Overview
Many fence companies still quote in Excel. It works until catalog prices drift, two estimators use different templates, or a won job has to be retyped into scheduling and invoicing. Dirt Face is a fence estimating spreadsheet alternative built for that full path.
Where spreadsheets break down
- Every estimator maintains a slightly different template
- Material prices and labor assumptions go stale
- Proposals are rebuilt by hand in Word or PDF tools
- Won jobs do not carry into schedule and invoice cleanly
- There is no shared customer and document history
What Dirt Face replaces
| Spreadsheet habit | In Dirt Face |
|---|---|
| Per-job material tabs | Catalog + fence templates + takeoffs |
| Manual proposal formatting | Estimate-driven proposals |
| Separate calendar app notes | Jobs and crew schedule |
| Rekeyed invoices | Sales documents tied to the same job |
What you still control
Dirt Face does not remove your judgment. You still set pricing strategy, approve exceptions, and decide what to include on a job. The software standardizes the structure so your process survives growth and vacation handoffs.
A practical migration path
- Load your top-selling fence systems
- Quote new work in Dirt Face beside Excel for a short period
- Stop opening the old template once proposals look right
- Add scheduling and invoicing when the office is ready
FAQ
Can I import my old price lists?
Dirt Face supports bringing catalog and cost data into the system so you are not typing every part by hand. Detailed import steps are part of customer onboarding help after you create an account.
Is Dirt Face only for large fence companies?
No. Solo estimators and small crews use it to professionalize quoting. Larger teams use the same foundation for schedule, inventory, and multi-user workflows.