Overview
Once an estimate is generated, you have three ways to change it: add or edit line items directly, set markup and margin preferences that apply across the estimate, or ask the AI Assistant to make the change in plain language. A fourth, Batch Edit Mode, gives you a spreadsheet-style view for changing several items at once.
Adding a new item
On the Edit Estimate page, find the category you want and click the three-dot menu (⋯) on the right side of that category's header.
Click Add Item.
In the Create Item sidebar, choose one of two options:
Manual Entry — enter Name, Code, Description, and Type, plus pricing, markup, and tax status.
Add from Catalog — search your catalog by name or code and select as many items as you need.
Click Add at the bottom of the sidebar to finish.
Note: a manually entered item is added to the current estimate only. To reuse it on future projects, add it to your Catalog separately.
Setting markup and margin preferences
On the Edit Estimate page, click the Preferences icon (three lines with levers) in the top toolbar.
On Pricing & Quality, check Enable markup/margin per line item to allow individual profit calculations per item, or Enable allowance per line item to track allowances alongside markup.
Set a Default profit percentage — the baseline for new items.
In the Cost Type table, set a separate default margin for Labor & Materials, Labor, Materials, and Other if you want more granular control than the single default. Use the trash icon to remove a cost type row you don't need.
Note: changing these defaults applies to newly added items — existing line items keep their current markup until you update them manually.
Using the AI Assistant
Click the AI Assistant chat icon on the Edit Estimate page and type a request in plain language:
Add or edit fees — "Add a 5% project management fee."
Apply discounts — "Apply a $500 seasonal discount to this estimate."
Manage taxes — "Apply a 7% state tax to all material line items."
Adjust formatting — "Remove cost code numbering" hides the numeric prefix from the client-facing view (the cost codes themselves stay attached to line items for reporting).
Review the Assistant's proposed changes before they're final. If you change the total cost of a Category, the AI proportionally updates every line item underneath it to match.
Batch Edit Mode
Click the paper and pencil icon in the top right of the Edit Estimate page for a spreadsheet-style view where you can adjust multiple line items at once. It's also where you reorder categories: click the pencil icon next to Categories and change the Category Codes — the list follows alphanumeric order.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
I don't see the "Add Item" option. Confirm you're on the Edit Estimate tab, not the Info tab.
A manually added item isn't calculating correctly. Check that you set both a Unit Cost and the correct Type (Labor, Materials, etc.) — the type determines which markup applies.
I don't see a markup column on my line items. Confirm Enable markup/margin per line item is checked in Preferences.
An item isn't getting the expected default margin. Check that the item's Cost Type matches one of the categories you defined in Preferences.
The AI Assistant confirmed a change but the totals didn't update. Try rephrasing the request, or make the change manually. The Assistant handles small, specific commands well; for large-scale changes to the scope or the whole estimate, it's more effective to return to Scope Review and regenerate — see Adjusting Your Scope After an Estimate Is Generated.
Can I undo a change the AI Assistant made? Yes — ask a follow-up command (e.g. "remove the discount I just added"), edit the field manually, or open the version in your chat history and select Revert.
Does the AI Assistant affect other, already-finalized estimates? No. Changes only apply to the estimate you're currently editing.
Quick Reference
Add an item: category's ⋯ menu → Add Item → Manual Entry or Add from Catalog → Add.
Set markup defaults: Preferences icon → Pricing & Quality → enable per-line-item markup/allowance → set defaults by Cost Type.
Quick natural-language changes: AI Assistant chat icon.
Multiple line items at once: paper-and-pencil icon → Batch Edit Mode.