Estimating & Invoicing Software for Stucco and Plaster Contractors

Why stucco jobs are hard to price

• Several coats. A traditional three-coat system has a scratch, brown and finish coat, each with its own labor.
• Prep comes first. Paper, lath, weep screed and trims go on before any stucco.
• Openings and corners. Windows, doors and corners add trim and slow the work.
• Height and access. Upper walls need scaffolding.

How Trades HQ helps stucco contractors

• Ready-made stucco items in your Price Book, like base coat, finish coat, one-coat stucco, metal lath, stucco wire, building paper, weep screed, casing bead and control joint. Add your prices once and reuse them.
• Measure from blueprints. Measure wall areas right off a blueprint PDF.
• Bid work out to other subs, for example scaffolding or a painter.
• Proposals customers approve online, then one click to invoice.
• Progress billing, so you can bill as each coat is done.
• Live job profit as labor and materials come in.

A stucco estimate, step by step

1. Measure the wall area and subtract large openings.
2. Count the lath and paper.
3. Add trims: weep screed, casing bead, corner aid and control joints.
4. Figure the bags for each coat from the coverage on the bag.
5. Estimate labor for each coat and for scaffolding.
6. Apply your overhead and profit.

Example (illustrative): a 40 ft wall, 9 ft high, with two 3 × 4 ft windows.

Pricing tip: Give each coat its own labor line, so you can see which coat is costing you time. And remember that markup and margin aren't the same number: a 20% margin needs a 25% markup. The Estimating Basics guide walks through the math, and the free markup and margin calculator does it for you.