Estimate depth from local knowledge, not a guess
Nobody can promise how deep water sits on a given lot, but you do not have to guess blind. Experienced drillers build depth expectations from local knowledge: wells they have drilled nearby, what the neighbors' wells produce and at what depth, and public well logs where the state or county keeps them. That is the honest basis for a depth estimate, and customers respect it when you explain how you got the number.
Say it that way on the estimate too: the depth figure is an expectation from local geology and nearby wells, not a guarantee. The price structure, not false certainty, is what protects both sides.
A drilled well is more than a hole
A complete well estimate covers everything between the drill rig and water at the tap. Leave any of these off and you either eat the cost or have an awkward conversation later.
- Mobilization: getting the rig and support equipment to the site
- Drilling: priced on a depth basis from your local expectation
- Casing and seal: casing by the foot, plus grouting where required
- Pump: sized and set only after the well's yield is known
- Pressure tank and controls: matched to the pump and household demand
- Water test: the lab screen the customer needs before drinking
- Trench and electrical: pipe and power from the well to the house
Price the knowns, bracket the unknowns
Mobilization, casing per foot, the pressure tank, and the electrical run are knowns you can price from your own costs. Drilling depth and pump selection are the unknowns. Handle them with a structure customers understand: a clear basis for the expected depth, and a stated rate per additional foot or per stage if the well goes deeper.
Materials go in at supplier cost, rig time at your real operating cost, and labor from your crew history. Overhead and profit go on top as your markup, set from your own numbers. How to price contractor jobs covers the method in detail.
| Line item | How you size it |
|---|---|
| Mobilization | Flat, from your real transport cost |
| Drilling | Expected depth basis plus a stated deeper rate |
| Casing and seal | Feet of casing at material cost plus time |
| Pump and pressure tank | Sized after yield, at supplier cost |
| Electrical and trench | Measured run from your labor history |
| Water test | Lab fee plus your time |
Have the deep-well talk before the rig rolls
The worst well-drilling disputes come from unstated assumptions about depth. Walk the customer through three scenarios: water near the expected depth, a deeper well at the stated added rate, and the no-water or low-yield outcome and what it costs. Then put the same structure in writing on the estimate.
A driller who explains the range up front keeps the customer when the well runs deep. One who quotes a single firm number for an unknown depth owns the difference.
Mistakes that sink a well estimate
- Quoting one firm price for a well of unknown depth
- Promising a depth with no basis in nearby wells or logs
- Sizing or pricing the pump before the yield test exists
- Forgetting the trench, electrical run, and pressure tank
- Leaving the water test out of the scope
- No written terms for low yield or a dry hole
The estimate the customer signs
Show the structure plainly: mobilization, drilling on the stated depth basis, casing, pump and pressure tank, electrical and trench, water test, and the terms for deeper drilling or low yield. Note permits where your area requires them, and check your local requirements for well construction rules.
EstimateBook, an iOS and Android app, can draft the estimate on site: describe the job by voice and it builds itemized line items you can edit for quantities, prices, and markup before sharing a PDF by Messages or Mail. Any draft is a starting point; confirm it against your rig costs and the local depth picture before it goes out.