Opening first to a small group of painting contractors
Price every painting job to make money.
Whole houses, inside and out, and commercial jobs. Know what a job will really cost you, set a price you can stand behind, and see what you actually made. Simpler than big-company estimating software, and built for painting contractors, not accountants.
Free for invited contractors · No credit card · United States
Miller Residence — Exterior
Estimate #1042
- Crew time (86 hrs at $37/hr true cost)
- $3,182
- Paint (21 gallons)
- $1,190
- Supplies
- $179
- Pressure washing & lift (1 day)
- $350
- Job costs
- $4,901
Price to customer
$8,170
Margin 40% · target 40%
Healthy
You keep $3,269 after job costs. Lowest price before losing money: $6,535.
Sound familiar?
- “We were busy all season. So why isn't there more money in the bank?”
- “I lost that bid. Was I too high? And the one I won, did I even make money on it?”
- “I work up bids on a notepad, sometimes a spreadsheet, then add a markup. The bigger the job, the more nervous I get.”
- “I don't find out which jobs made money until tax time.”
Brushline gives you clear numbers on every job, so you can price with confidence and grow a business that makes money.
What Brushline does for you
Know what an hour of work really costs you
A painter you pay $25 an hour can cost you $38 or more. That's after payroll taxes, workers' comp, insurance, and drive time. Brushline does that math for every person on your crew.
Price every job to make the money you want
Tell Brushline how much you want to keep from each job. It sets the price for you. If you drop the price too far, it warns you before you lose money.
See which jobs actually made money
When a job is done, see what you planned next to what really happened. Your next estimate gets better because of it.
A 50% markup is only a 33% margin.
It's one of the most common pricing mistakes in the trade. It quietly turns good jobs into break-even jobs. Brushline prices from margin, so the number you aim for is the number you keep.
- Job costs
- $6,000
- With 50% markup
- $9,000
- You keep $3,000
- Priced for a 50% margin
- $12,000
- You keep $6,000
How it works
Set up in about 20 minutes
Answer simple questions about your crew and your costs. We fill in typical numbers to start. Change anything that's different for you. Use QuickBooks? It can fill most of this in for you.
Estimate from what you already know
A house's square footage and stories, or the areas off the plans for a commercial job. Brushline fills in the hours, paint, supplies, and equipment, and sets the price. Change anything. Send it, and your customer can say yes from their phone.
Track the job. See what you made.
Hours come in from the app your crew already clocks in on, or you enter them when the job's done. Costs come from QuickBooks. Then you'll see what you really made.
Smart where it counts. Simple everywhere else.
Does the math for you
True labor cost, gallons of paint, supplies, and a price that hits your margin, worked out as you build the estimate.
Gets smarter with every job
Brushline compares each estimate with what really happened and suggests better numbers for next time.
Works with QuickBooks Online
Customers, job costs, and hours come in on their own. No typing things twice.
Whole houses and commercial jobs
From one room to a two-story exterior or a commercial building. Lifts, scaffolding, and pressure washing are part of the price, so big jobs don't sneak up on you.
Works with your crew's time app
Coming soon: hours from QuickBooks Workforce or Workforce.com come in on their own, matched to the right job.
Phone, tablet, or computer
Start an estimate at the customer's house and finish it at the office. Everything stays in sync.
Answers on every screen
A built-in assistant explains any number in plain English, right where you're looking at it.
Your numbers stay yours
Private and secure. Export your data anytime. Your painters never need a login.
Simple pricing
One plan with everything. No setup fees. No contracts.
One plan. Everything included.
$99 / month
Covers 3 people in your office. Each extra person is $10 a month.
Owners, managers, estimators, and office staff. Painters don't need a login.
Your price: $99 a month
- Estimates priced to make the money you want
- What an hour of work really costs, for every worker
- Estimates your customers can say yes to from their phone
- Track hours and costs on every job
- See which jobs made money
- Works with QuickBooks Online (optional)
- A built-in assistant that explains any number
Free for invited contractors while we get started. When we open to everyone: 5-day free trial, no credit card, cancel anytime.
Prices in US dollars. Pay by credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Taxes may apply.
Questions
- How long does it take to get started?
- About 20 minutes. Brushline starts you off with typical numbers for a painting business, so you're mostly confirming, not typing. If you use QuickBooks Online, it fills in most of it for you.
- Does it work for exteriors and commercial jobs?
- Yes. Brushline is built for contractors who paint whole houses, inside and out, and commercial jobs. Start a house from its square footage and stories, or a commercial job from the areas on the plans. Brushline fills in the rest, and you can change anything.
- I price by the square foot. Can I keep doing that?
- Yes. Use your own prices per square foot, per foot of trim, and per door. Brushline still works out your real costs underneath and shows the margin each job leaves, so you'll know when your usual price isn't enough.
- Is it free right now?
- Yes, for invited contractors. We're opening Brushline to a small group of painting contractors first. If you're invited, you use it free. When we open to everyone, new customers get a 5-day free trial with no credit card.
- Do my painters need to log in?
- No. Brushline is for you and your office. Your painters are listed by name and pay rate. Their hours come in from the time app they already use, or you enter them when a job is done.
- Do I need QuickBooks?
- No. Everything works without it. If you use QuickBooks Online, connecting it takes about a minute and saves you typing.
- What's the difference between margin and markup?
- Markup is what you add on top of your cost. Margin is the part of the price you keep. A 50% markup is only a 33% margin. Mixing them up is one of the most common reasons painting contractors price too low. Brushline always shows margin, so there's no guessing.
- Can I cancel anytime?
- Yes. No contracts. Cancel in a couple of clicks, and you keep using it until the end of the month you paid for.
- Where is Brushline available?
- The United States, for now. Outside the US? Request an invite anyway, and we'll let you know if Brushline comes to your area.
Want to try it first?
We're inviting a small group of painting contractors to use Brushline free and tell us what works. Request an invite and we'll be in touch.
Request an invite