MowProHQ Blog/Quotes
Quoting Pest Work From the House, Not the Yard
When the work is the building, quote the structure. Keep turf lot size out of the pest estimate.
When the work is the building, quote the structure. Turf lot size will lie to you: a wide lawn can sit on a short foundation, and a tight lot can hide a crawl, a long dog-leg, and a garage you will treat. Keep lot size off the pest estimate.
This guide is the estimator habit: outline the House, write visit type and exclusions, price interiors as add-ons, and hand the accepted quote to a route the next tech can run. It sits next to how to price quarterly pest service for the numbers and how to run recurring pest treatments for the week.
Lot size is the wrong unit
County acres and mowable square footage answer a lawn question. Pest work answers a building question: how much envelope, how much access, and whether you enter the structure.
Lot size fails when:
- The house is small and the turf is huge (you will under-work and over-price if you copy a lawn band)
- The house is large on a compact lot (you will underprice the foundation)
- A detached garage, shed, or pool cage is the real time sink
- The sale is interior, crawl, or attic - none of which live in the lawn number
If you also mow the property, keep two measurements. Turf is for the mow line. House is for the pest line. Mixing them is how a “package” becomes an argument.
What to measure instead
| What you sell | Better unit | Map move |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly exterior | Building footprint + access | Outline House |
| Foundation-heavy accounts | Linear feet of treatable wall | House outline + a length note |
| Garage / outbuilding | Extra structure | Second House or named area |
| Interior | Rooms or named zones | Do not draw turf; write rooms |
| Crawl / attic | Access + square or “job” | Photo + yes/no, then time |
Satellite is a first pass. Walk it when the crawl, the addition, or the fence line does not match the photo.
Outline the House on the estimate map
In MowProHQ, the estimate map is not only for turf. Choose House and outline the building. Price that named area so the pest quote is not secretly a lawn number.
Practical sequence:
- Confirm the service address
- Outline the House (and a second structure if you will treat it)
- Note stories, additions, and attached garage
- Photo the hatch, interior request, and pet setup if you are on site
- Pick visit type: initial, quarterly, monthly, or one-off
- Add interiors, crawl, attic, nests, and trip as their own lines
- Show Regular vs Cash if you take cards
- Write exclusions in one short paragraph
Quotes should become a job without retyping those lines. If your only map tool is mowable turf, you will keep quoting pest like grass. Stop.
Linear vs area: pick one story
Some shops price exterior from linear feet of foundation. Some from a house-size band. Either works if two estimators can repeat it.
- House outline (area): good default for suburban rectangles; calibrate with a few timed stops
- Linear foundation: better when the footprint is a long ranch or a lot of jogs
- Story multiplier: two-story eaves and entry points are not a one-story job if you treat them
Write the source on the quote: “House map ~2,400 sq ft footprint” or “Wheel ~180 lf foundation.” Next year you will thank yourself when they add a sunroom.
Initial, quarterly, and one-off are different quotes
Do not send one number labeled “pest control.”
| Product | What the quote must say | Typical mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Initial clean-out | Heavier first visit, then program rate | Selling it as a cheap quarter |
| Quarterly exterior | Cadence, target pests, callback rules | Unlimited free interiors |
| Monthly pressure | What extra you do each month | Dividing quarterly by three |
| One-off call | Trip + named area | Discounting “until they join” |
Pricing is the rate card. The quote is where that card meets this house. If the first visit finds a German-roach kitchen, that is a new quote - not a silent upgrade you eat.
Add-ons that must be lines
If it takes time, product, or risk, it is a line:
- Interior, listed by rooms or “kitchen and baths only”
- Crawlspace or attic (access assumed; if locked, the quote is void)
- Detached garage or shed
- Wasp nests
- Rodent station install vs service
- Same-week call-back outside the program promise
- Trip fee outside the dense pocket
Ambiguity becomes free work. Put the same language on the invoice. Dual Regular vs Cash belongs on both so processing is not a surprise at the foundation. Cash and check stay free on MowProHQ; card rates are 4% + $0.30 on Free and 3.5% + $0.30 on Growth and Pro.
Photos plus map beat a driveway shrug
A House outline without a photo of the hatch is how the first tech spends 15 minutes walking the siding. A photo without a map is how you forget the detached garage.
Minimum packet for a remote quote:
- Map House outline
- Street photo or satellite screenshot in the file
- Customer note: interior or not, pets, known hatch
- Your assumption line: “Exterior only; crawl not included unless listed”
Walk it when:
- They want interior
- There is a crawl or attic in play
- Commercial or multi-family
- The footprint is odd or heavily landscaped against the wall
- You cannot tell stories or additions from the image
Speed still matters. Homeowners request two numbers. The first clear one sets the standard. Clear means structure + visit type, not the lowest guess.
