Guides
Contractor Guides
Clear explanations to help you understand pricing, costs, and running a stronger business.
Most problems in contracting aren't obvious until they show up in your numbers. These guides break down the concepts behind pricing, job costs, and margins.
Some guides include state-specific variations (Texas, Florida).
Core Guides
Understand how contractor businesses actually work before applying the details.
Start here before diving into specific topics.
Contractor Pricing
Build every quote from labor, materials, overhead, profit, and contingency instead of guesswork.
Read guideContractor Job Costing
Track estimated versus actual cost during the job so overruns and profit fade show up early.
Read guideContractor Change Orders
Use a disciplined change-order process so added scope stays approved, priced, and billable.
Read guideGetting Paid, Notices, and Lien Rights
Use documentation, notices, and lien timing in the right order before leverage disappears.
Includes Texas and Florida-specific rules
Read guideContractor Cost Structure
Understand direct cost, overhead, and break-even so every price reflects what the business must recover.
Read guideWhat are you trying to understand?
Jump to the section that matches the problem you are working through.
New here? Start with How to Price a Job, Job Costing, or What to Do If You're Not Getting Paid.
Pricing
Cover labor, margin, and common pricing mistakes before the quote goes out.
4 guides
How to Price a Job
Use a clear pricing sequence so labor, overhead, and profit are all covered before the quote goes out.
Read guideMarkup vs Margin Explained
Learn why those two percentages are different and how they change profit.
Read guideWhat Profit Margin Should Contractors Target?
See how gross and net margin targets change with service work, project work, and hard-bid jobs.
Read guideWhy Contractors Underprice
See the common pricing mistakes that quietly erode profit on every job.
Read guideJob Costing & Tracking
Use job cost records to see where profit is holding and where it is slipping.
3 guides
Job Costing
Learn how labor, materials, overhead, and approvals shape the real cost of work.
Read guideHow to Track Profit on a Job
Track job value, actual cost, and percent complete so profit problems appear before the closeout.
Read guideHow Contractors Track Expenses
Use a simple expense system, avoid common tracking errors, and keep job cost records usable.
Read guideGetting Paid & Legal Topics
Review notice, lien, and escalation steps before payment problems harden.
3 guides
Mechanics Lien Guide
Understand when lien rights matter and why documentation needs to stay clean.
Read guidePreliminary Notice
Learn why early notice requirements matter before a payment issue turns serious.
Read guideWhat to Do If You're Not Getting Paid
Follow a practical escalation path for unpaid invoices, formal notice, lien review, and court review.
Read guideChange Orders
Keep added scope priced, documented, and approved before it turns into a dispute.
4 guides
Change Orders Guide
Learn how scope changes affect price, approvals, and job performance.
Read guideChange Order Example
See a practical example of how change work should be documented and priced.
Read guideWhat Happens Without a Signed Change Order
See the financial and legal risk that follows when extra work proceeds without signed approval.
Read guideScope Creep
Understand how small informal changes create cost, delay, and documentation risk.
Read guideUnderstanding Costs
Understand labor, overhead, and break-even before you trust the numbers.
3 guides
True Labor Cost
Understand the real cost of labor once taxes, insurance, and benefits are included.
Read guideBreak-Even Guide
Understand how much work it takes before your business starts producing profit.
Read guideContractor Overhead
See how fixed business costs should be carried into every job you price.
Read guideUnderstanding the concepts is step one. The software preview shows how StackQuotes is planning to keep the record clean across every job.