Price the crown before you fold the ladder.
Staxen is the AI office assistant for carpentry contractors. Walk the house, say the linear feet and the profile, and it writes the estimate, texts it for e-signature, writes up the stain grade upgrade, bills each stage, and chases the last check. You cut the miters. It runs the paperwork, from rough framing to punch list.
Get started. Start free.
The paperwork problems every carpenter knows
Trim bids guessed off a tape list
You measure crown and base into the notes app, then price it at the kitchen table at ten at night. Guess low and the profile eats you. Guess high and the builder calls the other guy.
Scope that moves once the drywall is up
The plan said paint grade and the homeowner wants stain grade. The jambs are out of square and every casing needs scribing. None of it is written down, so none of it gets paid.
Waiting on the last draw
Punch is done, the builder is three houses down the street, and your final invoice is in a pile on his truck seat. You finish in March and get paid in May.
What Staxen does for carpenters
Whitfield job, hundred forty feet of crown, three ten of base, paint grade, hang and case nine doors, forty two hundred.
Staxen turns that one sentence into a formal estimate for the Whitfield job: 140 linear feet of crown, 310 linear feet of base in paint grade, and nine openings hung and cased, priced at $4,200. You check the counts, then Staxen texts a link the client opens, reads, and e-signs from their phone.
Trim quoted in linear feet, by voice
Say the run and the profile. Staxen drafts the estimate with a line per material, you check the counts on your phone, and it goes to the builder or the homeowner by text for e-signature.
Stain grade upgrades in writing
Better material, scribed jambs, an added closet build-out. Say it once and Staxen writes the change order the client approves by text or email, before you cut a stick of it.
Counts straight off the door schedule
Upload the plan PDF and Staxen drafts estimate line items from it. You review the openings and the casing counts before the estimate leaves your phone.
Billing by stage, not at the end
Split the job into rough carpentry, trim, and punch. Staxen invoices each stage, takes card or ACH online, and escalates reminders until each one is paid.
Lumber yard tickets filed by photo
Snap the ticket at the counter and Staxen reads it and files it to the job, so what the poplar actually cost is on the job and not on the dash of the truck.
QuickBooks stays current
Estimates and invoices push to QuickBooks Online when you send them, and payment status pulls back. Your books match the jobs without retyping a thing.
Line items that sound like your trade
Estimates read the way a carpenter writes them, because you dictated them. A few line items the way they come out on a Staxen estimate:
- Crown molding, supply and install, per linear foot: Example: $9 to $16 per foot depending on profile, ceiling height, and outside corner count.
- Base and shoe, supply and install, per linear foot: Priced per foot, so a room added mid job is one line and one change order.
- Interior door hung and cased, per opening: Example: $185 to $320 per opening depending on jamb condition and casing profile.
- Window casing and stool, per opening: Scribing and out of square jambs called out on the estimate instead of absorbed for free.
- Stair skirt, treads, and returns, per step: A per step line keeps a stair package easy to price and easy to adjust.
- Built-in shelving, paint grade, per linear foot: Example: $95 to $180 per foot depending on depth, face frame, and adjustable shelves.
Things carpenters ask us
Can Staxen estimate finish carpentry by the linear foot?
Yes. Say the run and the profile and Staxen drafts a line per material at your own rates. Crown, base, casing, and stair work all price per foot or per opening, so a scope change is one number, not a rewrite.
What happens when the client upgrades to stain grade?
Say the upgrade and the price and Staxen writes it as a change order. The client approves it by text or email, so the better material is agreed in writing before you cut it and before it shows up on the final bill.
Can Staxen count openings off a plan set?
Yes. Upload the plan PDF and Staxen drafts estimate line items straight from it, including openings off a door and window schedule. You review every count before the estimate goes out.
How do I bill a long trim job without waiting for the end?
Split it into stages like rough carpentry, trim, and punch. Staxen invoices each stage as you finish it, takes card or ACH online, and sends escalating reminders until it is paid.