Skip to main content

​
From a description to a published proposal

Describe a job in plain language in the project’s chat — your site photos are the context — and XBuild builds a line-itemed estimate, then a proposal you can publish before you leave the driveway. The first draft is a starting point you refine.

​
1. Open the project’s chat

You’ll need to be signed in, under the right company in the drawer, and holding tokens — estimating and scanning consume them (How tokens work). Open the project from Home or Projects and tap AI Estimator in the pill row (the row beneath offers Create an estimate, or Pick up where you left off once you’ve chatted). For a brand-new job, Create an estimate on Home opens the New project sheet from Getting started, then the chat (project page underneath for Back). Creating a project and opening its chat for the first time need a connection. The chat header shows the project name — tap it to rename or delete the project — with buttons for the team activity thread, Project Files (the folder), and the proposal Preview.

​
2. What the estimator can see

Pinned at the top of the chat, the What the estimator can see card lists the project’s photos, documents, checklists, and linked connectors under one line: Everything on this project is used automatically — you don’t need to re-attach it in the chat. Tap a photo tile to open it (+N for the album), a document to read it, or a checklist for its status; the welcome message repeats it with live counts. See How the AI works.

​
3. Describe the job

The more specific the description, the better the first draft. Use the microphone to record a voice message instead. The Add button (paperclip) attaches photos, videos, and documents from your phone; Connect pulls from a connector like CompanyCam or EagleView; a camera button shoots a fresh photo.

​
4. Watch it work

The AI shows its progress in the conversation — a thinking indicator, then steps like Scanning images and Building estimate, checked off as they finish. A proposal card appears when it’s done, and every saved version gets its own card. Timing depends on how much you attached — see Processing times.

​
5. Review and edit

Tap a proposal card — or swipe left — to open the Preview, exactly as the homeowner sees it. Swipe back for the chat.
  • Ask in chat. “Add gutter guards to the whole house.” XBuild makes the change and saves a new version.
  • Edit directly. In the Preview, enter edit mode to change sections, line items, and pricing. The chat composer locks while editing — “Exit edit mode to continue chatting” — and saving creates a new version. See Editing estimates and proposals.

​
6. Project Files

The folder button in the chat header opens Project Files:
  • Versions — the proposal’s version history; tap one to view in the Preview or edit it.
  • Photos — the project’s album.
  • Documents — uploads plus everything publishing generates, including insurance deliverables.
  • Claim activity and invoices — on submitted insurance jobs: claim correspondence and supplementing invoices (Insurance supplement flow).
A version tapped on the project page opens in the chat’s Preview.

​
7. Publish

Publishing produces a shareable link the homeowner can view and sign and a PDF — plus the Xactimate files on insurance jobs. Tap Publish: Afterward the proposal’s actions stay on the project: Download, Print, Send email, Share, View proposal. Publishing again after edits creates a new version — see Publishing your proposal. The published screen and the proposal’s actions share one set of controls:
  • Link row and Share hand out the customer’s own signable link (tap the row to copy). It reads Loading link… until XBuild has confirmed who signs; on Couldn’t load the link, tap to retry.
  • View / View proposal is your own look — it doesn’t count as the homeowner viewing and never opens deposit checkout on your device.
  • Sign in person — retail only, while a homeowner signature is outstanding — opens the proposal in your phone’s browser at the signature; the signer list refreshes when the phone comes back, and the button disappears after the last signature. Manage signers (retail) adds or edits who signs and shows each one’s status — add a signer there if Sign in person isn’t offered.
Insurance proposals have no signature step — neither control appears, and View claim replaces View proposal. Signer rules: E-signatures and authorization. Deposit checkout never runs on your device — the customer is emailed their own payment link, so their email must be on the signer list (Deposits and getting paid).

​
9. QuickBooks invoicing status

With the QuickBooks connector, the chat shows a read-only QuickBooks Estimate or QuickBooks Invoice card per sync — Queued, Review, Needs attention, or Created, with the reason for any hold; matching items, resolving holds, and generating or sending the invoice happen on the web.

​
10. Submit to insurance

On a published insurance job, the wizard offers Submit to insurance — the scope and report go to the carrier and XBuild’s supplementing starts, ending on “Sent to insurance!”. See Publishing to Xactimate, Publishing to Symbility, and Insurance supplement flow.

​
11. Troubleshooting common issues

  • “You’re offline” or “Connect to the internet to start this project’s chat.” Creating a project, opening its chat for the first time, and publishing need a connection. See Offline and syncing.
  • “No contractor selected.” Open the drawer and pick your company or Location.
  • Insufficient tokens at checkout. Checkout shows how many more you need; top up and continue — see Manual top-ups.
  • A QuickBooks card says “Needs attention.” On hold for the reason shown; resolve it on the web, where the retry lives — see QuickBooks.
  • “Failed to build estimate.” Send again; the retry is safe. If it keeps failing, contact support@x.build.
For further assistance, contact XBuild Support at support@x.build.