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The first of the 2026 software updates are designed to help you move from drawing to estimate more smoothly, price room-by-room with greater ease, and build in better protection for unknown costs – whilst making the full profit on every job.

There are three key improvements to know about:

• PlansXpress room data now feeds into EstimatorXpress more intelligently.
• EstimatorXpress now includes builder and customer contingency options.
• EstimatorXpress now gives you the option to apply profit to overheads.

Watch this short explainer:

And here’s a full run-down in words and pictures – and all the reasons your business will benefit from the valuable changes!

PlansXpress can now help EstimatorXpress price electrics and plumbing by room

When you import a PlansXpress drawing into EstimatorXpress 2026, the software can now recognise the rooms in the plan.

You will see a prompt asking whether you want to add allowances for electrics and plumbing to the rooms imported from PlansXpress.

This is a useful time-saver.

Instead of having to draw every single electrical or plumbing item in PlansXpress, you can let EstimatorXpress make room-based allowances once the plan has been imported.

So, if the drawing includes rooms such as a kitchen, bathroom, WC, lounge, bedrooms, landing, ensuite or dressing room, EstimatorXpress can bring those rooms into the quote template and help build the estimate from there.

This makes the connection between PlansXpress and EstimatorXpress much more practical.

You draw or import the plan.
You identify the rooms.
EstimatorXpress helps you turn that room information into costed work.

The room import is especially useful for renovation work

The PlansXpress import does more than bring through room names.

It also brings through room areas and openings.

In EstimatorXpress, you can then see the imported rooms listed in the quote template, along with details such as:

• room description
• area
• external openings
• internal openings
• estimated items

This is particularly useful for renovation and refurbishment jobs.

Why?

Because renovation work is often priced by room.

Once the rooms are in EstimatorXpress, you can quickly add the work needed in each space. For example:

• stripping out
• plastering
• decorating
• skirting
• tiling
• new floor coverings
• ceiling work
• wall finishes

That means you can take an existing building, import the PlansXpress room data, and then build up the renovation tasks room by room.

It gives you a more organised estimate and reduces the amount of manual setup needed.

There is one important point to remember. Some items can be estimated in more than one place. For example, electrics, plumbing or plastering may be added within a room or through the main estimating sections. So, it is worth checking that you have not allowed for the same work twice.

The markups screen now gives you more control

EstimatorXpress 2026 has also updated the markups area.

The screen is now called Markups, Client Contingency & Inflation.

This is where you can set the markups required for the job, including:

• overhead
• builder contingency
• profit
• client contingency
• inflation allowances

You can also see the job cost and the job cost including markups, which makes it easier to test different figures and see the impact on the final price.

This is useful when you are trying to get the price right before issuing the quote.

You can adjust the percentages, review the effect on the total, and decide whether the final figure gives you the protection and margin you need.

Profit can now be applied to overheads

One of the important 2026 updates is the option to apply profit to overheads.

You will see a tick box for Add profit to overheads.

This gives you more flexibility over how the final selling price is calculated.

Overheads are still real costs. They help cover the cost of running the business, managing the job, using your systems, dealing with admin, and keeping everything moving.

With this update, you can choose whether profit is applied to those overheads as well as to the direct job costs.

For builders who want their pricing to reflect the full cost of running the business, this is a useful addition.

Introducing builder contingency and customer contingency – they do different jobs

It is worth being clear on the difference.

Builder contingency is for you.
It is an internal allowance to protect your margin and cover risk.

Customer contingency is for the quote.
It is used when the customer has agreed to include a visible contingency allowance.

Both are useful, but they serve different purposes.

One protects the business behind the scenes.
The other gives the customer a clear, agreed allowance for unknowns.

Builder contingency helps protect your margin

EstimatorXpress 2026 also gives you a builder contingency option.

Builder contingency is an internal allowance for risk.

It is there to help protect you against unknowns such as:

• small errors
• delays
• awkward site conditions
• items that are difficult to predict at estimating stage

You can apply builder contingency by resource type, including materials, labour, plant, subcontractors and sundries.

This means you can build sensible protection into the estimate without necessarily showing it as a separate line on the customer’s quote.

It is your internal safety net.

Customer contingency can be shown on the quote

Customer contingency is different.

This is used where you and the customer have agreed to include a contingency allowance in the quote.

For example, on an older property or a renovation project, you may agree to include a £5,000 contingency because there are likely to be unknowns once work begins.

In EstimatorXpress, you can add this as either:

• a fixed value
• a percentage

If you enter a customer contingency, it can then be shown clearly on the quote summary.

In the quote, the customer can see the build cost, the contingency, the VAT on the contingency, and the total cost including VAT.

This makes the quote more transparent.

It also helps avoid confusion later because the contingency has been agreed and shown from the start.

And to note – in your ContractsXpert 2026 edition you can select whether you want the customer contingency as a provisional sum.

Reports now give a clearer breakdown of markups

EstimatorXpress 2026 has also updated some of the reporting language.

You will now see reports referring to markups rather than the older “overhead and profit” wording.

The Sales Price Including Markups report gives a clearer breakdown of how the final price has been built.

For example, the report can now show:

• resource cost excluding wastage
• wastage
• resource cost including wastage
• total overhead
• total builder contingency
• total profit
• total markup
• total cost including markups

This gives you a fuller view of where the selling price comes from.

It also helps you understand the relationship between cost, overhead, contingency, profit and final sales price.

Why these updates matter

These updates are all about better control.

PlansXpress now passes more useful room information into EstimatorXpress.

EstimatorXpress can then use that room information to help allow for electrics, plumbing and room-based renovation work.

The updated markups screen gives you more flexibility over profit, overheads, contingencies and inflation.

And the updated quote and reports help you see, explain and manage the figures more clearly.

In summary

EstimatorXpress 2026 and PlansXpress 2026 now give you:

• smarter PlansXpress room imports
• automatic room-based allowances for electrics and plumbing
• imported rooms with areas and openings
• easier renovation pricing by room
• a clearer markups screen
• the option to apply profit to overheads
• builder contingency for internal protection
• customer contingency for agreed visible allowances
• customer contingency shown clearly on the quote summary
• updated reports showing markups, builder contingency and total price breakdowns

The result is a smoother process from drawing to estimate, and more control over how the final price is built.

What next? Take a closer look.

Our mission at HBXL is to help builders who mean business – builders who want to get the most out of their building company. So, we can’t wait for you to experience these latest improvements in our 2026 software releases.

In-date Support & Updates? If you have the software already and you’re either a subscriber or a perpetual licence holder with in-date Support & Updates – the updates will be ready for use on launch. Any questions about the HBXL software update call us on 0117 917 7892 or message us on this website’s chat.

Lapsed Support & Updates? If your Support & Updates has expired then renew here. Alternatively, if your software has slipped out of the renewal zone, upgrade here.

Don’t have the software? If you’re a previous subscriber, or have never used our software before, we’d love to talk to you on 0117 916 7898 or message us on this website’s chat. Or click through now to book a date for a short online demonstration or start your 14-day trial – try for free.