Insurance and restoration estimates
Xactimate-style estimating services for restoration contractors
Bidmere prepares Xactimate-style estimating services for water, fire, smoke, mold and storm losses: line-item claim estimates and supplements built from your photos, measurements and notes. You review every line before it goes to the carrier.
Fixed price in 2 business hours. Pay only after you accept.
- Fixed price and delivery date before any work starts
- Free review of your request; no files needed to get a quote
- You pay only after you accept the fixed price
- Your price list or rates, and you approve every line
Quick answer
Bidmere’s insurance and restoration estimating service prepares Xactimate-style, room-by-room line-item estimates and supplement lists for restoration, roofing and general contractors. Each line has a quantity, unit and description tied to your photos and readings. Estimates are priced from $125, with a fixed quote and delivery date within 2 business hours.
What do Xactimate-style estimating services include?
You get a line-item claim estimate written the way adjusters read them. Lines are grouped by room or area, each with a quantity, unit and description. Bidmere writes the scope from your evidence and prices it in the format agreed at quote.
Xactimate is property claims estimating software from Verisk. When people search for Xactimate estimating services, they usually want that line-item structure, not the software itself. Here is what Bidmere does and does not do:
- Does: writes room-by-room line items, builds supplement lists, indexes photos and readings to lines, and lists open items.
- Does not: act as a public adjuster, negotiate with the carrier, give coverage or legal advice, or visit the loss.
- File format: we deliver in the format agreed at quote. Need an Xactimate .esx file? Say so in your request. We confirm at scope review whether we can provide it. We do not claim any Xactimate certification.
How does an insurance estimate writer build a claim estimate?
A claim estimate holds up when each line traces back to evidence. We follow the same order an experienced Xactimate estimator would:
- Read the photos, sketch or measurements, moisture readings and your scope notes.
- Build the areas: each room, hallway, elevation or roof slope, with its dimensions.
- Write the mitigation lines: extraction, removal, antimicrobial, drying equipment by day.
- Write the rebuild lines: drywall, insulation, paint, flooring, trim, cabinets, roofing.
- Add detach and reset, contents manipulation and protection where your notes support them.
- Price lines from the agreed price list or your rates, then show tax and any overhead and profit you confirm.
- Index each line to the photo, measurement or reading behind it.
Water losses follow the categories and classes described in ANSI/IICRC S500. Mold work follows the scope your remediator and assessor set under ANSI/IICRC S520. Fire and smoke losses can reference ANSI/IICRC S700, first published in 2025.
What is measured, and in which units?
Every line carries a unit the carrier will recognize. The table below shows the common ones.
| Scope | Typical unit |
|---|---|
| Drywall, insulation, paint, pad, flooring removal | SF |
| Carpet replacement | SY or SF, per price list |
| Baseboard, casing, crown, drip edge, flood cuts | LF |
| Roofing tear-off and replacement | SQ (100 SF) |
| Doors, fixtures, vanities, vents | EA |
| Air movers, dehumidifiers, air scrubbers | EA per 24-hour day |
| Technician and supervisor time | HR |
Waste for roofing and flooring stays a separate, visible line, so an adjuster can see the measured quantity and the allowance.
Which items do carrier estimates commonly miss?
Most supplements come from a short list of items that get left off the first estimate. We compare the carrier’s estimate with your evidence and flag gaps like these:
- Detach and reset of cabinets, appliances, fixtures and fencing
- Contents manipulation, floor protection and final cleaning
- Drying equipment days that do not match your drying logs
- Paint scope limited to patched areas when the wall or room needs full coats to match
- Baseboard, casing and insulation behind removed drywall
- Roofing accessories: starter, ridge, drip edge, underlayment, flashing and vent boots
- Steep and high-roof charges where pitch and stories support them
- Permits, dumpsters and haul-off
Code upgrade items are listed as open questions, because coverage is between you, the policy and the carrier.
Where do restoration scope gaps with other trades show up?
Gaps usually sit at the hand-off between mitigation, rebuild and specialty trades. We list each one so it is priced or excluded on purpose.
