A contractor proposal template sells the kitchen
A contractor proposal template is the sheet you send when the client still has a choice to make. The kitchen loaded above recommends one way to build it, and writes the other way beside the total so it is not added in. Rebuild is $12,040 before tax. Refinish is $5,240, and that number is not inside the $12,040.
The lines are the recommended option. Protect the floors and demo the old cabinets, $1,600. Adjust plumbing and electrical at the walls that are already there, $2,200. Set ten cabinet boxes, $4,800. Solid surface counters, 36 sq ft, $2,800. A sink and faucet we supply, $640. The dollar amounts are round samples so the addition can be checked. They are not a price for the work, and they are not from a cost guide.
| Recommended option | Amount |
|---|---|
| Protect floors and demo existing cabinets | $1,600 |
| Plumbing and electrical adjustments | $2,200 |
| Ten cabinet boxes, supplied and set | $4,800 |
| Solid surface counters, 36 sq ft | $2,800 |
| Sink and faucet, supplied by us | $640 |
| Rebuild, before tax | $12,040 |
The approach on this sample is one sequence: protect the floors, take out the old boxes, do the wall adjustments, set the boxes and the counters, then set the sink. The schedule on this sample is 6 working days. That duration is the sample, not a standard. The address is 418 Westfield Ave.
The other option stays off the total
Refinish keeps the existing boxes. Refinish labor is $1,800. The counters stay $2,800 and the sink stays $640, because those two lines are the same products either way. $1,800 plus $2,800 plus $640 is $5,240. Demo, the wall adjustments, and the new boxes are not in that figure. If the client picks refinish, replace the lines. Do not add $5,240 to $12,040.
| Other option, not in the $12,040 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Refinish the existing boxes | $1,800 |
| Solid surface counters, 36 sq ft | $2,800 |
| Sink and faucet, supplied by us | $640 |
| Refinish, before tax | $5,240 |
The signature line says Client choice. It records which option the client picked. A fixed price with no second option is the construction quote template. A price sent back against an invitation is the construction bid template. A scope that can still change when an allowance misses is the construction estimate example.
What the California contract still has to say
This proposal is not that contract. In California, Business and Professions Code section 7159 (or read it on California Public Law) says a home improvement contract and any changes to it shall be in writing and signed by the parties before the work the contract or change order covers begins, when the aggregate price exceeds $500. The contract has to carry the heading Home Improvement. It has to describe the project and the significant materials and equipment. It has to say what counts as substantial commencement of work, and it has to give an approximate start date and an approximate completion date (read October 14, 2026).
If payments will be taken before the job is done, the same section says the contract needs a schedule of progress payments, and that the schedule must describe each phase and the amount of each payment. The statement the statute requires on that part of the contract says it is against the law for a contractor to collect payment for work not yet completed, or for materials not yet delivered, and that a contractor may require a down payment. Section 7159.5 (or read it on California Public Law) says that, except for a down payment, the contractor shall neither request nor accept payment that exceeds the value of the work performed or material delivered. A sample schedule for the rebuild, paid only after each phase, adds back to $12,040:
| Paid after this phase | Amount |
|---|---|
| Floors protected and old cabinets removed | $1,600 |
| Plumbing and electrical adjustments done | $2,200 |
| Cabinet boxes and counters set | $7,600 |
| Sink, faucet, and walkthrough done | $640 |
| Total | $12,040 |
Section 7159.5 also says that if a down payment will be charged, it shall not exceed $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract amount, whichever is less, unless the contractor furnishes a performance and payment bond, a lien and completion bond, or a bond equivalent or joint control the registrar approves, covering full performance and payment. Ten percent of $12,040 is $1,204, and $1,000 is the smaller number, so a California contract on the rebuild sample could not take more than $1,000 up front unless that bond exception applies. This page is not legal advice. Other states write their own rules. Price a later change on the change order template, and bill the work that gets built on the construction invoice template.
A half bath and a porch on the same form
The half bath button converts the hall closet. Frame a wet wall, $1,400. A new drain, vent, and water lines, $3,200. Toilet and lavatory, supplied and set, $1,100. Floor tile, 18 sq ft, and paint, $1,600. That is $7,300. The other option is a pocket door and a linen shelf for $900, which would make $8,200, and that $900 is not in the $7,300. The sample schedule is 8 working days. Nothing on this sample is dug, so it does not call 811.
The porch button is an open covered porch. Four footings at $250 are $1,000. Posts, beams, and roof framing are $3,600. Roofing, 5 squares, is $1,600. Decking and a guard are $2,400. A porch light and one outlet are a $700 allowance. That is $9,300. If the electrical bill is $900, this option becomes $9,500. Screening the three open sides is $1,400 and is not in the $9,300. With the screens, and with the allowance left at $700, the figure would be $10,700. The sample schedule is 7 working days. Digging the footings means calling 811 first, so buried utilities can be marked (read October 14, 2026).
Download the proposal
Fill in the proposal on this page, then download it as a PDF in three designs, a Word file, or an Excel file. The file uses the lines that are on screen. The notes carry the approach, the schedule, and the option that is not in the total. How an estimate, a quote, and a bid differ is in estimate vs quote vs bid. More forms are on the templates page.
Questions contractors ask
What is a contractor proposal template?+
A contractor proposal template sells the job: the scope in sentences, the approach, a schedule, the option you recommend, and the other option written beside it, plus a line for the client to mark the choice. The kitchen on this page recommends a rebuild at $12,040 before tax. Refinishing the existing boxes is $5,240, and that figure is not in the $12,040. The dollars are samples so the math can be checked, not a price for the work.
What should a contractor proposal include?+
The job address, what you will do and how, the schedule, each option with its price, what is left out, how long the proposal holds, and a line for the client to mark the option they want. The signature records the pick. It does not take the place of the written contract your state requires.
Is a signed contractor proposal a contract?+
The signature on this sheet records which option the client picked. In California, Business and Professions Code section 7159 still requires a home improvement contract, and changes to it, in writing and signed before the covered work begins, when the aggregate price exceeds $500. That contract has to describe the project and the significant materials, and it has to give an approximate start date and an approximate completion date. If you will take payments before the job is done, section 7159.5 says that, except for a down payment, you shall not request or accept payment that exceeds the value of the work performed or material delivered. On the $12,040 sample, 10 percent is $1,204, so a down payment could not exceed the smaller cap of $1,000 unless the bond exception applies. Other states differ. This is not legal advice.
Can I download a contractor proposal as Word or Excel?+
Yes. The proposal you fill in downloads as a PDF in three designs, and as a Word file and an Excel file.
Missing a line you always need? Email support@vanreceipts.app and we will add it to the template.