What a line-item estimate is
In a line-item estimate, each activity is its own line: remove and replace drywall, prime, paint, detach and reset fixtures, haul debris, and so on. Each line carries a quantity (square feet, linear feet, or each), a unit price, and an extended total. Xactimate, the software most Florida carriers use, produces estimates this way. A contractor's one-line quote such as reroof for 18,000 dollars cannot be compared against a carrier's line-item scope, but a line-item estimate can.
Why it matters on a Florida claim
Carriers scope and price in line items, so a demand written the same way negotiates on equal terms. Going line by line lets you show exactly what the carrier omitted: demolition, debris haul, drying equipment hours, detach and reset, code items, matching, and overhead and profit. Underpayment usually hides in missing or short lines, not in one obviously wrong number.
Reading a carrier estimate
- Check quantities against the actual measured damage
- Check for omitted trades and prep work
- Check unit prices against the current regional price list
- Confirm overhead and profit and any tax lines are present