User guide · Start here
Your first Job, from start to finish.
The 22-second overview
From plan.
To quote.
See the idea, then try it yourself. A short illustrated walkthrough of the BuildDesk workflow.
Read video transcript
Your next quote starts here. Upload Floor-plan.pdf to the Oak House Job. Calibrate the drawing and trace a room: 224 square feet. Add Flooring to a Quote at $6 per square foot, totaling $1,344. Download the PDF or open an email draft. From plan to quote: BuildDesk.
Upload your Plan
Keep drawings with the Job they belong to.
Measure the work
Calibrate once per page, then trace lengths or areas.
Build your Quote
Bring measured quantities across. Set your rates.
Your first walkthrough
One complete Job, in five steps.
Use a test customer and a sample drawing. Keep this guide open alongside the app.
Set up your company
- Create a new test account with an inbox you control, or sign in with reviewer credentials.
- Create your company workspace when prompted. This keeps company data isolated.
- Open Team to invite coworkers. Customers are the people you quote for; they do not need team accounts.
Add a customer and Job
- Choose Create a Job from Dashboard or New Job from Jobs. Name the work, then select a customer or create one without leaving the form.
- A Job keeps that customer's Plans and Quotes together. Status, start date, and notes are under More details (optional). You can also start from an existing customer's New Job action.
- Reload both records and confirm their details remain intact.
Measure a Plan
- Choose a Job, then upload a PDF, PNG, or JPEG Plan up to 50 MB.
- Use the current-step button to add a measurement group (also called a takeoff), such as Flooring, calibrate the page with a known distance, then measure. Choose Line or Area for the work you need.
- Open the steps disclosure to review progress. On mobile, Show takeoffs opens your groups; the guidance button opens them when needed.
- Wait for Saved before leaving. Calibrate each new page before measuring it.
Build and send a Quote
- In your Plan, choose measured groups in Quote scope, then select Start Quote. Your customer, Job, and quantities carry over.
- No drawing? Start a Quote from the Job and enter quantities manually.
- Review sections, quantities, rates, tax, discount, and the final total before saving.
- Download the PDF or open your email application with a prepared message. When direct email is configured, Send email delivers the PDF and response link through BuildDesk.
Complete the job workflow
- Open the signed customer link and accept or decline the sent Quote.
- Convert an accepted Quote to an Invoice, then record payment manually.
- Track the Job through Opportunities and add a dated follow-up task.
What to look for
- Does the customer → Job → Plan → Quote flow match your work?
- Is the next action clear without help?
- Do measurements, quantities and totals stay correct after reloading?
- Are you asked to re-enter information the app already knows?
Found something?
Share the page, your steps, what you expected and what happened. Add a screenshot. Call out anything that stops you from completing a Quote as a blocker.
Direct email needs provider setup and a verified test. Manual email and PDF downloads remain available. SMS, online payments, calendar sync and automatic reminders are outside this review. Completed Plan vertex editing and tablet polish remain follow-ups.
Try your first Job.
One customer, one Plan, one Quote. Start there.