Exact words for the email that goes with a remodel proposal
Most remodel proposals arrive as a bare PDF attachment. Here is a word-for-word email to send with yours, and how to adjust it for kitchens, baths and more.
You spent two hours on the site visit and another evening pricing the job. Then the proposal goes out as a PDF attached to an email that says "Please see attached. Let me know if you have any questions."
That email is the first thing the homeowner reads, and it does almost nothing. It does not remind them why they liked you. It does not tell them what to look at first. It does not tell them what happens next. Here is a version that does all three.
The email, word for word
Replace the bracketed parts. Keep the rest close to this.
Subject: Your [kitchen] proposal, [street name]
Hi [first name],
Thanks again for walking me through the [kitchen] on [day]. Your proposal is attached.
Here is the short version:
- What is included: [new cabinets and quartz counters, relocating the sink to the island, new lighting, LVP flooring through the kitchen and dining room].
- Investment: [$58,400], with a [10%] deposit to get on the schedule.
- Timeline: about [7 weeks] of work, with a start date in [late January] if we sign by [date].
Two things I want to point out:
- You mentioned [the pantry door that never closes right]. That is covered on page 3. [We are reframing the opening and hanging a new pocket door.]
- The [electrical allowance] is an estimate. If [the panel needs an upgrade], I will tell you before any work starts, with a price, and nothing changes without your sign-off.
The next step is a 20-minute call to go through it together. I have [Tuesday at 6] or [Thursday at 7:30 AM]. Does either work?
If something does not look right, tell me. I would rather adjust the scope than have you wonder.
[Your name] [Company] | [phone]
Why each part is there
The subject line names their house. Not "Proposal #2041." They will search their inbox for it later.
The first line reminds them of you. They may have had three contractors through that week. "Walking me through the kitchen on Thursday" brings back the visit.
The short version puts the price in the email. Owners worry this scares people off. It does the opposite. A homeowner who has to open a PDF and hunt for the number gets anxious. One who sees it up front, with a deposit and a timeline next to it, starts imagining the project.
The two callouts prove you listened. Pick something they said on the visit. It tells them you were paying attention, which is what they are really buying.
The allowance line heads off the worst fear. Every homeowner has heard a story about a remodel that doubled in cost. Naming the one place a price could move, and promising a sign-off, makes you the safe choice. The pricing and quoting guide goes deeper on allowances and change orders.
The call offer has two times. "Let me know" puts the next step on them. Two specific times put it on the calendar.
Adjusting it by project type
Bathrooms. Lead with the timeline. A family with one full bath cares more about how many days they will be without it than almost anything else. "Your shower will be out of service for about 12 working days" is worth its own bullet.
Additions and big projects. Add a line on permits and who handles them. "We pull and manage all permits. Plan review in [county] is running about [6 weeks], which is built into the start date."
Small jobs under about $15,000. Shorten it. Drop the callouts to one, and offer to answer by text instead of a call.
Send it the same day
The best email in the world loses to a decent one that arrived first. Aim to send the proposal within 48 hours of the visit, ideally the next day. If pricing will take longer, send a short text the evening of the visit: "Thanks for having me out. I will have your proposal by Friday."
Then, if it goes quiet, you already have a plan. The three follow-up texts pick up where this email leaves off.
What happens before the proposal matters too
Most homeowners look you up again before they sign. They check your Google reviews and your site, often while the proposal is sitting in their inbox. In our data on 116,602 contractor listings, the median has 9 reviews and the top tenth have 92 or more. If your profile is near the median, a few recent reviews from finished jobs make a real difference at this moment.
Your project pages matter here too. A homeowner who just read your kitchen proposal will click on your kitchen gallery. If it has two photos and no detail, that hurts. The website essentials guide lists what those pages need. And the benchmark report shows where your state sits.
Copy it into your template tonight
Open your email program, paste the version above into a saved template, and fill in your usual deposit, timeline language and sign-off. Next time you send a proposal, you only fill in the brackets.
If you want help setting up proposal follow-up or review requests, there is a free 14-day trial of any service, no card needed. Text or call (385) 899-2246.
Steven has spent the last several years running growth campaigns for local service businesses, general contractors and remodelers among them, and builds the benchmark datasets on this site from public Google listings. About the editor