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Working with Proposal Layouts

Proposal Layouts are the framework XBuild uses to generate beautiful, professional proposals that win business. A layout defines the structure of a proposal — the cover page, the introduction, the photos, the project options, the add-ons, and any other content blocks you want included — and the AI agent uses that framework when building proposals for your clients. Because XBuild is AI-native, you typically need fewer layouts than you would in other proposal systems. The AI personalizes content per project, so a single well-built layout often covers a wide range of jobs. Most companies operate well with one or two custom layouts plus the XBuild Standard. This article walks through the experience: browsing the layout library, duplicating the XBuild Standard, adding and reordering sections, configuring AI-generated content with the AI Writing Guide, and overriding a layout on a specific proposal.

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1. Open Proposal Layouts

1. Sign in to your XBuild account.
2. Open Settings.
3. In the Settings navigation on the left, click Proposal Layouts.
4. You’ll land on a page titled Proposal Layouts, with the subtitle “Layout library for editing and saving new layouts,” and your layout library laid out below.

When you’re done, use the Go back arrow at the top of the Settings navigation to return to the main app. Proposal Layouts is an admin-only area, like the rest of Settings.

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2. Browse the Layout Library

The library shows every layout your company has access to, including any custom layouts you’ve created and the locked XBuild Standard layouts that ship with the platform. Each layout card shows the layout name, a short description, and the last-updated date. Locked XBuild Standard layouts are marked with a 🔒 icon and a Standard badge — you can use them as-is or duplicate them, but you can’t edit the original. To find a layout:

1. Use the Search layouts… bar at the top of the library to filter by name.
2. Click any layout card to open it.

Tip: Because the AI personalizes proposals per project, you don’t need a separate layout for every job type. Start with one or two layouts that cover your main service lines, then refine as you go.

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3. Create or Duplicate a Layout

You have two ways to get to a custom layout: build one from scratch, or duplicate an existing layout (including the XBuild Standard) and edit it. To duplicate an existing layout:

1. Open the layout you want to start from.
2. Use the overflow menu (•••) on the layout card, or the duplicate action inside the layout editor, to create a copy.
3. The copy lands in your library as a regular, fully editable layout. Rename it and start editing.

To create a layout from scratch:

1. Click + Create Layout in the top right of the library.
2. Give the layout a name and a short description.
3. Start adding sections (see below).

XBuild Standard layouts are locked — to customize one, duplicate it first. Your duplicated copy is independent of the original and won’t pick up future updates XBuild makes to the Standard.

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4. Edit a Layout

Open any layout in your library (not a locked Standard) to enter the editor. The layout is built as a stack of sections. Each section has:

• A type badge at the top (Cover Page, Intro Letter, Site Photos, Estimates, Add-ons, Text, Image, File, or Video).
• A section title (the heading customers see — for example, “Introduction” or “Project Options”).
• A Label field — a short internal label used in navigation and shortcuts.
• A collapse/expand chevron on the right.
• Reorder controls on the left (up arrow, drag handle, down arrow).
• A trash icon to remove the section (visible only on removable sections).

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Add a Section

Between any two sections — and at the top and bottom of the layout — XBuild shows a dashed + Add section here divider. Click it to open the section type picker:

• Intro Letter — AI-generated introduction letter, shaped by an AI Writing Guide you provide.
• Site Photos — site photography section for assessment images.
• Add-ons — optional upsell items the homeowner can toggle on.
• Text — a rich text editor for formatted copy (headings, lists, bold, links, and so on).
• Image — a static image block.
• File — an attached document (PDF, etc.).
• Video — an embedded video.

Click a section type to insert it at that position.

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Reorder a Section

Each section has up and down arrows on the left, and a drag handle in between. Use the arrows to nudge a section one position at a time, or drag the handle to move it freely.

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Remove a Section

Click the red trash icon at the top right of any removable section. The Cover Page on Standard layouts is typically locked in place — your custom layouts can be structured however you want.

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Rename a Section

Click into the Label field on the section to set a short internal label. Some sections (like Cover Page) also let you edit the customer-facing heading directly — for example, changing “Roof Replacement Proposal” to “Siding Replacement Proposal” on the cover.

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5. The Cover Page

The Cover Page is the first thing your customer sees when they open a proposal. It displays the proposal number, project title, property address, and key details like who prepared the proposal and when (PREPARED FOR, PROPERTY, PREPARED BY, DATE). You can edit the customer-facing title (for example, “Roof Replacement Proposal”) directly on the cover. The proposal number, prepared-for, prepared-by, and date fields are populated automatically per project.

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6. Configure the Intro Letter with the AI Writing Guide

The Intro Letter section is an AI-generated introduction letter that XBuild personalizes for every proposal. Instead of writing the letter yourself, you write instructions for the AI — the AI Writing Guide — and the AI produces the actual letter using project-specific details. Inside the Intro Letter section, you’ll find:

• A header badge that reads Intro Letter.
• A tip: “AI-assisted introduction letter. Provide instructions for AI to generate a personalized introduction for your proposal.”
• An AI Writing Guide text area where you put your instructions.

Good AI Writing Guides describe the tone, the structure, the length, and the specific points to cover. The default guide is a strong starting point:

Write a professional, warm introduction for the proposal. Address the homeowner by name if available. Briefly summarize what was observed during the site assessment and what work is being proposed. Keep it concise (2-3 paragraphs) and focus on building trust and setting expectations.

