Site surveys and photos, inside the HVAC quote
The roof space, the outdoor unit position and the controller, photographed at the survey, marked up and placed in the quote the customer reads.
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HVAC businesses add survey photos to their QuoteCloud quotes and mark them up in the built-in image editor: where the indoor unit sits, the duct runs, the outdoor unit and the return air. A Forms block (Business plan) can hold the survey checklist, and the photos and notes go out with the price in one branded document.
A sample survey for a ducted system quote by a fictional business, Halden Climate Co., on a tablet in the browser. A roof-space photo is marked up with rings and three labels: indoor unit here, 700 mm clear; duct run to zones 3 and 4; return-air drop to the hall. Beside it the survey checklist ticks its answers: pipe run 18 m, condensate drain falls to the gutter, old ducted unit and ducts to remove, no platform in the roof space. Below, the quote's price lines that the survey decided slide in: extra pipe run $255, removing the old ducted unit $480 and a roof-space service platform $360, $1,095 plus tax.
The survey decides the price. Show it.
Rosa's survey of the Hadley house, stop by stop: the photo she marked up, what she recorded, and the line in HC-5108 it changed.
Roof space, marked up at the survey
- Indoor unit here, 700 mm clear
- Duct run to zones 3 and 4
- Return-air drop to the hall
Where the unit goes, and how you'll service it
The photo shows the owners where the indoor unit sits and where the ducts run, so a 9-outlet ductwork line makes sense. No safe platform means a platform offered as an extra they can tick.
Recorded at this stop
- Access
- Hatch in the hall, 600 × 600 mm
- Clearance
- 700 mm at the unit position
- Insulation
- R4.0 batts over the kids' rooms
- Service access
- No platform today
What it changes in the quote
- Roof-space service platformSafe access for future servicing$360
Outdoor unit position
- New slab, clear of the door
- Pipe up the wall to the eave
The pipe run, measured, not guessed
18 m of pipe is 3 m beyond the 15 m in the standard install, so it's a line of its own with the survey figure in its note. The drain falls to the gutter, so the condensate pump stays unticked.
Recorded at this stop
- Position
- Beside the garage, on a new slab
- Pipe run
- 18 m, indoor to outdoor unit
- Drain
- Falls to the gutter
What it changes in the quote
- Extra pipe runPer metre beyond 15 m (survey: 18 m)$255
Controller position
- Controller here, upstairs landing
Control where they'll use it
Where the wall controller goes is a question owners care about; a photo settles it. The switchboard has room, so the price doesn't change, and the exclusions say what happens if it hadn't.
Recorded at this stop
- Controller
- Upstairs landing, beside the study
- Switchboard
- One spare pole for a new circuit
- Wi-Fi
- Reaches the landing
What it changes in the quote
Nothing extra: the dedicated circuit and isolator are already in the standard install, and a switchboard upgrade is listed under exclusions.
Old ductwork to come out
- Old ducts and unit removed
What comes out, priced on its own
Removing the old unit and ducts is a line the owners can see, beside licensed refrigerant recovery in the installation section, instead of a lump hidden in the install price.
Recorded at this stop
- Existing system
- Old ducted unit, 2 zones
- Refrigerant
- To be recovered by a licensed technician
- Ducts
- Perished, not reused
What it changes in the quote
- Remove the old ducted unitOld unit and ducts out of the roof space$480
Photos are taken on site and added to the quote; marked up in QuoteCloud's image editor (Starter and up). QuoteCloud doesn't measure, analyse photos or work offline.
One survey checklist, filled in the same way by everyone
The value in an implementation: the survey questions live in the quote template as a Forms block, so every technician asks the same eight questions, and the office prices from complete answers instead of chasing a missing measurement.
Each answer that changes the price points to its line: the 18 m pipe run to the extra pipe line, the old unit to its removal, the missing platform to the platform offered. An answer that removes a line, like a drain that falls to the gutter, says so.
- Forms block inside the quote (Business plan)
- Or the same checklist as a table block on any plan
- Answers and photos go to the customer with the price
Forms block: Business plan
Forms inside documentsSite survey checklist Rosa Calder, 14 Oct
Forms block- Roof-space access Hatch in the hall, 600 × 600 mm
- Clearance where the indoor unit goes 700 mm
- Outdoor unit position Beside the garage, on a new slab
- Pipe run, indoor to outdoor unit 18 m In the quoteExtra pipe run3 m beyond the 15 m included · $255
- Room on the switchboard for a new circuit? YesNo
- Can the condensate drain fall to the gutter? YesNo In the quoteCondensate pumpNo pump needed
- Old system to remove Old ducted unit and ducts In the quoteRemove the old ducted unitRemoval priced · $480
- Safe access for future servicing No platform in the roof space In the quoteRoof-space service platformPlatform offered · $360
A Forms block in the quote (Business plan). The answers are the surveyor's; QuoteCloud doesn't measure or check anything.
