Short answer: Ask only for things that change the price and that a homeowner can answer without you on site: size, the condition of what is being worked on, the finish chosen, and any known repairs or extras. Five or six is a sensible ceiling. Anything you would need to see in person belongs in the follow-up, not the form.
Which inputs move the price of an epoxy floor?
Six things move the price of a residential epoxy floor: floor area, the type of space, the coating system, the current condition of the concrete, existing cracks, and optional extras such as an anti-slip additive. The demo estimator asks exactly these, with invented prices, so you can see how each one changes the number.
| Input | Why it changes the price | How the homeowner answers | How the demo treats it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floor area | Material and labour scale with the size of the floor | A number in square feet, with a length-times-width helper | Priced per square foot, within stated minimum and maximum areas |
| Type of space | A basement and a garage differ in access and moisture risk | Pick one of three | A percentage adjustment on coating and preparation |
| Coating system | Different products and numbers of coats cost differently | Pick from three, each with a one-line description | A rate per square foot |
| Current surface | Preparation is often the biggest unknown: bare concrete, old paint or sealer, or stains and past moisture | Pick the description that matches what they see | A rate per square foot; the worst case adds a "look at it first" note |
| Cracks and chips | Repair effort does not scale with area | Pick a description, from none to wide cracks | A flat allowance; the worst case also adds the note |
| Optional add-on | Extras are priced per square foot or as a flat amount, and some only suit certain systems | Choose one or none | Added to the base; impossible combinations are blocked |
How do you decide which inputs to leave out?
Leave out any question whose answer would not change your price by more than your rounding step, and any question a homeowner cannot answer without a tool or an expert eye. Keep those for the site visit. Every extra field costs you some visitors and adds a rule you have to maintain.
- Moisture readings and slab condition below the surface. A homeowner cannot measure these. Ask what they have seen, such as past damp, and flag the job.
- Colour and finish details that do not change your cost. They matter for the job, not for the estimate.
- Anything you would ask in a second call anyway. If the answer never moves the number, it does not belong in a price tool.
How should each question be worded?
Use choices, not free text, wherever the answer is one of a few known options, and describe each choice the way a homeowner would see it, not in trade terms. Give numbers a unit, a sensible minimum and maximum, and a helper for people who do not know the figure.
- Describe condition by what the person can see: "old paint or sealer on the floor" rather than "previously coated substrate".
- Decide deliberately what each default means. A pre-selected option is read as the normal case.
- Block impossible combinations instead of pricing them. If an extra topcoat does not suit a flake system, do not offer it there.
- State the limits and what happens beyond them: "this estimator covers up to a stated area; larger jobs need a site visit".
- Reject letters, negative numbers and absurd sizes with a message that says how to fix the entry.
How do inputs turn into a price range?
Multiply the area by the rates for the coating and the surface preparation, adjust for the type of space, add flat amounts for repairs and extras, then widen the total into a low and a high figure and round outward. A minimum job fee sets the floor.
base = area x (coating rate + preparation rate)
+ space adjustment (a percentage of coating + preparation)
+ crack allowance (flat amount)
+ add-on (per square foot, or flat)
low = base x low factor, rounded down to the step
high = base x high factor, rounded up to the step
range = low to high, never below the minimum job feeKeeping money in whole cents inside the calculation stops rounding errors from creeping into the total. Each set of rules carries a version identifier, so you can tell which approved rules produced a number a homeowner quotes back to you.
When should the calculator send people to you instead of giving a number?
When the answers describe a job the rules cannot price well: heavy staining, a history of moisture, wide or crumbling cracks, or an area outside the supported limits. Show the range as a starting point only, say plainly that you want to look first, and make contacting you the obvious next step.
What should you check before a calculator goes live?
- Run several jobs you have already priced through it: small, typical and awkward. Compare the range with what you actually charged.
- Try the smallest job and confirm your minimum job fee behaves as you expect.
- Try every combination your rules say is impossible and confirm each is blocked.
- Type nonsense into every field: letters, negative numbers, very large numbers, empty entries.
- Read the result as a homeowner would. Are the assumptions and exclusions understandable without trade knowledge?
- Open it on a phone at narrow width and with the keyboard only.
- Decide who updates the rules, how often, and how the new version is recorded.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions should a quote calculator ask?
Five or six is a sensible ceiling for a residential job. Each question should change the price or decide whether you need a site visit. If you cannot say which, remove it.
Should the calculator ask for contact details before showing the price?
Not as a condition of seeing the range. Showing the estimate first keeps the tool useful, and you ask for details only if the visitor wants a confirmed quote. Gating the number may collect more addresses, but it also turns away people who only wanted a ballpark.
Can one calculator cover several trades?
The structure can carry over, but the rules cannot. Each service needs its own inputs, rates and exclusions, tested against jobs you know.
Does a quote calculator replace a site visit?
No. It gives a ballpark and helps you spot jobs that do not fit. The quote still comes from you, after you have seen the work.