Business App for Building Restoration Company

Project Brief: Mobile App for Stone Restoration Estimating
Overview
I am an estimator for a stone restoration company. A significant part of my role involves conducting site surveys, recording repair requirements, and then producing detailed schedules of work with associated pricing. Currently, I take shorthand notes on-site and later spend several hours manually typing these into structured documents and calculating costs.
I would like to develop a mobile application that streamlines this process by allowing me to capture structured data on-site and automatically generate a formatted pricing schedule.
Objectives
Reduce time spent on manual transcription and pricing
Standardise descriptions of repair works
Minimise human error in pricing and documentation
Enable faster turnaround from survey to quotation
Core Functionality
User Input Interface (Mobile-Friendly)
Simple, fast interface designed for use on-site
Dropdown menus / scroll selectors for:
Repair type (e.g. crack repair, stone replacement, repointing, cleaning, etc.)
Size or measurement (e.g. m², linear meters, unit count)
Optional manual input fields for:
Notes or special conditions
Custom measurements
Predefined Repair Database
Each repair type has:
A short code / abbreviation
A full written description (used in final document)
A predefined unit price
Ability to update/edit pricing and descriptions (admin function)
Automatic Description Generation
Based on selected inputs, the app generates:
Full repair description
Measurement details
Unit rate and total cost
Live Pricing Calculation
App calculates totals automatically as items are added
Running total for entire project
Schedule Builder
Users can add multiple repair items into a list
Each item includes:
Description
Quantity
Rate
Total
Export / Output
Generate a professional document (PDF or Word format)
Structured as a schedule of works / pricing document
Option to:
Email directly from the app
Save to device or cloud storage
Additional Features (Desirable but Not Essential Initially)
Voice-to-text for notes while surveying
Photo attachment per repair item
Offline functionality (important for site work)
Cloud sync for backing up projects
Template-based output formatting (company branding)
Technical Considerations
Mobile-first design (iOS and Android preferred)
Fast, minimal input steps (optimised for field use)
Simple backend database for repair types and pricing
Scalable structure for adding new repair categories
End Goal
The app should allow me to complete most of the survey documentation on-site, reducing post-visit admin time from hours to minutes, while producing consistent, professional outputs.
Example Workflow
Select repair type from dropdown
Select size/measurement
Input quantity
App auto-generates description + price
Add item to schedule
Repeat for all repairs
Export completed pricing document