Certified Xactimate Estimating
Xactimate Estimating Services for Faster, Cleaner Claims
Our certified Xactimate estimating services turn field photos and a rough sketch into a carrier-ready claim estimate — scoped room by room, priced against the current regional list, with RCV, depreciation, ACV and O&P handled to the guidelines adjusters expect — so your file moves through the desk instead of bouncing back, and your crews keep producing instead of parking in front of a price list.
- Certified Xactimate estimators
- Native ESX + PDF
- 24-72 hour turnaround
Stop Losing Evenings to a Price List That Changes Every Month
A claim that is under-scoped or written outside carrier guidelines does not just get rejected — it costs a reinspection, a supplement fight and weeks of float on a job you have already started. Handing the estimate to a certified Xactimate estimator gets the scope complete and the math right the first time, so the file clears the desk and your crews stay on the tools. Black Wood Estimating LLC gives that work a dedicated desk — so your claim volume stops being capped by your own evenings.
How a Carrier-Ready Xactimate Claim Estimate Is Built
An insurance claim is not a hard bid, and estimating it like one is exactly why files get kicked back. Xactimate runs on its own conventions — a dimensioned sketch, the carrier's regional price list, and a replacement-cost-to-actual-cash-value waterfall on every line. We build to those conventions, not around them, so the estimate reads the way the desk adjuster reads it.
Claim Build-Up
The Three Layers of a Defensible Claim
Scope, claim math and carrier compliance — get all three right and the file clears on the first pass. The measured quantities underneath the scope come from the same discipline as our quantity takeoff services.
Line-Item Scope, Room by Room
We build the scope of work the way an adjuster reads it: sketched to dimension, itemized room by room and elevation by elevation, with the correct remove-and-replace line items pulled from the Xactimate database rather than typed in as lump sums. Nothing is bundled where a reviewer expects a line.
How we scope a loss
- Sketch drawn to measured dimensions
- Room-by-room and elevation detail
- R&R line items from the database
- Detach & reset where required
RCV, Recoverable Depreciation & ACV
Every line carries Replacement Cost Value, then the depreciation the policy allows by age and condition, resolving to Actual Cash Value. Recoverable and non-recoverable depreciation are handled correctly so the homeowner's recoverable holdback is defensible and the carrier's file balances on the first pass.
Claim math we apply
- Replacement Cost Value (RCV)
- Recoverable vs. non-recoverable depreciation
- Actual Cash Value (ACV)
- Age, life and condition factors
O&P, Sales Tax & Carrier Guidelines
Overhead and profit are applied where the number of trades justifies it, sales tax is calculated to the jurisdiction, and the estimate is written against the correct regional price list so it holds up to carrier review. We estimate to the guidelines the carrier already uses, not around them.
Compliance we build in
- Overhead & profit where warranted
- Jurisdiction sales tax
- Current regional price list
- Carrier documentation standards
Every Peril, Scoped and Documented to Carrier Standards
From mitigation through reconstruction, each loss type is written so mitigation, contents and rebuild stand on their own lines.
Water Damage & Mitigation
Extraction, structural drying, antimicrobial and the reconstruction that follows, scoped to IICRC categories and classes so the mitigation invoice and the repair estimate agree instead of contradicting each other at review. Need the rebuild priced too? Residential estimating services carry the reconstruction budget.
Fire & Smoke Restoration
Structural cleaning, deodorization, contents and the full rebuild of fire-damaged areas, with soot and smoke line items scoped by affected surface rather than a blanket allowance an adjuster will question. See interior & exterior finishes for finish-level rebuild detail.
Storm, Wind & Hail
Roofing, siding, gutters and exterior envelope damage from wind and hail events, with test-square and elevation documentation that supports the scope when a desk adjuster or a reinspection challenges it. Counts only? Quantity takeoff services carry the measured set on their own.
Mold, Contents & Reconstruction
Remediation, contents manipulation and full reconstruction of the affected structure, separated into distinct scopes so mitigation, contents and rebuild each stand on their own line for a clean carrier file. Need dollars on a full rebuild? Cost estimating services put dollars on every quantity.
Claim Support That Does Not Stop at the First Estimate
Pillar A
Transparent RCV, Depreciation & ACV
Every claim resolves the same way the carrier's does: replacement cost first, then the depreciation the policy allows, down to actual cash value and the net payable after the deductible. Recoverable depreciation is shown as recoverable, so the homeowner's holdback is defensible and there is no argument at final payment about what was withheld or why.
- Sketch drawn to measured dimensions
- Photo report mapped to the line items
- Supplement support when scope changes
- Reinspection revisions until the file agrees
Pillar B
Adjuster-Ready Documentation & Supplements
A file clears faster when the documentation answers the questions before they are asked. Every estimate ships with the sketch, a photo report tied to the line items and a scope written to dimension — and when a reinspection or a hidden condition changes the loss, we build the supplement off that same record so it reads as a documented addition, not a negotiation.