- Mitigation vs rebuild: often two estimates by two companies. We state which lines belong to which.
- Source repair: the plumbing repair that caused the loss is usually a separate line or a separate trade.
- Electrical and HVAC: wet wiring, outlets and duct cleaning need a licensed trade’s scope.
- Contents: pack-out, cleaning and storage are often their own estimate.
- Roofing and interior: a storm claim needs both the roof and the ceiling below.
For storm claims with a large roof scope, see our roofing estimating page.
What drives the number on a restoration estimate?
The size of the affected area matters, but these factors move the total most:
- The price list and region agreed for the claim
- How many days of drying equipment your logs support
- Whether overhead and profit applies to the claim
- Material matching across rooms, which can widen the scope
- Roof pitch, height and number of layers to remove
- Access, contents volume and protection needs
What should you send for a restoration estimate?
Send what you collected at the loss. The more complete the evidence, the fewer open items.
- Photos and videos of each room, elevation or roof slope
- A sketch or measurements, including ceiling heights
- Moisture readings, maps and drying logs for water losses
- Your scope notes: what was removed, cleaned, dried or replaced
- The carrier’s estimate, if you want a supplement review
- Your price list or rates, and the estimate format the carrier expects
Start with a short description on the quote form. We arrange document sharing after confirming the work.
Have plans for this scope? Send them over. Fixed quote within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept.
Get a fixed quoteWhat do you get back?
You receive the estimate in the claim format agreed at quote. It contains:
- Line-item estimate: each area with quantities, units and descriptions, plus tax and any confirmed overhead and profit.
- Supplement list: items missing from the carrier’s estimate, each tied to evidence.
- Evidence index: which photo, measurement or reading supports each line.
- Open items: what needs confirming on site before the estimate is final.
You review the estimate and decide what goes to the carrier. If AI helped sort photos, a person still checks every line. See AI estimating, checked before delivery.
Do you need Xactimate software or an estimating service?
Buy the software if you write claims every day and have a trained estimator on staff. Use a service when volume swings or your team is in the field.
Verisk sells Xactimate by subscription, with prices that depend on the plan and add-ons. A license still needs someone to sketch, scope and write lines. Many contractors do both: they keep a license and send overflow or supplements out when the backlog grows.
Xactimate pricing and the Xactimate online estimate writer
Xactimate is sold by subscription. Verisk’s Xactimate page lists these prices for Xactimate Pro, checked November 8, 2026:
| Term | Listed price |
|---|---|
| 1 month | $350 per month |
| 6 months | $1,725 per 6 months |
| 12 months | $2,690 per year |
A 3-month term is also listed, without a price on that page. Xactimate Standard runs on one platform of the buyer’s choice and is priced on the Verisk store. Verisk says prices are subject to change, so check before you buy.
Xactimate runs on desktop, online and mobile, and Verisk says the three share one cloud-synced dataset. Xactware’s help pages describe the Xactimate online Estimate Writer, which needs the Xactware ClickOnce browser extension.
A license does not write the estimate. Someone still has to:
- Sketch each room from field measurements
- Choose line items that match the evidence
- Tie photos and moisture readings to lines
- List open items for a field check
If you write claims every day, the subscription is part of the job. If claims come in bursts, or the field team has no desk time, send the writing out. Bidmere writes line-item claim estimates from your evidence. It confirms at scope review whether an .esx file can be provided and does not claim any Xactimate certification. Compare the options in estimating software vs a service.
Sample takeoff
What a takeoff looks like
| Item | Quantity | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedroom 2: remove wet carpet pad | 148 | SF | Photo 4, readings above dry standard |
| Bedroom 2: remove carpet, cut and bag | 148 | SF | Same area as pad |
| Bedroom 2: flood cut drywall to 2 ft | 104 | SF | 52 LF of wall at 2 ft |
| Bedroom 2: remove baseboard | 52 | LF | Detach for drying |
| Bedroom 2 and hall: apply antimicrobial | 252 | SF | Floor plus cut walls |
| Dehumidifier, large | 3 | EA per day | Per drying log, days 1 to 3 |
| Air movers | 12 | EA per day | 4 units for 3 days |
| Bedroom 2: replace drywall, tape and finish | 104 | SF | Rebuild estimate |
Fictional example: Category 2 water loss, one bedroom and hallway. Quantities only; not a customer project or pricing recommendation.
