Quoting and invoicing for builders
SoloDesks is a quoting and invoicing app for self-employed builders and small works contractors. Break an extension into the stages you will actually invoice, keep every variation on paper the week you find it, and bill each stage as its own invoice against the job. It's built for one builder pricing their own work and chasing their own money, not a firm with a quantity surveyor.
Free plan, no card needed. £12/month for unlimited when you want it.
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| Description | Qty | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Stage schedule: 6 stages, amount against each | ||
| Groundworks & foundations to building control approval | ||
| Shell: walls to plate, roof structure & covering | ||
| Provisional sum: drainage diversion if existing run is found | ||
| Excludes: planning fees, decorating, kitchen & bathroom fit |
Why builders use SoloDesks
Stage the money the way you stage the build
Foundations, walls to plate, roof on, first fix, plaster, finish. A job billed at the end asks somebody to hand over a very large number on the day they are most tired of scaffolding in their garden. Invoice each stage as its own invoice against the job and the money moves at roughly the pace the work does.
Variations written down the week you find them
Every extension grows. A drain in the wrong place, a footing that has to go deeper, a customer who decides they want the opening wider. Add each one as its own line the day it happens and get it accepted before you build it, so the final bill is a list they agreed to piece by piece instead of one number that grew.
The paperwork trail that survives a dispute
Building work is where the money is biggest and the memories are shortest. Six months on, nobody agrees what was in the original price. Each job holds its own quote, its variations and every invoice raised against it, in order and dated, which is the difference between a conversation and an argument.
Deposits and materials you have already paid for
Blocks, steels, joists and a skip are thousands out of your account before anybody sees a wall. Send a deposit invoice against the job covering the materials on order, so a customer who gets planning trouble in week two leaves you square rather than holding a delivery you cannot return.
Deducted payments that still make sense in April
Work for a main contractor and a slice comes off your labour before it reaches you. A year of that is unreadable if the only record is a bundle of remittances. Invoice with labour and materials on separate lines, because the deduction only ever applies to labour, and there is a free CIS deduction calculator here if you want to check what a payment should have been.
Questions builders ask
- What is the best quoting app for a self-employed builder?
- The one that lets you quote in stages and keep variations attached to the job, because that is where building work actually goes wrong. SoloDesks is built for solo builders: stage the quote, bill each stage separately, log every extra as you find it, and chase what goes unpaid. Free for 10 quotes and 10 invoices a month, no card required.
- How do I quote an extension?
- Break it into the stages you will invoice, with an amount against each, then list your exclusions plainly: the things that depend on what the ground turns out to be, on building control, or on somebody else's schedule. A customer who can see the stages can see where their money goes, and a customer who can see the exclusions cannot be surprised by them later.
- How should I handle extras and variations?
- One line each, priced, dated, and accepted before you build it. The single most expensive habit in building work is doing the extra first and mentioning it at the end. Sent as it happens, a variation is a small yes. Saved up for the final invoice, the same work becomes an argument about the whole job.
- Can I invoice in stages against one job?
- Yes. Each stage is its own invoice against the same job, tracking its own paid or unpaid status, so a build running three months never turns into guesswork about what has been settled. It also means one late stage payment is visible immediately rather than at the end.
- What does SoloDesks cost for a builder?
- Free for 10 quotes, 10 invoices, 10 emailed PDFs and 10 one-tap accept-links a month, with unlimited clients and jobs. Pro removes the limits, unlocks the premium PDF styles and chases overdue invoices at 7, 14 and 21 days under your name. No contract, cancel anytime.
Reading for builders
Free guides and calculators. No account needed for any of them.
How to Write a Quote That Wins the Job
How to Price Materials: Markup vs Margin Explained
Letter Before Action Template for an Unpaid Invoice (UK)
Small Claims Court for an Unpaid Invoice: What It Costs (UK)
Can I Charge Interest on a Late Invoice? UK Rules Explained
Retention in Construction: How to Get Your Money Back
How to Check a Customer Will Pay Before You Start the Job
Stage Payments for Tradespeople: How to Structure Them
Should a Sole Trader Use a Debt Collection Agency?
How to Switch Invoicing Software Without Losing Your Records
CIS Deductions Explained for Subcontractors
VAT Reverse Charge on a Construction Invoice
Do I Need to Register for VAT as a Sole Trader
Why Your Google Business Profile Is Not Showing Up
Calculators most builders actually open
Those are three of nine free calculators. No account needed for any of them.
What are you using now?
Honest write-ups of the four systems most builders actually run on, including who should keep the one they have.
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