How to Add AI Estimating to Your Restoration Workflow
One new step. Everything around it stays where it is.
Most restoration companies don't want a new workflow. They want the one they have to move faster at its slowest point, which is usually turning a site visit into a submitted Xactimate estimate. Good AI estimating software slots into that gap without forcing crews to change how they capture jobs or estimators to give up control. This guide shows how to add it step by step, using Axiom as the working example.
Map your current workflow first
Before adding anything, write down what happens today from first notice of loss to submission. Who visits the site? What do they capture, and in which app? Who writes the estimate, and when? Where does it wait? Most teams find the same bottleneck: the estimate gets written hours or days after the visit, from notes and memory, and then typed into Xactimate.
That is the step AI drafting replaces. Everything else, including the site visit, readings and estimator review, stays.
Five steps to add AI estimating software
Keep your capture tools
Don't change apps on day one. Axiom works from the photos, measurements, floor plans and notes your crew already collects. Photos can come from a CompanyCam, Google Drive or DocuSketch shareable link, a direct upload, drag-and-drop, or its iOS app.
Decide how measurements arrive
Pick one default per job type: a 3D scan in the iOS app, an existing ESX, a 2D PDF floor plan, or typed rooms. If a tech sketches by hand, a photo of the sketch can be traced into an editable floor plan.
Add the draft step right after the visit
Enter job details such as loss type and date of loss, and generate the draft while the job is fresh. In the walkthrough demo, an ~$8,000 water loss took a little over a minute and produced 33 line items. The draft is organised by room with Xactimate codes, line items and editable quantities.
Make review a named job
Nothing in Axiom is final until an estimator reviews and approves it room by room. Assign that review to a specific person. When the photos didn't settle an item, the scope assistant asks a question instead of guessing; the reviewer answers it.
Open the ESX and carry on as normal
The output is a native .esx file that opens directly in Xactimate and reprices on your own price list. From here, notes, final checks and submission to the carrier or TPA follow your existing process.
Fit the other workflows in where they help
PDF to Xactimate for in-progress claims
Jobs already underway may only have an estimate as a PDF. PDF to Xactimate converts an existing Xactimate estimate PDF into an ESX so you can keep working on it in Xactimate.
Compare for adjuster disagreements
When a carrier issues its own estimate, Compare combines carrier and contractor estimates for line-by-line review. Put it in your workflow at the point where you currently argue numbers by email.
Supplements stay in the same file
Because the first estimate is already a working ESX, supplements are edits rather than rebuilds. Add hidden damage or extra drying days to the same estimate with photos and readings attached.
Roll it out without disrupting jobs
- Week one: use the free PDF-to-ESX conversion new accounts receive to see the file format, then run two or three closed jobs through the photo workflow.
- Next: run live mitigation jobs, where scope repeats, with your most experienced reviewer.
- Then: tighten your photo checklist based on the questions the scope assistant raised.
- After that: add put-back and exterior jobs, and bring in more estimators. All plans include unlimited users, so adding people doesn't add seat fees.
At the time of writing (October 2026), Axiom lists Starter at $899/month and Pro at $2,500/month, with Enterprise buildaxiom.ai on custom terms. You can see the product and current plans at https://buildaxiom.ai/.
Who does what after the change
Field techs
Shoot every wall, ceiling and floor in affected rooms, capture measurements the agreed way, and take readings as before. Their job barely changes, except that their photos now drive the draft directly.
Estimators
Generate the draft, answer the scope assistant's questions, review each room, edit quantities and add what the photos could not show. They spend less time typing and more time on judgement.
PMs and owners
Track how long estimates wait for review, which items reviewers change most often, and how adjusters respond. Use those notes to refine the photo checklist and training.
Common mistakes
- Changing capture apps and estimating at the same time.
- Treating the draft as finished instead of as a starting point.
- Skipping the scope assistant's questions.
- Judging the tool on one job instead of a handful across loss types.
For a closer look at what happens inside the draft step, read How AI Estimating Software Turns Jobsite Photos Into Xactimate Estimates.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to change my documentation app to use AI estimating software?
No. Axiom accepts CompanyCam, Google Drive and DocuSketch shareable links, plus uploads, drag-and-drop and its iOS app.
Where does AI estimating fit in the workflow?
Right after the site visit, replacing the step where an estimator writes and types the estimate from notes. Review and submission stay the same.
Does the estimator still review everything?
Yes. Axiom estimates are drafts until an estimator reviews and approves them room by room.
Can I use it on jobs already in progress?
Yes. PDF to Xactimate converts an existing Xactimate estimate PDF into an ESX so you can keep working on it.