Design and creative production: Quotation software for restoration studios
Quoting software for restoration studios that separates survey hours from the treatment plan, with an estimate per intervention, so the owner can choose and approve step by step.
Where quotes for restoration studios get stuck.
A restoration studio can only estimate a treatment after a condition survey. But the survey takes time too, and owners sometimes expect it to be free. After the survey comes a treatment plan with several interventions: cleaning, consolidation, varnish removal, filling, retouching. Not every owner wants or can afford all of it. If those interventions sit in one total, the owner can't choose. And during treatment it may turn out that an old retouch is larger than expected, or that there's overpaint under the varnish. Without an estimate built up per intervention, every deviation becomes an argument.
Quotation software for restoration studios
Example- 1
Estimate the survey separately
DoneThe first quote covers only the condition survey: how many hours, which techniques such as raking light or ultraviolet, and whether cleaning tests are needed.
- 2
Build the plan per intervention
In progressAfter the survey, the conservator draws up a treatment plan in which each intervention gets its own line with hours, materials and the reason.
- 3
Record approval and contingency
NextThe owner approves each intervention.
From enquiry to signed quote.
Estimate the survey separately
The first quote covers only the condition survey: how many hours, which techniques such as raking light or ultraviolet, and whether cleaning tests are needed. The owner approves the survey, on the understanding that a treatment proposal will follow. It's clear what is being paid for before treatment is even discussed.
Build the plan per intervention
After the survey, the conservator draws up a treatment plan in which each intervention gets its own line with hours, materials and the reason. Some interventions are needed for preservation, others are aesthetic. That split is shown in the proposal, so the owner can decide what to do now and what could wait.
Record approval and contingency
The owner approves each intervention. The proposal states where the uncertainties lie, for example when removing varnish without knowing what's underneath, and how that will be handled: a contingency, or an interim consultation if the work turns out to need more. Those agreements stay with the object file.
Alongside your calculations and price lists.
Restoration studios usually write quotes in a word processor or spreadsheet, with hourly rates that differ per discipline. We take those rates over. Material costs, such as special adhesives, pigments or Japanese paper, are kept by the studio in its own list. Institutions often have their own purchasing process and want the quote in a particular format; that can be offered as an export. An accepted quote goes to the object file and later to invoicing.
Charge for the survey or offset it
Some studios charge for the survey separately, even if the owner then decides against treatment. Others offset the survey costs if the treatment goes ahead. Offsetting lowers the threshold, but means surveys that don't lead to a commission go unpaid. Record the choice in the first quote so nobody is surprised.
Fixed price per intervention or actual hours
A fixed price per intervention gives the owner certainty, but the studio carries the risk if the work turns out harder. Charging actual hours is fairer for uncertain interventions, such as varnish removal, but requires trust. Many studios combine the two: fixed prices for interventions that are easy to estimate, and an estimate with contingency for the uncertain ones.
Treat everything at once or in phases
An owner with a limited budget can choose to do the interventions needed for preservation first and the aesthetic ones later. Working in phases spreads the cost but means the object comes into the studio twice. The proposal can set both options side by side, with what each choice means for the object.
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Read the storyWhat we prepare in the quotes.
The quote starts with the survey and follows with a treatment proposal per intervention, separating conservation from aesthetics, with contingencies for uncertain interventions and approval per line. Together we make a proposal for an ordinary painting that needs cleaning and retouching, and for an object where overpainting shows up during varnish removal. An export for institutions and the invoice from the approved proposal are yours to use after that.
View pricingSupport and updatesGood to know.
Explore pricing and optionsCan the owner choose which interventions to have done?
Yes. Each intervention is a separate line in the proposal, with the reason and whether it serves preservation or appearance. The owner approves line by line. The studio can still indicate that some interventions only make sense together, such as filling and retouching.
What happens if the work turns out to need more?
The proposal sets out how that's handled: within the contingency the studio carries on, beyond it there's an interim consultation with photos of what was found. The owner then approves the adjustment before the work continues, and that approval is kept with the file.
Can we quote for institutions with their own requirements?
Yes. An institution may ask for a particular layout, such as hours per phase, material specifications or a reference to their object number. The quote can be exported in that format without changing the underlying estimate, so you never have to maintain two versions.
Can we prepare the estimate for an insurance claim separately?
Yes. For a claim, the estimate can be split into repairing the damage and any interventions that have nothing to do with it. The insurer can then see which part falls under the claim and which part is for the owner's account.
What often connects to this.
- Enquiry form for restoration studiosAn enquiry form for restoration studios that asks for object photos, dimensions, materials and a condition description, so the conservator can judge which survey is needed.
- Digital job cards for restoration studiosDigital job cards for restoration studios in the form of an object file with condition report, treatment approval, interventions, materials and images, so every treatment is fully documented.
- Invoicing software for restoration studiosInvoicing software for restoration studios that puts completed survey and treatment work from the object file on an invoice, with deviations from the estimate visible and explained.
Quotes that match the work.
Start with a short intake. Then we schedule a call to show the software with your services, team and way of working.
WhatsAppinfo@vorlyo.com Quoting software for restoration studios: survey hours and treatment plan estimated separately, with approval per intervention and room for findings.
- Estimate the survey separately
- Build the plan per intervention
- Record approval and contingency