TradeLinkers
Alcoves, doors and staircases, priced, booked and invoiced from your phone
TradeLinkers helps carpenters and joiners quote fitted work as an estimate, take a deposit before buying timber and sheet materials, book installs across several days, and invoice from the accepted estimate. Attach drawings or a sketch to the job so the customer can see exactly what was agreed in their portal.
14 days free, no card. Then £9.99 a month. iPhone users can use the web app.
Typical carpenter jobs, all in one list
Any job works. These are the ones a carpenter books in most weeks.
What changes when a carpenter runs the paperwork on TradeLinkers
Timber paid for before you cut it
Bespoke units can't go back to the merchant. Put a deposit percentage on the estimate and send the request by email, so the sheet materials are covered before you start cutting.
Drawings on the job
Attach your sketch, the measurements or the drawing the customer approved, as a PDF or a photo from your gallery. It sits on the job, and the customer can see it in their portal.
Installs over several days
Book the build and the fit on separate days, each with its own start time, with a gap for the painter or the spray shop. Move any of them with the reschedule sheet if the timber's late.
Working for builders
If a builder books you, make them the customer and their client's house the property, so the invoice goes to whoever pays you. The contractors directory keeps the day rates of the chippies you call in.
Estimate now, invoice later
Send a numbered estimate with the PDF attached. The customer accepts online by typing their name, and when the job's done the invoice is made from the same lines in one tap.
No signal on site
The Android app keeps working without signal on a new build or in a basement, and syncs when you're back online. Emails and file uploads wait for a connection.
What a carpenter's invoice looks like
Labour by the day for the bespoke work, a fixed price per door, and materials on the line the deposit covered. The deposit paid on the estimate carries onto this invoice.
Example figures to show the layout, not a price guide. Your own prices, business details, bank details and VAT setting go on the real thing.
| Description | Qty | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Build and fit two alcove cupboards with shelves above (days) | 3 | £720.00 |
| MDF, timber, hinges and handles | 1 | £340.00 |
| Hang new internal doors, customer supplied | 2 | £170.00 |
| Replace skirting and architrave, hallway | 1 | £210.00 |
Straight answers
Do replacement windows and external doors need building regulations approval?
In England, yes. External windows and doors are "controlled fittings", so a replacement has to meet standards for things like thermal performance, safety glazing, ventilation and means of escape. Either you're registered with a competent person scheme for the work and the customer gets a certificate, or a building control body checks it and issues one. Check locally if you work outside England, as the rules can differ.
Attach the certificate to the job in TradeLinkers so it's in the customer's portal when they come to sell.
How much should a carpenter charge per day?
Work it out from the income you need, not from what the next carpenter charges. Add up what you want to take home, plus tax, van, tools, insurance and the days you won't be on paid work, then divide by the days you can realistically bill. Bespoke joinery may need a higher rate than first fix because of the workshop time behind it.
The day rate calculator does the sum for you.
Should I charge materials at cost or add a markup?
A markup is fair if you're open about it: it covers your time at the merchant, collecting, the offcuts you can't use and the risk of a miscut. Put materials on their own line so the customer sees labour and materials separately.
The job price calculator adds markup and VAT for you, and pricing a job covers the rest.
How do I quote fitted furniture when nothing is square?
Measure first, then price. Book the look-round as a Quote Visit, take your measurements and photos, and send an estimate that says what it allows for, such as scribing to uneven walls, and what it leaves out, such as decorating or moving sockets.
Attach your sketch to the job so the customer sees exactly what they're accepting. More on wording in quote or estimate.
What TradeLinkers does not do yet
- No CIS deductions, if you subcontract to builders.
- Carpentry isn't a job category. It goes under Other, and your booking form shows the same list.
- No price list. Doors, skirting and units are typed as lines, or carried over from the estimate.
Tell us what would help: get in touch. The person who reads it builds the app.
Tools and guides
Day rate calculator
What to charge per day to hit the income you want.
Job price calculator
Labour, materials, markup and VAT in one sum.
Should you take a deposit, and how much?
When to take a deposit, how much to ask for, the 14-day cancellation rules for work agreed in a customer's home, and what to put on the quote.
How do you price a job as a tradesperson?
Price a job from your real costs: a day rate, materials markup, call-out, travel and contingency, then VAT if you're registered. With a worked example.
Run your carpenter paperwork from the van.
14 days free, no card needed. After that it's £9.99 a month for everything, and you can cancel any time.
Android app on Google Play. On an iPhone or a computer, use the web app with the same account.