---
title: How To Create A Proposal
description: Create a proposal in Exterio from your estimates. Choose a PDF or website template, set the title, hero image, and valid-until date, then preview it.
---
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1. [Exterio Help Center](https://www.getexterio.com/help?hsLang=en)
2. [How To](https://www.getexterio.com/help/how-to?hsLang=en)
3. [Proposals](https://www.getexterio.com/help/how-to?hsLang=en#proposals)
# How To Create A Proposal
A proposal is what turns your estimate into something a homeowner reads, believes, and signs. Exterio builds it from the estimates you've already created, using a template your account has set up with your collateral, scopes of work, and branding.
**Where you are:** Create a proposal → *Build the proposal* → *Send it*. This article covers the first step.
### When would I use this?
- You've finished an estimate and you're ready to put a price in front of the customer
- You want to present good/better/best options in one document
- You're delivering a scope of work along with the price
### Where do I create a proposal?
Three paths. One is meaningfully better than the others.
1. **From an estimate(s) (recommended)**
While editing an estimate or multiple estimates created and editing at the same time— or after selecting estimates from the **Estimates** tab — click **Create Proposal**.
This is the best path because the estimates you selected are **pre-filled into the proposal automatically**. You don't have to select them again later.
To include several estimates, select the ones you want from the Estimates tab, then click **Create Proposal**.
2. **From the Actions button**
Open the project, click **Actions** in the top right, and select **Create Proposal**.
3. **From the Proposals tab**
Click **Create New Proposal** — from the center of the tab or the button in the top right.
All three take you to the **proposal builder**.
### What is a proposal template?
Templates come from your **proposal template settings** and carry the content and structure of a proposal you send often — collateral, scopes of work, and settings tuned to a particular offering.
For example, a template built for residential shingle roofs using a specific manufacturer's products, with the right supporting material to sell that package.
Select the template you want to use in the builder.
### What types of proposal templates are there?
| Type | What it produces |
| --- | --- |
| **PDF template** | A PDF proposal document |
| **Website template** | A web-based proposal |
Choose based on how you want the homeowner to receive and interact with the proposal.
### What gets pre-filled from the template?
| Field | Where it comes from |
| --- | --- |
| **Title** | Pre-filled from proposal template settings |
| **Hero image** | Based on template settings, with the option to choose a project photo |
| **Valid until date** | Set in template settings — for example, 30 days from sending |
### How do I choose the cover photo?
When selecting a hero image, you'll see the photos already attached to the project's **Photos** tab — including inspection photos and any property-specific shots.
Select the photo you want on the proposal's cover page.
**If you don't have a property photo**, configure a backup or default photo in your proposal template settings so the space is never empty. A default works, but a photo of the customer's actual home is more personal.
### How do I preview the proposal?
At any point in the builder, **view the proposal** to see how it looks based on your template settings.
### What do I do next?
Your proposal now has its estimates, template, title, cover image, and expiration date — but it isn't ready to send yet.
**Next step:** continue to *How to Edit Proposal Components and Packages* to build out what the homeowner actually sees.
### Tips and gotchas
- **Always start from the estimate(s).** This is the one real recommendation in this article. Creating a proposal from the Actions button or the Proposals tab means selecting estimates manually later — an extra step and a chance to attach the wrong one. Starting from the estimate carries your selection through automatically.
- **Select all your estimates before clicking Create Proposal.** If you're presenting good/better/best, select every estimate you want included in one pass. That's what builds the multi-option proposal in a single document.
- **Use a photo of their house.** A generic default photo works. A photo of the actual home on the cover page tells the homeowner this was built for them, and it costs you one click since the project photos are right there.
- **Set up a default hero image anyway.** Not every job has a good property photo. A template default means no proposal ever goes out with an empty cover.
- **Templates are where the selling happens.** The builder is fast because the template did the work — scopes, collateral, and structure. If your proposals feel thin, the fix is in template settings, not in the builder.
- **Check the valid-until date against the job.** Thirty days is a sensible default. If material prices are moving or you're heading into a busy season, a shorter window protects your margin.
- **Match the template to the offering.** A template built for shingle roofs sends the wrong collateral on a siding job. Confirm you picked the right one before you get deep into building.
- [How To](https://www.getexterio.com/help/how-to?hsLang=en#main-content)
- [Contacts](https://www.getexterio.com/help/how-to?hsLang=en#contacts)
- [Tasks](https://www.getexterio.com/help/how-to?hsLang=en#tasks)
- [Communication](https://www.getexterio.com/help/how-to?hsLang=en#communication)
- [Projects](https://www.getexterio.com/help/how-to?hsLang=en#projects)
- [Photos and Documentation](https://www.getexterio.com/help/how-to?hsLang=en#photos-and-documentation)
- [Estimates](https://www.getexterio.com/help/how-to?hsLang=en#estimates)
- [Inspection Reports](https://www.getexterio.com/help/how-to?hsLang=en#inspection-reports)
- [Workflows](https://www.getexterio.com/help/how-to?hsLang=en#workflows)
- [Customer Portal](https://www.getexterio.com/help/how-to?hsLang=en#customer-portal)
- [Proposals](https://www.getexterio.com/help/how-to?hsLang=en#proposals)
- [Overview](https://www.getexterio.com/help/overview?hsLang=en)
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