MODULE 2: XACTIMATE MASTERY
Line Item Mastery
Lesson 2.2 - The Billing Blueprint
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The Billing Blueprint
The Problem
Most contractors use the same
10-15 line items
on every job.
Meanwhile, they're missing
dozens of legitimate line items
that would increase their billing.
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The Billing Blueprint
The Key Principle
Every line item represents a
real task
or
real material
.
If you performed the work or used the material,
there's a line item for it
.
Your job is to find it and include it.
This isn't about inflating estimates. It's about
accurately capturing everything you did
.
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The Billing Blueprint
Extraction & Water Removal
Standard extraction vs.
standing water over 4"
(higher rate)
Extraction from
crawl spaces
(different rate)
Contaminated water
(Cat 2/3) bills higher than clean
Are you using the right extraction code?
Or defaulting to the basic code every time?
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The Billing Blueprint
Demolition Line Items
Simple open wall vs.
corner where walls meet
Drywall around
obstacles
(pipes, wiring) = high difficulty
Separate items: baseboards, base shoe, door casing, window casing
If your tech spent extra time cutting around plumbing, bill for the
complexity
.
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The Billing Blueprint
Flooring Removal
Carpet Has Multiple Line Items:
Remove carpet only
Remove carpet AND pad
Remove carpet, pad, AND tackless strip
If you removed all three,
bill for all three
.
Same applies to vinyl, tile, hardwood - each has variations.
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The Billing Blueprint
Cleaning & Antimicrobial
Cleaning of framing after demolition
Antimicrobial application to
wood framing
Antimicrobial application to
concrete
Cat 2/3 requires more aggressive treatment =
higher rates
Many contractors perform antimicrobial treatment but
forget to bill for it
.
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The Billing Blueprint
Contents Manipulation
Moving furniture to access affected areas =
Billable
"Move and reset contents" covers labor to move items and put them back
Off-site moves: pack-out services, contents cleaning, storage charges
Hours moving furniture but no contents manipulation charge?
That's labor you're not getting paid for.
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The Billing Blueprint
Containment & Protection
Poly sheeting installation for containment
Temporary floor protection
Temporary wall protection
Containment setup + poly material + tape
If you set up negative air with containment barrier,
bill for the setup and materials
.
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The Billing Blueprint
Monitoring & Inspection
Every site visit to check equipment and take readings =
Billable
Line items exist for
"water damage monitoring per trip"
.
Insurance companies expect to see this and will pay for it.
Many contractors include this in overhead. Don't - bill it separately.
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The Billing Blueprint
Your Challenge
For your next estimate, go through
every single task
:
Every piece of material removed
Every surface cleaned
Every trip to the site
Every piece of equipment moved
Search Xactimate for each task.
I guarantee you'll find items you've been missing.
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The Billing Blueprint
Create a Checklist
List commonly missed items and review it
before every submission
.
This simple habit can add
thousands of dollars
to your annual revenue
without doing any additional work
.
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The Billing Blueprint
Coming Up Next
Lesson 2.3: Equipment Billing
One of the highest-value categories
Frequently underbilled by contractors
Daily rates, equipment types, documentation
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The Billing Blueprint
MODULE 2: XACTIMATE MASTERY
End of Lesson 2.2
Line Item Mastery
See you in the next lesson!
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The Billing Blueprint