Customize the AI Writing Guide to shape voice and style. For example:

• Specify tone — “warm and conversational,” “direct and confident,” “formal.”
• Specify length — “two short paragraphs,” “no more than 150 words.”
• Anchor on values — “emphasize craftsmanship and our 25-year warranty.”
• Anchor on positioning — “frame us as the local family business homeowners can trust.”
• Specify what to mention — “always reference our same-day cleanup commitment.”

The AI fills in homeowner names, addresses, observed conditions, and proposed work from the actual project context — your guide steers how it says it.

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7. Other Section Types

Site Photos. Holds the site photography from the assessment. The label (often “Assessment”) and ordering are configurable. Project Options (Estimates). Where the AI surfaces estimate tiers — typically Good / Better / Best — using your component packages, pricing profile, and the project’s specifics. This section has a settings gear icon that opens Display Settings for controlling what the customer sees on the proposal. See the next section for details. Add-ons. Optional upsell items the homeowner can toggle on at signing — for example, gutter replacement when the main proposal is for roofing. Text. A rich text editor for formatted copy — headings, lists, bold, italics, and links. Use it for warranty terms, payment language, FAQs, or any prose you want to ship with every proposal. Image, File, Video. Static content blocks for company differentiators, financing brochures, embedded testimonial videos, or any other media you want every proposal generated from this layout to include.

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Project Options Display Settings

The Project Options section has a gear icon (⚙) in its header that opens Display Settings → Customer View Settings. These toggles control what the homeowner sees in the estimate tiers on the proposal — they’re defaults applied to every proposal generated from this layout.

• Show Quantity — when on, the proposal displays the quantity and unit columns for every line item. Turn off to hide the math from the customer and present a cleaner, simpler view.
• Show Unit Price — when on, the proposal displays the unit price column. Turn off to hide per-unit pricing — useful when you want the customer focused on the total, not the breakdown.
• Show Line Totals — when on, each line item shows its subtotal. Turn off to roll everything up to a single project total per tier.
• Single Selection — when on, the customer can only choose one of the estimate tiers (typical Good / Better / Best flow). When off, the customer can select multiple options at signing.

Example: a contractor who doesn’t want a customer line-shopping the proposal might toggle Show Quantity and Show Unit Price off, leave Show Line Totals on, and keep Single Selection on. The result is a clean proposal where the customer compares three project totals and picks one. These settings live on the layout, so they apply to every new proposal generated from it. You can still override them on an individual proposal if a specific customer wants to see the unit-level breakdown.

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8. Save and Use a Layout

Save your changes when you’re done editing. The layout is now available to the AI agent when generating new proposals. A few things to know about how the AI uses your layouts:

• Use the layout’s name and description to help the AI choose the right one — be specific (for example, “Roofing — Residential Reroof” or “Siding — Hardie Statement Collection”).
• The AI selects the layout that best fits the project type at the start of proposal generation.
• Layouts are the framework, not the final word — see the next section.

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9. Override a Layout on a Specific Proposal

Layouts define the framework, but you can adjust them at the individual project level. When you open a proposal, you can add, remove, or reorder sections for just that proposal — the change applies only to that project and does not affect the underlying layout in your library. This is useful when:

• A particular customer asked for a video walkthrough, but you don’t usually include one.
• A specific job needs an extra File attachment (a permit, an HOA letter) that isn’t part of your standard flow.
• You want to drop a section that doesn’t apply to this project.

Project-level changes don’t propagate back to the layout. To make a change permanent for future proposals, open the layout in Settings → Proposal Layouts and edit it there.

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Troubleshooting Common Issues

I can’t edit the XBuild Standard layout. XBuild Standard layouts are locked (marked with a 🔒). Duplicate the Standard to create your own editable copy. I made changes to a layout but old proposals don’t show them. Proposals are generated against the layout at the time they’re created. Existing proposals don’t retroactively update when the layout changes — only new proposals will reflect the edits. The AI is picking the wrong layout for a project. Make the layout name and description more specific so the AI can match it to the project type. For example, “Roofing — Standard Reroof” reads more clearly than “My Roofing Layout.” My intro letters all sound the same. The AI Writing Guide controls tone and style. If the output is generic, sharpen the guide — specify voice, length, what to emphasize, and what to leave out. The more concrete the guide, the more on-brand the output. I changed the layout but the cover page title is still wrong on a specific proposal. The cover page title can be overridden on an individual proposal. Open the proposal and edit the title directly — the layout-level title only sets the default. A section I deleted in the library is still showing up on an existing proposal. Existing proposals retain the layout they were generated against. Edit the proposal directly to remove the section, or regenerate it. My proposals show quantities, unit prices, or line totals that I don’t want the customer to see. Open the layout, click the gear icon on the Project Options section, and toggle off the columns you want hidden under Customer View Settings. Re-save the layout — new proposals will respect the new defaults. The customer can pick multiple estimate options when I want them to pick only one. Open the layout, click the gear icon on the Project Options section, and turn on Single Selection under Customer View Settings. I duplicated a layout but it lost the XBuild Standard’s recent improvements. Copies are independent of their source. If XBuild updates the Standard with new defaults, your duplicate doesn’t pick those up. To get the latest, duplicate the Standard again and bring your customizations over. For further assistance, contact XBuild Support at support@x.build.