Before you send plans
Common questions about handing off the work
Are you acting as my public adjuster?
No. Bidmere prepares the estimate. You or your public adjuster deal with the carrier.
Will the estimate use the carrier’s price list?
It uses the price list or rates agreed at quote. Tell us what the carrier expects.
Who signs and sends the estimate?
You do. You review every line and decide what goes to the adjuster.
What if you cannot provide an .esx file?
We tell you at scope review, before you accept or pay.
Monthly estimating plans
Bid restoration every week? Put estimating on a monthly plan
A monthly plan suits contractors who price restoration work every week. It gives you a steady estimating desk without a new hire. Starter is $1,395 per month for up to 6 bids. Pro is $2,595 per month for up to 12 bids. Scale is $4,795 per month for up to 25 bids. Each bid follows the same process as a single order: your documents, your rates, your review and your final number. Ask about monthly estimating plans to compare the tiers.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do you deliver Xactimate .esx files?
We deliver line-item estimates in the format agreed at quote. If your carrier requires an Xactimate .esx file, tell us in your request. We confirm at scope review whether we can provide it, before you accept or pay anything. We do not claim any Xactimate certification, and we do not present an estimate as a carrier-approved document.
How much does a restoration estimate cost?
Insurance and restoration estimates are priced from $125. The fixed price depends on the size of the loss, the number of areas and how complete the evidence is. We reply with a fixed quote and delivery date within 2 business hours, and you pay only after you accept. See pricing for scope conditions.
Are you an Xactimate estimate writer?
We write Xactimate-style line-item claim estimates from your photos, measurements and notes. Each line has a quantity, unit and description, grouped by room or area. The file format is agreed at quote. We are not a licensed public adjuster and we do not negotiate with carriers. You review the estimate and decide what to send.
Can you review a carrier’s estimate and write a supplement?
Yes. Send the carrier’s estimate with your photos, readings and notes. We list the missing or changed items in a short supplement list. Each item is tied to the evidence that supports it. We do not argue the claim; you or your public adjuster handle the conversation with the carrier.
Do public adjusters use your estimating service?
Public adjusters can send field notes, photos and measurements for a detailed line-item estimate. Bidmere prepares the estimate only. The public adjuster keeps the client relationship, the coverage position and all contact with the carrier. We list open items that need a field check so the adjuster can confirm them before submitting.
Does the estimate include overhead and profit?
Only where the claim allows it. Whether overhead and profit applies is between you, the policy and the carrier. We list it as an open question. Once you confirm it, it shows as its own line, so the adjuster sees the base estimate and the markup separately.
What do you need to start a water damage estimate?
Send photos of every affected room and a sketch or measurements with ceiling heights. Add moisture readings, drying logs and your notes on what was removed. Add the carrier’s estimate if one exists. Missing readings or measurements go on the open items list rather than being guessed. You can request a quote with a short description first.
Can AI write an insurance estimate?
AI can sort hundreds of photos and draft line items quickly. It cannot see behind a wall or know what was agreed on site. When we use AI for a first pass, a person checks every line against your evidence. You approve the estimate before it reaches the carrier.
How much does Xactimate cost?
Verisk lists Xactimate Pro at $350 per month on a 1-month term, $1,725 for 6 months, or $2,690 for 12 months, checked November 8, 2026. Standard is priced on the Verisk store. Prices can change. The license still needs a trained person to sketch and write lines. Bidmere restoration estimates are priced from $125, quoted within 2 business hours.
What is the Xactimate online estimate writer?
It is the estimate writing tool within Xactimate online, Verisk’s online version of Xactimate. Xactware’s help pages say it needs the Xactware ClickOnce browser extension. It is a tool, not a service. If nobody has time to write the claim, Bidmere can write a line-item estimate from your photos, measurements and notes.
Get a fixed quote
Share the project basics. You get a fixed price and delivery date within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept.