GUIDES

Guides for Solo Tradesmen

What to charge, which app fits one person, and how to run the paperwork. Built from a real flat-rate price book and each competitor’s own pricing pages.

FREE TO READ · NEW GUIDES WEEKLY · GENERAL INFORMATION, NOT TAX OR LEGAL ADVICE

Build a free sample book Start free — 5 jobs a month
Plumber kneeling beside a newly installed 50-gallon tank water heater in a garage utility closet, with copper supply lines connected and tools on a canvas mat Featured · Cost guideHow to price a water heater replacementLabor hours, parts, markup and Good/Better/Best options for a tank swap, at three labor rates. Built from a real flat-rate price book, with a Florida sales-tax and permit note.October 6, 2026 · 6 min read · By QuoteIron Team

Latest

LATEST

Cost guideLawn care pricing chart for contractorsNovember 2, 2026ComparisonQuote maker app for contractors: 8 apps comparedNovember 2, 2026Cost guideFlat rate pricing for contractors: how it works and how to set itOctober 27, 2026Cost guideHandyman price list: a flat-rate list to printOctober 19, 2026Cost guidePressure washing pricing guide: how to chargeOctober 19, 2026Cost guideRoofing estimate template for contractorsOctober 19, 2026

Cost guides

What to charge for a job: labor hours, parts and markup from QuoteIron’s own flat-rate price book, at three labor rates.

Landscaper seen from behind spreading dark hardwood mulch with a rake around a shrub bed beside a suburban front lawn, with a wheelbarrow and a flat of annual flowers on the grassCost guideLawn care pricing chart for contractorsEvery lawn and landscaping line in the book, from mowing and cleanups to mulch, sod and sprinklers, at three labor rates.November 2, 2026 · 18 min readPlumber seen from behind kneeling under a kitchen sink, fitting a new garbage disposal, with a canvas tool bag, a pipe wrench and the old unit on the cabinet floorCost guideFlat rate pricing for contractors: how it works and how to set itFlat rate versus hourly versus time and materials, the formula behind a flat price, and seven repeat jobs priced at three labor rates.October 27, 2026 · 11 min readHandyman seen from behind kneeling in a bright living room, checking a wooden wall shelf with a level, with a cordless drill on the shelf, an open canvas tool bag, work gloves and a clipboard on the floorCost guideHandyman price list: a flat-rate list to printFifty-plus common handyman jobs priced at three labor rates, with minimums, bundles and what to leave off the list.October 19, 2026 · 11 min readPressure washing technician seen from behind using a flat surface cleaner on a concrete driveway, the cleaned half bright and the uncleaned half dark, with a suburban house in the backgroundCost guidePressure washing pricing guide: how to chargeSquare foot, hourly, flat or cost-plus: compare the methods, then price houses, driveways, decks and roofs at three labor rates.October 19, 2026 · 16 min readRoofer in a hard hat and safety harness seen from behind, standing on an asphalt shingle roof at sunset holding a clipboard, with a pipe vent in the foreground and neighboring rooftops beyondCost guideRoofing estimate template for contractorsA copy-and-paste roofing estimate, how to measure squares, and repair and re-roof lines priced at three labor rates.October 19, 2026 · 10 min readPlumber kneeling beside a newly installed 50-gallon tank water heater in a garage utility closet, with copper supply lines connected and tools on a canvas matCost guideHow to price a water heater replacementLabor hours, parts, markup and Good/Better/Best options for a tank swap, at three labor rates.October 6, 2026 · 6 min readElectrician in safety glasses working on a new 200-amp electrical service panel mounted on an exterior stucco wall with neat conduitCost guideHow to price an electrical panel upgradeSame-size panel swap versus a 100A to 200A service upgrade, with Good/Better/Best options and three labor rates.October 6, 2026 · 6 min read

Running your business

Pricing, change orders, payment terms and paperwork for a one-person trade shop.

