Quotes and deposits for one-off custom jobs
Clients describe the job and send photos, and you send an itemized quote they sign with a deposit.
Free, no subscription. Ready in a few minutes. Just 1% when a client pays you by card.
| Layout and design proof | $150.00 |
| Hand-lettered window sign, gold leaf (hours)8 × $85.00 | $680.00 |
| Gold leaf and materials | $120.00 |
| Opening hours lettered on the dooroptional | $180.00 |
| Black outline and drop shadeoptional | $120.00 |
| Total | $1,130.00 |
Try a custom quote form
Riverside Other / Custom Job is a sample business. Fill in its form as a client would, open the quote it sent, and look around the dashboard. It's the real app with sample data, and nothing you enter is sent.
What your clients see first. The questions this trade starts with, plus their details and up to 10 photos.
The quote they get. Every line, optional extras they can tick, and one button to accept and pay your deposit.
What you see. A sample dashboard (a moving company): new requests, quotes out, upcoming jobs and payments.
Common quoting problems in custom work
- Every job is different to price. With no standard menu, each request needs its own questions before you can give a number.
- Design time goes unpaid. Drawings and mock-ups take hours, and without a design fee or deposit that time is lost if the client walks away.
- Clients go quiet after a quote. Many quotes never get a yes or a no, and chasing each one by phone takes time.
- Special-order materials can't be returned. Materials bought for one custom job often have no other use if the job falls through.
What your custom quote form asks
One-off jobs are priced on time, materials and unknowns, so the starter form stays short. It asks what needs doing, the rough size and budget, with photos and the address. You can add up to 25 questions of your own.
Your form has its own page at your-name.quotefalcon.com. Clients can fill it in at any time, including evenings and weekends, and you get an email for each request. Share the link by text, on your Google Business Profile or social pages, or add the form to your website.
You can change, remove or add questions at any time in your settings.
The questions your form starts with
- What do you need done?In their own words
- Roughly how big is the job?Pick one: Small, Medium, Large, Not sure
- BudgetA short answer
Every form also asks for: a preferred date and time of day · the address of the job · their name and email, and their phone if you ask for it · notes · up to 10 photos
How quoting works in Quote Falcon
Share your link
Clients fill in your form and add up to 10 photos. You get an email for each request.
Send the quote
Add line items, quantities and tax from your phone or computer. Saved lines go in with one tap, and any line can be optional.
Get it signed and paid
The client signs online and pays your deposit by card. Collect the rest with a card payment link, or record cash and e-transfer.
What changes the price of a custom job
The factors that most often change the price, and the reason the form asks about them.
- Your time
- Most one-off work comes down to hours for design, prep, the work itself and travel. Many specialists set a minimum charge for small jobs.
- Materials
- Specialty materials can be expensive, made to order or sold only in larger quantities than the job needs.
- Design and planning
- Custom work often needs drawings, samples or mock-ups first. Some specialists charge for design separately or credit it to the job.
- Complexity and risk
- One-of-a-kind work carries more unknowns. Many specialists build in a contingency or say in their terms how surprises are handled.
- Location and access
- Work at the client's site adds travel, setup and sometimes equipment. Shop work may add pickup or delivery.
- Deadline
- A firm date, like an opening, event or gift, can mean moving other work, and some specialists charge for rush jobs.
A custom job, from request to deposit
Hand-painted gold-leaf lettering for a new café's front window, about 2 m wide, sent with a photo of the window and the logo, needed before the opening in three weeks.
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Hand-lettered shop window signNew quote requestNew
- What do you need done?
- Roughly how big is the job?
- Budget
+21. The request comes in
The client answers your form's questions and adds photos. You get an email, and the request waits in your dashboard.
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Quote Hand-lettered shop window sign
Layout and design proof $150.00 Hand-lettered window sign, gold leaf (hours) $680.00 Gold leaf and materials $120.00 Opening hours lettered on the dooroptional $180.00 Black outline and drop shadeoptional $120.00 Total $1,130.00 2. You send the quote
The client can add door lettering or a black outline and shade, and the 50% deposit covers the design proof and gold leaf before you start.
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✓Quote acceptedSigned online by the clientTotal$1,130.00Deposit paid by card$565.00Balance due$565.00
3. They sign and pay the deposit
They pay your 50% deposit by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. They are emailed a signed PDF (you can download it from the job), and you collect the rest by card payment link or record cash or e-transfer.
Deposits and payment terms for custom jobs
Deposits for custom work vary by trade, but a common approach is to ask for enough up front to cover materials and design time, since custom work often can't be resold. Many specialists take a third to a half, or split bigger projects into stages such as booking, start of work and completion. Some places cap deposits on home improvement work, so check local rules if you work in people's homes.
How deposits work in Quote Falcon
You set your usual deposit once: a percentage, a fixed amount, the full price, or payment stages for bigger jobs. Clients pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay through your own Stripe account.
Optional lines. The client can tick or untick optional lines on their quote page, and the total and deposit update. If they want something else changed, they ask from the quote page and you send a new version for them to sign.
No subscription, no plans, nothing to upgrade to.
only on card payments clients make through Stripe, on top of Stripe's own fee. Cash, e-transfer and cheques: no fee.
Everything's included
- Your own quote page with questions for your trade
- Photos with every request, up to 10
- Itemized quotes with saved lines and tax
- Optional lines clients tick themselves
- E-signatures with a signed PDF
- Card deposits and payment stages
- Follow-ups when a quote goes quiet
- Calendar you can share with your crew
- Website button or built-in form
- Spam protection on every form
Common questions
Does Quote Falcon work for my trade if it isn't listed?
Yes, if your work is one-off and priced case by case. Pick Other / custom job when you sign up, and your form starts with a few general questions. Edit them or add your own, up to 25, so the form asks for what you need to price your work.
How should you quote a job?
Start from what the job needs: your hours, materials, any design time and travel, then add a margin and a contingency for unknowns. Put each part on its own line so the client can see where the price comes from. Mark extras as optional so the client can choose without a second quote.
What is the best free quoting software?
It depends on your work. Quote Falcon is free, with no paid plans, for businesses that price one-off jobs: clients fill in your quote form, you send an itemized quote, and they sign and pay a deposit online. The only fee is 1% on card payments through Stripe, plus Stripe's own fee.
Is it for recurring services or appointments?
No. There are no recurring bookings, service menus or time slots for clients to pick. Quote Falcon is built for jobs that need a price first: clients send the details, you send a quote, and you set the date once they accept.
How much deposit should I ask for on custom work?
A common rule is enough to cover materials and any design time, often a third to a half. In Quote Falcon you can ask for a percentage, a fixed amount, full payment or 2 to 6 payment stages. The client pays the first one by card when they sign.
Can I charge for a design or consultation first?
Yes. Send a quote for the design or consultation on its own, and collect payment by card when the client accepts or record it if they pay another way. Once the design is done, send a new quote for the work itself, and reduce it by the design fee if that's your policy.
Make your free custom quote form
Your form starts with the questions above. Setup takes a few minutes and there's no credit card or subscription.
Create your free quote form