For general contractors
The bid wins the job. The exclusions list protects the margin.
A small contractor's bid usually starts as a walkthrough, a set of plans or a rough sketch, and a spreadsheet of trades and materials. It goes to the owner as a PDF with a total at the bottom. The owner compares three totals, picks one, and the real negotiation starts when the first allowance runs out or the wall comes down and the joists aren't what anyone expected.
ApeiroCraft sends the bid as a link with allowances, exclusions, change-order terms and the draw schedule as their own sections. You see when the owner opens it and goes back to it, they sign in the browser, and the deposit and each draw are invoiced from the accepted proposal.
Where small construction jobs lose money.
Allowances read as fixed prices
A tile or fixture allowance is a placeholder. Owners read it as a promise, pick something three times the allowance, and are surprised the price moved.
Changes agreed on site
'Can you move that outlet while you're there?' becomes extra work done without paperwork. At the final invoice, the owner remembers saying it, not agreeing to pay for it.
The concealed-conditions conversation
Rot, old wiring, an undersized beam. If the bid doesn't say how unforeseen conditions are handled, every discovery is a dispute instead of a priced change.
Bid, sign, draw — on one record.
Scope by trade and phase
Write demolition, framing, mechanical, finishes and clean-up as sections with what's included in each, so the owner compares scopes, not just totals.
See when the owner is comparing
The bid link records each open and re-open. An owner going back to it the evening after another contractor's walkthrough is a cue to follow up on what yours includes.
Signed before you order
The owner signs in the browser. The signature records name, email, IP and a UTC timestamp and can't be altered — your exclusions and change-order terms are on record.
Deposit and draws from one proposal
Convert the accepted bid to a draft invoice, set it to the deposit and send with your payment link. Convert again for each draw once the previous invoice has gone out.
What a contractor's proposal has to include.
Your local rules decide what a home-improvement contract must legally contain, and you should check them. Beyond that, these are the sections that stop the usual arguments.
Allowances
If it's left vague
A fixture allowance is treated as a fixed price until the owner picks something more expensive.
With ApeiroCraft
List each allowance with its amount and say that selections above it are billed as a change.
Exclusions
If it's left vague
Permits, painting, landscaping repair or appliance install are assumed to be included.
With ApeiroCraft
Write an explicit list of what isn't in the price, above the total.
Change orders
If it's left vague
On-site requests become unpaid extras because nobody signed anything.
With ApeiroCraft
State that changes are priced and approved in writing before the work, and how they affect the schedule.
Unforeseen conditions
If it's left vague
Rot or old wiring behind a wall becomes an argument instead of a priced change.
With ApeiroCraft
Explain how concealed conditions are handled: you stop, document, price the fix and wait for approval.
Draw schedule
If it's left vague
Payments are 'as the job goes', and you're carrying the cost of materials.
With ApeiroCraft
Tie each payment to a milestone — deposit, rough-in, drywall, completion — with the amount for each.
- Draw invoices from one accepted proposal, no re-typing.
- Kanban tasks for punch lists and sub coordination.
- Editable tax-rate field and your own payment link on every invoice.
Common questions.
How do general contractors usually price residential work?
The common structures are fixed price (lump sum) with allowances and exclusions, cost-plus (costs passed through plus a fee or percentage), and time-and-materials for smaller or uncertain jobs. Fixed-price jobs are typically paid by deposit and progress draws. ApeiroCraft doesn't estimate costs; it holds whichever structure you use and invoices each draw.
What does a bathroom renovation bid look like in ApeiroCraft?
Scope sections for demolition, plumbing rough-in, electrical, tiling and fixtures; allowances for tile and vanity; exclusions for permits and painting outside the room; a change-order clause; a concealed-conditions clause; and a draw schedule of deposit, rough-in inspection, tile complete and final. The owner opens it twice that weekend, signs on Monday, and you invoice the deposit from the accepted bid.
When is ApeiroCraft not the right fit for a contractor?
It isn't construction-management software. There's no takeoff or estimating database, no scheduling or Gantt chart, no daily logs, no sub portal, no job costing and no time tracking for crews. Larger contractors running several jobs at once will want a construction platform. ApeiroCraft fits smaller outfits whose problem is getting a clear bid signed and the draws invoiced.
Can I handle a change order in ApeiroCraft?
Send the change as its own short proposal — what's changing, the price, the schedule effect — and have the owner sign it. Then convert it to an invoice. Each change is a signed record on the client.
Is an e-signature enough for a construction contract?
That depends on where you work and what kind of contract it is; some jurisdictions have specific rules for home-improvement contracts. ApeiroCraft records the signer's name, email, IP address and a UTC timestamp, and the document can't change after signing. Check your local requirements with an adviser.
Send a bid that explains its own total.
Write your exclusions, allowance and change-order sections once and reuse them on every job.
Start freeStill deciding? Talk to the founder
Keep reading
Free template
Freelance proposal template
Any field: the client's goal, scope and exclusions, a timeline and two options to choose from.
Guide
Are e-signatures on proposals legally binding?
ESIGN, UETA, eIDAS — what actually makes a signature hold up, and what to capture.
Solution
Proposal tracking, explained
Timestamped opens on the proposal itself — not an email pixel, not a guess.