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Materials with waste, priced right. No signup. ·
Every trade has a waste rate: deck boards that split, tiles that crack, paint that vanishes. Budgeting materials at the exact sum is budgeting to lose money — the standard allowance is 10% for lumber and paint, up to 15–20% for tile and stone.
The estimator shows three numbers: the bare sum, the waste allowance, and a suggested bill at cost plus 15% — because materials sitting on a job site are capital you fronted, and fronting capital is worth a markup.
Keep going with these tools — they build on this calculation: Contractor Hourly Rate Calculator, Work Order Generator and Markup Vs Margin Calculator. When your prices look right, print the menu with the Menu Maker — free templates, PDF & PNG. Want us to set the whole system up for you? Ask about concierge setup.
Lumber and paint: 10%. Tile, stone and anything cut to pattern: 15–20%. Anything with a high failure rate on first fix: more. Track your actuals per job and adjust.
Show the total, not the arithmetic. "Materials including standard waste allowance" is an honest line item; a visible 10% surcharge reads as padding.