What to photograph on every HVAC survey
Six photos that answer the customer's questions before they ask, and where each one goes in the quote.
The roof space
Access, clearance and the path the ducts take; mark the indoor unit position and the return-air drop.
The outdoor unit spot
The slab or bracket position, distance from windows and neighbours, and the pipe route up the wall.
The switchboard
Room for a new circuit, so the dedicated circuit line is confirmed and any upgrade is an exclusion, not a surprise.
Controller positions
Where each controller goes, photographed in the room the owners will use it.
What comes out
The old unit, ducts or wall splits to remove, so removal and refrigerant recovery read as their own lines.
Anything to ask
A photo the customer needs to decide on, with the question in a comment they answer on the quote.
Try it with your own survey template
Free for 14 days, no credit card required. Send us your current quote and survey sheet and we'll convert them into a template during the trial.
Sample proposal · HC-C-0731
On a commercial roof, the survey is the proposal's first page.
Bellbird's rooftop: what's there now beside what goes in, then the existing plant table with each unit's age and condition.
Before and after
From survey to a quote with the reasons in it
Five steps on every residential survey.
Survey and photograph
Walk the house and take photos as you do now; QuoteCloud runs in the browser and isn't an offline survey app.
Answer the checklist
Fill in the survey questions in the quote's Forms block (Business) or table, on a tablet or back at the office.
Mark up the photos
Ring the unit position, draw the duct run and label the return air in the image editor.
Price what you found
Tick the extras the survey decided and put the measured figure in each line's note.
Send the quote
The customer reads the photos beside the price, asks questions in comments and signs.
Site surveys and photos: questions answered
Can I mark up photos in an HVAC quote?
Yes. Add photos to the quote and mark them up in the built-in image editor with text, shapes, arrows, highlights and freehand drawing. Image and gallery blocks and the image editor are on Starter and up.
Can the survey checklist go in the quote?
Yes. A Forms block can hold your survey questions inside the document on the Business plan, or the checklist can be a table you fill in on any plan. The answers go to the customer with the photos and the price.
Is there an offline survey app?
No. QuoteCloud runs in the browser on phones, tablets and computers and needs an internet connection. Take photos on site as you do now and add them to the quote when you're connected.
Does QuoteCloud measure rooms or analyse photos?
No. Measurements, sizing and the survey answers are your technician's own. QuoteCloud holds the photos, your markup and the checklist, and calculates the price from the lines you choose.
Can customers ask about a photo in the quote?
Yes. Customers can comment on the document and you reply in the same thread, so a question about the outdoor unit position is answered on the quote rather than by phone.
Everything an HVAC business sends
Sales, service and the set-up that keeps every document consistent.
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Ducted & multi-zone system quotesZones and room-by-room notes, three systems to choose from, installation extras and the deposit on signing.Explore
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Equipment price book & installation extrasSystems by capacity, labour, pipe runs, brackets, pumps and electrical in one catalogue, with your cost and margin hidden.Explore
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Commercial HVAC proposals: plant, VRF & fit-outsPlant replacement, VRF and tenancy fit-out proposals with staged works, a programme, approvals and two signers.Explore
- Split & multi-split system quotesOne room or the whole house: each head sized and priced, single or multi-split options, pipe runs and brackets.
- System options, running costs & rebatesGood, better and best systems side by side, with your running-cost estimates, warranties and rebate and finance information.
- Preventive maintenance agreementsEvery unit listed, repeating charges, a visit schedule and an expiry date, with seasonal service offers sent in bulk.
- Breakdown & repair quotes from siteThe fault, the photos and the repair options, approved and paid on the spot before the parts are fitted.
- Commissioning & service visit reportsCommissioning checks, maintenance visit results and refrigerant records in a report the client signs off.
- Deposits & payment on signingA deposit to book the install, or the repair paid in full, by card or PayPal the moment the customer signs.
- Discount approvals & protected marginsWinter specials and big discounts checked by a director before the quote goes out, with costs never shown.
- Accounting & field-service integrationsWon installs to Xero or QuickBooks, and jobs to ServiceM8, simPRO and other field-service apps through Zapier.
- HVAC templatesReal QuoteCloud templates for HVAC contracts, proposals, maintenance agreements and handover sign-off.
- QuoteCloud implementation for HVAC businessesYour price book loaded, quote and agreement templates converted, approvals set and the team trained.
- FAQAnswers to the questions HVAC installers, service teams and mechanical contractors ask most.
Quotes your customers can see the reasons for
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