Contractor and customer reviewing a plan on a tablet together in a half-finished kitchen remodel with exposed studsRunning your businessChange order template for contractorsA free change order template to copy, two priced examples, six steps to issue one and a pre-send checklist.September 11, 2026 · 11 min readContractor sitting on a pickup tailgate at a job site completing paperwork on a clipboard with a laptop and coffee beside himRunning your businessNet 30 vs due on receiptWhich payment term fits which customer, and what to print so nobody can argue about the date.September 11, 2026 · 6 min readA customer’s hand passing a paper receipt to a tradesman’s hand at a front door, with a toolbox on the porchRunning your businessReceipt vs invoiceWhat belongs on each document and what to send when a customer pays part of a job.September 11, 2026 · 5 min readYoung tradesman in a work cap sitting in the driver seat of a work van with a notebook and phone, tool belt on the passenger seatRunning your businessPricing jobs as a new solo tradesmanSet a labor rate, materials markup and service-call fee from scratch before you quote anyone.August 2, 2026 · 11 min readSolo tradesman standing at the open back doors of a work van reviewing a printed price list on a clipboard, with parts bins on shelves behind himRunning your businessHow to build a flat-rate price bookThree numbers, one book: price each job once from your labor rate, markup and rounding.July 23, 2026 · 13 min read

Comparisons

Which app fits one person, with each competitor’s own pricing page linked and dated. We make QuoteIron, so we show our work.

A tradesman’s hand holding a smartphone with a dark blank screen beside an open van door in a driveway, tools visible in the van behindComparisonQuote maker app for contractors: 8 apps comparedEight quote maker apps read from their own pages: free plans, paid prices, quote-to-invoice, price books and card payments, with QuoteIron as the solo-trade option.November 2, 2026 · 14 min readTwo plain work vans parked side by side on a suburban street at golden hour, no logos or letteringComparisonJobber vs Housecall Pro for a one-person shopOne-user plan prices, reminders, price book and card fees, with QuoteIron as a full option.October 6, 2026 · 6 min readThree smartphones with dark screens lying side by side on a worn wooden workbench next to a tape measure and work glovesComparisonHousecall Pro vs Joist vs QuoteIronWhich of the three fits a one-person trade shop, with plan prices and features side by side.October 5, 2026 · 17 min readHandyman standing by a pickup truck in a driveway holding a phone and a coffee, tools in the truck bedComparisonJobber vs Joist vs QuoteIronWhich of the three fits a one-person trade shop, with plan prices and features side by side.October 3, 2026 · 15 min readContractor holding a smartphone out so a customer can tap a card on it at a front doorComparisonContractor card processing fees comparedWhat a $1,000 invoice really costs to collect by card, app by app.September 26, 2026 · 5 min readElectrician in a hard hat working at an open electrical panel while holding a phone in his other handComparisonQuoteIron vs Joist: what each one charges forSourced from Joist’s public pricing page: which features sit behind which tier.September 11, 2026 · 5 min readTradesman sitting on a truck tailgate scrolling a phone beside a lawn mower, face partly hidden by a capSwitch guideHow to cancel Jobber and keep your moneySeven steps: export first, mind the 30-day window and the no-refund policy.July 26, 2026 · 10 min readPlumber lying partly under a kitchen sink with a flashlight and a phone propped on the cabinet floor beside himComparisonHousecall Pro alternative for a one-person shopPlan prices, billing and cancellation, with QuoteIron as the one-person alternative.July 19, 2026 · 9 min readTradesman in a work van looking down at his phone with a tired expression, face turned mostly awaySwitch guideHow to cancel Housecall ProSeven steps: export first, put it in writing, and expect the phone call.July 19, 2026 · 9 min readHVAC technician crouched at an outdoor air-conditioning condenser unit with gauges attached, seen from behind in bright sunlightComparisonJobber alternative for a one-person shopEight options priced from their own pages, a year-one cost table and what sits on each Jobber tier, with QuoteIron as the solo alternative.July 19, 2026 · 18 min readPlumber holding a smartphone beside an open toolbox on a kitchen floor with pipes and fittings laid outComparisonThe $15.99 flat-rate price book you actually ownFlat-rate price book software priced for fleets, versus a book one person builds and owns.July 19, 2026 · 7 min read

General information for tradesmen, not tax or legal advice. New guides are added weekly. See also: plumbing price book · electrician price book · help · free book builder.

QUOTE FASTER

Price it once.
Quote it in a tap.

QuoteIron ships a 1100+ job flat-rate price book that prices itself from your rate and markup. Free for 5 jobs a month, no card. Pro is $15.99/mo flat.

Build a free sample book Start free — 5 jobs a month

Brand new to pricing? Start with how to price jobs as a new solo tradesman.

$15.99/MO FLAT · MONTH-TO-MONTH · CANCEL IN THE APP STORE OR GOOGLE PLAY, NO PHONE CALL · EXPORT YOUR DATA ANYTIME

PricingGET THE APPFAQ