founder, BuilderBase
Email Chris directly

"I was writing proposals in Word for years. Switched to BuilderBase and now I send a sectioned estimate from my phone after a walkthrough. Last month a homeowner approved a $38K kitchen the same evening I sent it. Three years ago that would've taken two weeks of back-and-forth."

SR
Sarah Reyes
Reyes Remodeling ยท Austin, TX

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

What is construction proposal software?
It's the tool you use to put together the document a homeowner or GC signs before they hand you money. Line items, scope, terms, signature line, sent as a link or PDF. The cheap version is Word and a calculator. The expensive version is Buildertrend at $499/mo. Most of us live somewhere in between.

How does construction proposal software work?
You build an estimate (materials, labor, markup), wrap it with your scope of work, add a payment schedule and your terms, then send a link to the client. They open it on their phone, sign with a finger, and you get an email. The good ones turn that signed proposal into your project file automatically so you're not re-typing anything.

How much does construction proposal software cost?
Real numbers from the market in 2026: Buildertrend starts around $499/mo. Houzz Pro is $85 to $199/mo, usually with an annual commitment. BuildBook is roughly $79 to $199/mo. Joist is free with paid tiers around $30/mo. BuilderBase is $49/mo for Starter and $99/mo for Pro, with no per-seat fees and no annual commitment. If a sales rep won't tell you the price without a demo, that's a price signal too.

What features should I look for in construction proposal software?
Five things, in order of how often they actually matter: (1) Line-item estimates with markup, not just a total. (2) E-signature built in so you're not paying for DocuSign on top. (3) Reusable templates so every proposal isn't a blank page. (4) PDF export, because contractors still print things. (5) A client-side view that works on a phone with no login. Skip the AI proposal writers (output is generic), CRM features (you don't need a sales pipeline at 10 employees), and advanced analytics dashboards.

Is there free construction proposal software?
Yes. Joist has a free tier. A few estimating tools like Beam have free plans too. The catch is always volume limits, no e-signature, or watermarked PDFs. Free works if you send 1 or 2 proposals a month. If you're sending 5+, you'll outgrow free in 60 days, and you'll spend that time fighting the limitations instead of running your business.

What's the best free proposal software for contractors?
Honestly: Joist for true free-forever, especially if you're a one-person shop sending the occasional bid. For anything more serious, free tools all hit a wall fast. BuilderBase isn't free, but at $49/mo for Starter we're trying to be the smallest jump from free that still gets you a real tool. Try it 7 days, no card.

What's the difference between a construction proposal and an estimate?
An estimate is the math: materials + labor + markup = price. A proposal is the pitch: here's what we're building, here's what it costs, here are the terms, here's where to sign. Estimates live inside proposals. You send a client a proposal. You don't send an estimate unless they specifically asked for one.

What should a construction proposal include?
Minimum viable proposal, eight things: (1) Your business info and license number. (2) Client info and project address. (3) Scope of work in detail. (4) Exclusions, what you're not doing (this saves arguments later). (5) Line-item pricing or fixed price. (6) Payment schedule and milestones. (7) Timeline with start and completion dates. (8) Terms covering change orders, warranty, cancellation, and dispute resolution. Optional but smart: photos, materials specs, allowances, and an expiration date on the price.

Can construction proposal software export to PDF?
Any tool worth using, yes. BuilderBase generates a PDF the moment you create a proposal. Download it, email it, print it. The signed version includes a separate audit-trail page with timestamps, IP, and signer info for ESIGN/UETA compliance.

Do I need construction proposal software if I'm a small contractor?
If you do fewer than 1 proposal a month and you're not trying to look more professional than you are, no. Word and a PDF export is fine. If you're sending 3+ a month, losing jobs because you're slow to follow up, or your homeowner clients are comparing you to bigger competitors with polished proposals, yes. The math isn't the software cost ($99/mo). The math is one extra job won per year.

Related Features

Estimates & Budgeting

Professional estimates with effortless client approval

Contracts & E-Signatures

Author, send, sign, and countersign, all in one place

Client Portal

Give clients 24/7 project access with no passwords

Stop writing proposals in Word.

7-day free trial. No credit card. Cancel any time.

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