Check Your Basic Trade Customisation

Your trade settings tell Sammy what type of work you do and help generate accurate estimates tailored to your business. Getting these right from the start means better estimates with less adjustment needed.

How to Access Trade Settings#

Click Settings in the sidebar menu
Select the AI Settings tab
Click Basic trade customisation

What You Can Configure#

Trade Type#

Pick a trade or trades that best match what you do — you can select up to 10. Search for your trade or browse by category, and tick each one that applies.

Only go niche if you need to (for example, you ONLY do garage doors). This is not a limit on what you can quote in Sammy — it just tells Sammy the type of work you typically do, so his estimates start from the right place. Keeping the list short and accurate gives you better estimates.

If your trade isn't in the list, search for it and choose Create as custom trade.

Finish Level#

Choose your default finish level:

Basic – Budget-friendly, standard materials
Standard – Mid-range quality and finishes
Premium – High-end materials and craftsmanship

This affects how Sammy prices materials and labour for your estimates.

Postcode#

Enter your primary work area postcode. Start typing and select from the suggestions. This helps Sammy apply location-appropriate pricing.

Default markup#

Set the markup Sammy adds on top of your costs. It applies to every estimate unless you change it.

Markup and margin aren't the same thing. Markup is what you add on top of cost. Margin is what you end up with: the job's price minus its costs, as a share of the price. A 25% markup on $1,000 of costs gives a $1,250 price and a 20% margin.

Variable Markups (Optional)#

If you want different markups for different cost types, enable Variable Markups. You can then set separate markups for:

Materials – Your markup on material costs
Labour – Your markup on labour costs
Subbie – Your markup on work you subcontract to other trades (see Telling Sammy what work you subcontract out)
Other – Your markup on other items (equipment hire, permits, etc.)

Saving Your Settings#

Click Save to apply your trade customisation. These settings will be used for all future estimates.

Tip: You can always adjust markups on individual estimates if a particular job requires different pricing.

What's Next?#

With your trade settings configured, the next step is to train Sammy on a past job so his estimates sound like your business, or jump straight to Create Your First Estimate.