What photo-to-quote is for
Some jobs are easier to show than describe. A roof with three missing slates and a cracked lead flashing. A garden with a tired patio, a damaged fence, and overgrown borders. A bathroom with an old suite, cracked grout, and a suspiciously blackened ceiling. Typing all that takes a paragraph per issue. A few photos make the scope obvious at a glance, and the AI can turn that into a priced quote.
Photo input is the fastest way to quote repair work, storm damage, and jobs with clear visual cues. Roofers, landscapers, plumbers on leak calls, and electricians quoting board upgrades get the most value.
What the AI sees
The Gemini multimodal AI analyses each photo and extracts:
- Materials and fittings, tile type, boiler brand, CU layout, fence style
- Damage and condition, missing tiles, corroded pipework, rotten timber
- Approximate quantities, square metres of tiling, linear metres of fencing
- Access constraints, scaffold needs, restricted loft access, awkward pipe runs
You review the extracted scope in plain English, edit anything that's off, and the pricing engine builds line items.
Tips for better photo quotes
- Take wide and close shots. Wide context + close detail works better than five identical-distance shots.
- Include something for scale, a hand, a coin, a tape measure. Helps the AI quantify area.
- Capture the “hidden” things, access to the boiler, under the sink, in the loft. Those are usually where the labour hides.
- Add a voice or text note to cover what photos can't show (age of system, flow pressure, customer preferences on materials).
Insurance claim work
Many roofers and general builders use photo-to-quote specifically for storm damage, leak repairs, and building insurance claims. The itemised format with detailed descriptions of each damaged element is exactly what loss adjusters ask for, and the customer can send the PDF straight to their insurer with the photos attached.
TODO: write dedicated guide on insurance claim quoting workflows.