Worked quote: suburban ranch, pest not turf
These numbers are illustrative.
- House outline: ~2,200 sq ft footprint, one story, attached garage
- Quarterly exterior target: ants, spiders, occasional wasps on eaves
- Easy access, pets inside, no interior
- Economic time ~35 minutes at a ~$92/hour target → floor ~$54
- Published quarterly: $105 cash / Regular card shown on the quote
- Initial clean-out: $195 (first visit, garage threshold, station check)
- Crawl: not included - add $65 if they want it inspected and treated
- One-off interior kitchen call instead of program: $169 trip + kitchen, convert offer on the PDF
That quote can be defended. “Looks like a medium lot, $79” cannot.
In MowProHQ
Dual pricing and how to pay
If you take cards, say so on the estimate. Many operators publish Cash/check and Regular (card) so the fee is not a curb negotiation.
Keep one policy:
- Cash/check is the base you built from the cost floor
- Card is the alternate on the same PDF
- Recurring invoices use the same language
- Do not waive the fee stop-by-stop
The customer portal should show the same totals. A quote that says $105 and an invoice that says something else is how you train them not to trust the paper.
Quote-to-schedule handoff
An accepted pest quote should become a customer, a property, and a visit on the schedule without a retype.
| Step | Owner | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| House outlined | Estimator | Footprint or lf recorded |
| Scope written | Estimator | Visit type + exclusions |
| Quote sent | Office | Customer can accept |
| Accepted | Office | Plan or job created |
| Access notes | Anyone who heard them | Hatch, pets, interior - see documentation |
| First visit on the board | Dispatch | Tech can run it without a briefing |
If this lives in a group chat, you will lose the garage and the first visit in the same week. Leads that call while a tech is under the house need a shop inbox - catch those before you worry about map polish.
Exclusions that save the callback
Write what you will not do:
- Termite / WDO unless that is a separate product
- Wildlife
- Bed bugs
- Neighbor’s property
- Flower pots, vegetable beds, or ponds unless listed
- Interior unless listed
- Unlimited complimentary re-visits
The treatment record is what makes those exclusions real on visit two. The quote is what makes them real on day one.
Multi-structure and landlord traps
One customer is not one house. Landlords and small businesses stack addresses.
For each structure:
- Its own House outline
- Its own visit type
- Who authorizes interior
- Who pays
Copy-pasting one “pest - quarterly” line onto three buildings is how you treat a shed at ranch prices and miss the restaurant kitchen that needed a different product. The CRM should make the property the unit of truth.
How MowProHQ quotes the building
MowProHQ lets you outline the House on the estimate map, price that line, and keep turf lot size off the pest quote. Quotes, scheduling, CRM, invoicing, dual Regular vs Cash, portal, and website editor are free with two seats. Cash and check stay free. Growth is $39/month with a 30-day trial - unlimited seats, live site, dispatch, routing, GPS, chemical tracking, timeclock, cards at 3.5% + $0.30 versus 4% + $0.30 on Free. Pro is $89/month. Apps free on iOS and Android.
Confirm state pesticide reporting before you retire a dedicated compliance tool. The map will not file it. See pricing or sign up and send one real House quote this week.
The yard is not the job. The building is. Draw that.
Frequently asked questions
- How do you quote residential pest control from the house?
- Outline the building on the estimate map, price the structure and the visit type, and list interiors, crawl, attic, and trip fees as their own lines. Do not use turf lot size. Lot size is a lawn number. Pest work is the foundation, the envelope, and the spaces you enter.
- Should I quote pest service by lot size?
- No. A large turf lot can sit on a small house. A small lot can hide a long foundation, a crawl, and a detached garage. Quote the House. Keep turf off the pest line even if you also mow the property.
- How do I use the estimate map for pest work?
- Choose House and outline the structure. Price that named area. Add linear foundation or height notes if your rate card uses them. Do not draw the lawn and call it a pest quote.
- What belongs on a pest estimate besides the price?
- Visit type, cadence, target pests, exclusions, initial vs quarterly, interior permission, access assumptions, start window, and Regular vs Cash if you take cards. A number in a text is not a quote.
- How fast should I send a pest quote?
- Same business day when the house is a normal suburban outline and photos are enough. Walk it when there is a crawl, heavy interior, commercial kitchen, or access you cannot see. Homeowners often request two numbers; the first clear one sets the standard.
- Can software store a house outline for pest quotes?
- Yes. Draw the House, lock the measurement, and carry that line onto the job and invoice. MowProHQ quoting is on the free core. Dual Regular vs Cash should match what you will bill.
- How do I quote a one-off pest call vs a quarterly program?
- Price them as different products. The program is a dense exterior visit. The one-off is a trip plus named rooms or pests. Do not discount the call because they might join later. Convert after you invoice. Details in how to price quarterly pest service.
