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Adding Notes to Estimates

Notes let you attach reminders and annotations to individual items, groups, or the overall estimate. They're perfect for recording details you need to remember when you're on-site or reviewing the job later — without cluttering the item descriptions or scope of work.

Types of Notes

You can add notes at three levels:

  • Item notes — Attached to a specific line item (e.g., "Client prefers matte finish — confirmed via text 3/3")
  • Group notes — Attached to a phase or group (e.g., "Check for asbestos before starting demo")
  • Estimate notes — General notes about the whole job (e.g., "Access via rear lane only. Client away 15–20 March.")

Adding a Note to an Item

  1. Find the item you want to annotate in the estimate editor
  2. Tap the three-dot menu (kebab menu) on the item
  3. Select Add Note
  4. Type your note in the text area
  5. Tap Save Note

The note appears below the item description in grey italic text.

To edit an existing note, open the same menu and select Edit Note. To remove it, tap Remove Note inside the note editor.

Adding a Note to a Group

  1. Find the group (phase) header in the estimate editor
  2. Tap the three-dot menu on the group header
  3. Select Add Note
  4. Type your note and tap Save Note

The group note appears below the group name when the group is expanded.

Adding Estimate-Level Notes

At the bottom of your groups in the estimate editor, you'll see an Estimate Notes section.

  • If no notes exist yet, tap + Add Estimate Notes
  • If notes already exist, tap the section to edit

Use estimate-level notes for general job context that doesn't belong to a specific item or group — things like access instructions, client availability, or job-wide reminders.

Adding Notes with Sammy

You can also ask Sammy to add notes via the chat panel. Because Sammy understands your estimate, you can give high-level instructions and let Sammy write the detail for you — you don't need to type out the full note yourself.

Let Sammy generate detailed notes from a simple prompt:

  • "Add a note to the Rough-In Phase detailing all the practical on-site steps across all trades"
  • "Add notes to every item in this estimate with installation tips and common mistakes to watch for"
  • "Add a general note summarising the key risks and things to double-check before starting this job"
  • "Add a note to the electrical items explaining the compliance requirements for this type of install"

Or give Sammy specific info to record:

  • "Note on the demolition phase: need to organise skip bin delivery before 7am, access via rear lane only"
  • "Add a note to the tiles: client confirmed matte finish in text on 3 March"

Sammy will only add notes when you explicitly ask — it won't add notes automatically during estimate generation or adjustments.

Notes on Takeoffs and Proposals

By default, notes appear on takeoff reports and are hidden on proposals. You can change this:

Takeoff report

  1. Open the Takeoff view
  2. Click the options/settings control
  3. Under Include on takeoff, toggle Notes on or off

Proposals

  1. Open the Proposal view
  2. Click the options/settings control
  3. Under Include on proposal, toggle Notes on or off

When notes are included, they appear as sub-rows below the relevant items in both the on-screen preview and the downloaded PDF.

Tip: Keep notes off proposals by default — they're your internal reminders, not something the client usually needs to see. Turn them on only when a note adds value for the client (e.g., "Materials sourced locally — 2-week lead time").

Notes in PDFs

When you download an estimate or proposal PDF, notes follow the same visibility rules:

  • Estimate PDFs always include notes
  • Proposal PDFs include notes only if you've toggled Notes on in the proposal options

Notes appear in grey italic text below the relevant item or group, matching how they look on screen.

Tips

  • Keep notes short and actionable — They're reminders, not essays
  • Use item notes for item-specific details — Material preferences, supplier info, installation instructions
  • Use group notes for phase-level context — Access requirements, scheduling dependencies, subcontractor coordination
  • Use estimate notes for job-wide info — Client preferences, site access, timing constraints
  • Notes are saved automatically — Like everything else in Sammy, your notes auto-save as you work
  • Notes are preserved when duplicating — If you duplicate an estimate, all notes come across to the copy

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