San Francisco, CA
WINDOWS ESTIMATING.

## Window Estimating in San Francisco Moves Fast — Your Bids Should Too San Francisco window contractors work in one of the most demanding environments in the country. You're dealing with fog-belt moisture loads, Title 24 energy compliance on nearly every replacement job, and homeowners in Pacific Heights or the Sunset who expect a polished, itemized bid before they'll sign anything. Scribbling numbers on a legal pad or rebuilding the same spreadsheet from scratch on every job costs you time you don't have. Estimate.Pro takes you from a job-site walkthrough to a sendable, priced bid in a median of 8 minutes. --- ### What Makes Window Work Different in San Francisco **Title 24 drives nearly every replacement job.** California's Building Energy Efficiency Standards — Title 24, Part 6 — require that replacement windows meet minimum U-factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) thresholds. In San Francisco's Climate Zone 3, the current prescriptive path calls for U-factor ≤ 0.32 and SHGC ≤ 0.25 for most residential projects. If you're not calling out compliant product specs in your bid, the building department will flag it on permit submittal and the homeowner will blame you for the delay. **Historic districts add scope.** A large share of SF's housing stock — Victorians, Edwardians, and Craftsman flats — falls under DBI oversight or sits in potential historic districts where window profiles, divided-lite patterns, and exterior finishes need to match existing character. That means more line items: custom mull bars, interior wood stops, color-match cladding. A generic estimate template won't capture those adders. **Permit fees are real money.** San Francisco DBI charges plan-check and inspection fees based on construction valuation. Window replacements are not always straightforward over-the-counter pulls. Scoping the permit cost correctly protects your margin. **Labor rates are high.** Bay Area glazing and fenestration labor runs well above national averages. Getting your unit labor costs right — not just your material markup — is where estimates get won or lost. --- ### How Estimate.Pro Works for Window Contractors **AR-assisted measurement on site.** On supported devices, the app uses ONNX-assisted live AR measurement to capture rough opening dimensions in the field. Camera and photo measurements are marked as estimates in the output — you always know what was laser-verified versus approximated. That distinction matters when you're ordering custom IGUs. **Scope-of-work generation.** After your walkthrough, the AI drafts a line-item scope: demo and haul-off, rough opening prep, pan flashing, window unit, interior and exterior trim, caulk and insulation, Title 24 documentation note. You edit it — you don't rebuild it from scratch. **Saved material cost workspace.** Your San Francisco supplier pricing for Milgard, Andersen, or local glass shops lives in your cost workspace. Change a unit cost once, every active estimate that references it updates. No more calling the supplier, scribbling on a Post-it, and forgetting to update the bid you're about to send. **Flat pricing, no platform fee on Pro+.** Estimate.Pro runs $39/seat/month on Pro or $79/seat/month on Elite. The Crew plan is $399/month flat for the whole shop. There is no platform fee on Pro+ tiers for payments processed through Stripe Connect — the 3% fee only applies on the Free plan. There is a free-forever tier that requires no credit card. **Invoice exports on Elite.** Elite workflows include invoice exports and Stripe Connect so you can collect a deposit the same day the customer approves the bid. --- ### The Codes and Standards You're Working Against - **California Title 24, Part 6 (2022 edition):** prescriptive fenestration requirements for Climate Zone 3 (San Francisco) - **ANSI/AAMA/WDMA 101/I.S.2/A440:** performance classification standard most manufacturers reference for wind, water, and structural ratings - **San Francisco Green Building Code (Chapter 13C, SF Building Code):** may impose additional requirements on alterations above a certain valuation threshold - **SF DBI Bulletin:** over-the-counter permit eligibility for like-for-like window replacements depends on compliance documentation being pre-packaged with the application Estimate.Pro does not auto-fill permit applications — no software should claim that. What it does is give you a scope document detailed enough that your permit package comes together faster. --- ### Bottom Line You're not losing jobs because your prices are wrong. You're losing them because a competitor sent a professional, itemized bid two hours after the walkthrough and you sent yours two days later. Estimate.Pro closes that gap. Free to start, no credit card, 25 trades supported — including windows.