How to write the warranty line on an estimate
One or two sentences. Labor from you, parts from the manufacturer, and the two things it does not cover.
A warranty line does more to close a bid than most contractors think. It says you expect the work to hold up. A missing one makes the customer wonder what happens if it does not. It does not need to be long. It needs to be clear.
The shape of a good one
"One year on labor. Parts carry the manufacturer's warranty. Does not cover damage from freezing or from work by others." That is three sentences and it answers the three questions: how long, who covers what, and what is out.
How long is normal
- Plumbing, electrical, HVAC repairs: one year on labor is standard. Some offer two to stand out.
- Roofing: workmanship warranties run 2 to 10 years. The shingle maker covers the materials separately, often for decades, and only if installed to their spec.
- Painting: one to three years on peeling and blistering from workmanship, not on fading or damage.
- Flooring, tile, concrete: one year on workmanship is typical. Cracking in concrete is usually excluded with a note that hairline cracks are normal.
- Remodels and carpentry: one year on labor is the common floor.
Separate labor from parts
You can stand behind your work. You cannot stand behind the factory. Say that the parts carry the manufacturer's warranty, and if a registration is needed to get it, say who does that. Customers understand the split as long as it is written down.
What to exclude, in one line
Pick the two or three things that cause callbacks you should not pay for, and name them: freezing, misuse, work by others, pre-existing conditions you pointed out, materials the customer supplied. A long list of exclusions reads as a contractor planning to say no. A short list reads as honest.
Do not promise what you will not do
A "lifetime warranty" from a one-person company is a promise about your retirement. Write the number of years you would be glad to honor. The customer is not comparing warranties across bids as much as checking that you have one.
Write the line once as a default so it goes on every bid, and change it per job when the job calls for it. In BidWriter Pro that is a Profile field. The rest of the checklist.
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