The problem
A design-build landscaper might write 8 install proposals a month for patios, plantings and drainage, usually at night after crew work. If each takes 2 hours to write up from notes and photos, that's 16 hours a month, about $720£541€644A$1,039C$1,018 at an assumed $45£34€40A$65C$64 an hour, and slow proposals lose jobs to whoever sends one first.
What the AI does
The owner pastes their walk-through notes and the measured quantities into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini with a saved prompt and an example of a past proposal, and asks for a draft with scope of work, materials, exclusions, timeline and care instructions. The owner sets every price, checks every quantity and adds the license number and contract terms from their own template. Any of the three assistants can do this on a free plan.
A worked example
A design-build landscaping company in Sacramento, California, writes about 8 install proposals a month, from $6,000£4,511€5,368A$8,662C$8,481 plantings to $35,000£26,316€31,316A$50,526C$49,474 patio and outdoor kitchen jobs. It holds a California C-27 landscaping contractor license, which has to appear on bids and contracts. The owner uses a free or $20£15€18A$29C$28 a month assistant plan to draft each proposal's wording.
Before
About 2 hours writing each of 8 proposals a month, about 16 hours
After
About 45 minutes each to draft, check and price, about 6 hours
What it's worth
About $450£338€403A$650C$636 a month of the owner's time saved, against nothing to $20£15€18A$29C$28 for an assistant plan. That is 10 fewer hours a month (8 proposals × 1.25 hours) at an assumed $45£34€40A$65C$64 an hour.
How to set it up
- Write one saved prompt: your company's style, the sections you always include (scope, materials, exclusions, timeline, warranty, care) and a past proposal as an example.
- After each walk-through, paste in your notes and measured quantities, leaving out the client's name and address, and ask for a draft in that format.
- Check every quantity, product and plant against your notes, and set every price yourself; an assistant can't price your labor or your supplier's stone.
- Paste the wording into your own proposal template with your contractor license number and contract terms, as California requires on bids and contracts.
- Read the whole proposal once more before sending, as you'd be held to anything it promises.
What goes wrong
- Assistants can add items you didn't mention, such as edging or a warranty term. Delete anything that isn't in your notes.
- California home improvement contracts over $500£376€447A$722C$707 need specific wording and notices. Use the Contractors State License Board's requirements or your attorney's template, not an AI draft.
- Free plans have usage limits and may use chats to train models unless you turn that off in settings. Paid plans run about $20£15€18A$29C$28 a month for one person.
- Don't let the draft promise plant survival or drainage results you wouldn't guarantee in writing.