Our Process
From Field Photos to a Carrier-Ready File in Three Steps
Send what you captured on site and get back a submission-ready ESX.
Step 1
Submit Photos,
Sketch & Scope
Send your field photos, moisture logs, a rough sketch or measurements and any adjuster notes. PDF, images, DWG and most formats are fine, and a hand sketch works. Tell us the carrier and the deadline, and a free quote comes back within 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 2
Certified Xactimate
Build-Up
A certified Xactimate estimator drafts the sketch to dimension, writes the room-by-room scope against the current regional price list, and applies depreciation, sales tax and O&P to carrier guidelines. A second reviewer checks the file before it leaves the office.
Step 3
ESX + PDF
Delivery
Receive the native ESX file plus a clean PDF summary, ready to upload to the carrier or hand to the adjuster. If the desk comes back with questions, we support supplements and reinspection revisions so the file gets to agreement.
Ready to Get Started?
Xactimate estimates start at $199 and land in 24-72 hours. High-volume restoration firms run a monthly package instead — see our estimating pricing.
24-72 hrs
Standard turnaround
From $199
Xactimate estimate starting price
50 States
Nationwide coverage
ESX + PDF
Carrier-ready deliverables
Who Our Xactimate Estimating Services Are Built For
Matching restoration and claims profiles with the estimating capacity they need most.
Restoration Contractors
Keep crews producing instead of parked in front of Xactimate. Send the photos and the sketch, get a carrier-ready estimate back the same window, and stop losing evenings to a price list that changes every month while a bid date does not wait.
Independent & Public Adjusters
Add estimating capacity during a CAT surge without hiring for a spike that ends. Each file is written to carrier standards with the documentation a reviewer expects, so it moves through the desk instead of bouncing back for missing detail.
Property Owners & Managers
Make sure a loss on your building is scoped completely before you accept a settlement. A certified Xactimate estimate gives you a line-item number to compare against the carrier's, so nothing on the property gets quietly left out of the claim.
General Contractors Doing Insurance Repairs
Bridge the gap between the carrier's Xactimate file and your own construction estimate. We reconcile the two so you know exactly where the claim under-scopes the real repair before you sign a contract to do the work.
Xactimate Estimating FAQs
Still unsure? Ask us directly, or browse the full FAQ.
How much do your Xactimate estimating services cost?
Xactimate estimates start at $199 for a standard residential loss. Price scales with the size of the loss, the number of rooms or elevations and how fast you need it – a single-room water loss and a full fire rebuild are not the same file. Send the photos and the sketch and a fixed quote comes back in 5 to 10 minutes, before you commit to anything.
Are your estimators actually Xactimate certified?
Yes. Your loss is written by a certified Xactimate estimator, so the file uses the sketch, the current regional price list and the RCV, depreciation and O&P conventions a carrier expects – not a spreadsheet dressed up to look like Xactimate. A second reviewer checks it before delivery.
How fast will I get my Xactimate estimate back?
Standard turnaround is 24-72 hours from the point we hold your photos, sketch and scope notes. During a catastrophe surge we hold that window as long as the file is complete, and rush work is available for a rush fee when a carrier deadline moves. Tell us the deadline when you send the file, not after.
Do you deliver a native ESX file?
Yes. You receive the native ESX file plus a clean PDF summary, so you can upload straight to the carrier or hand it to the adjuster. The ESX opens in Xactimate on your side for any edits you want to make before submission – we do not flatten it to a locked PDF.
Do you handle water, fire, storm and mold losses?
Yes. Water and mitigation, fire and smoke, storm, wind and hail, and mold and reconstruction are all in scope. Mitigation, contents and reconstruction are separated into distinct scopes so each stands on its own line, which is what keeps a carrier file clean and moving through the desk.
Do you apply depreciation and overhead and profit correctly?
Yes. Every line carries Replacement Cost Value, then depreciation by age and condition to reach Actual Cash Value, with recoverable and non-recoverable depreciation handled separately. Overhead and profit are applied where the number of trades warrants it, and sales tax is calculated to the jurisdiction – all to the guidelines the carrier already uses.
Can you support supplements and reinspections?
Yes. If the desk adjuster comes back with questions or a reinspection changes the scope, we revise the file and reissue it. Documenting the original scope to dimension with photos up front is what makes a supplement defensible instead of a negotiation, and that documentation ships with every estimate.
Are the loss details and photos kept confidential?
Yes. Photos, sketches, policy details and your pricing are treated as confidential, and we sign an NDA on request before you send a single file. Files are never shared between clients, and we do not perform restoration work ourselves – we are not a competitor on any loss we estimate for you.