Training new restoration team members to sketch for Xactimate

Can you teach a child to sketch for Xactimate?

Property restoration technicians, project managers, and estimators work in a variety of property damage scenarios including water damage, fire damage, mold removal, and insurance claim reconstruction. The most common tool for constructing estimates and/or agreed-upon scopes of work in the property insurance claims realm is an estimating software called Xactimate.

As Jon Isaacson discusses in his book, Be Intentional: Estimating, every insurance claims estimate, especially those composed in Xactimate, need two key things:

1. 1) Photos - lots and lots of photos. Photos of the source of the damage, the extent of damages, room by room, all four corners of each room, continuous surfaces and materials, contents, building materials removed, etc. You can never have too many photos.
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3. 2) A sketch or diagram - a dimensional drawing of the structure so that all parties, the homeowner, the insurance carrier, and the contractor can work from the same "blueprint" to assess damages, develop an agreed-upon scope of work, and assign values to the work that needs to be done.

​Many restoration contractors, business owners, and managers struggle to train their teams to clearly and consistently document the story of the loss. This video from The DYOJO Podcast is an excerpt from their latest podcast episode (Season 3, Episode 65). This episode serves as the launch of their NEW season as well as their NEW series The Xactimate Sessions.

The Xactimate Sessions - File 001
Learning Xactimate from Scratch
Guest: Greg Power (Tacoma, WA)

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Four Tips for New Estimators When Creating Your Sketch or Diagram for Xactiamte

• At a minimum, you should have a laser tape measure and 1/4" by 1/4" graph paper. We discuss technological upgrades in the video, but this should be the foundation of your property damage assessment and estimating kit. 
• Always start in a corner, preferably one with two exterior walls. If you start your sketch in the center of a structure, it will be difficult to get your scale to line up and your sketch to layout on one piece of paper. 
• Use a consistent scale for your diagram, IE 1/4" = 2', where every box = 2' x 2' as you sketch to scale. 
• Always measure and mark your doors, cabinets, damaged areas, etc. It is helpful to utilize color for certain common scopes of work such as red for flood cut areas, orange for flooring removed, green for cabinets, etc. 

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​The DYOJO Podcast - helping you shorten your DANG learning curve for personal and professional development. Thursdays at 9am PST on YouTube and Spotify. 

Stay tuned as The DYOJO will be using the content from this current series, The Xactimate Sessions, as the foundation for a new book that will release shortly after the series finale (date TBD).