Xactimate is estimating software that many insurance adjusters and repair contractors use to price property damage. It breaks a repair into individual line items, measures each room and applies local prices for labor and materials. Your reconstruction estimate is often written in it because your adjuster's estimate likely is too, which makes the two easier to compare line by line. Using the same software doesn't decide what your policy pays.
The question usually comes up after the water is cleaned up and the house is dry. Maybe a toilet overflowed upstairs, a frozen pipe burst in an outside wall, or a dishwasher, washing machine or refrigerator supply line let go. Now there's a stack of paperwork with codes, abbreviations and columns of numbers, and you want to know what you're looking at.
What Is Xactimate?
Xactimate is made by Verisk, a company that supplies data and software to the insurance industry. Adjusters use it to write claim estimates, and many contractors use it to write repair estimates for insurance work. Verisk says it researches local prices and updates its price lists monthly for more than 460 regions across the U.S. and Canada.
The price list ties the repair estimate to a place and a month. A price list for your area reflects local labor and material costs, not national averages. That's one reason two repair estimates for the same room can still differ: they may use different price lists or different dates.
Why Is My Reconstruction Estimate Written in It?
Mostly so everyone is reading the same kind of document. If your insurance company's estimate is in Xactimate and the contractor's repair estimate is too, the adjuster can set them side by side and see where the scope matches and where it doesn't. A lump-sum bid that says "rebuild basement" is much harder for anyone to check.
Our estimators write reconstruction estimates in Xactimate for that reason. We prepare detailed reconstruction estimates and work with your adjuster to explain the repairs needed. If your insurance company has already provided an estimate, we can review the reconstruction scope and discuss any differences. The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance makes a similar point in its claims guide: bids should list materials, prices and labor line by line.
How Do I Read the Line Items?
Each line describes one piece of work in one room. A typical line has a short description, a quantity, a unit and a price. A few things help:
Units. SF is square feet, LF is linear feet, EA is each and HR is hours. Drywall and paint are usually in square feet. Baseboard and trim are usually in linear feet.
Action words. "R&R" means remove and replace. "Detach & reset" means something is taken off and put back, like a toilet or a countertop, so other work can happen.
Rooms. Lines are grouped by room, often with a sketch and measurements. Check that the rooms listed match the rooms that were damaged.
Totals. Tax, and sometimes overhead and profit, may show near the end rather than on each line.
Insurance estimates often add columns for replacement cost, depreciation and actual cash value. Those columns are about what your policy pays and when. Our post on recoverable depreciation explains how that part usually works.
Why Doesn't My Estimate Match the Insurance Estimate?
Two estimates written in the same software can still land in different places. The software doesn't decide the scope. People do, and they may see different things in the house.
Common reasons include a missing room or wall, a different amount of drywall or paint, flooring that runs into the next room, cabinets that can't be matched or texture that needs to be redone across a whole ceiling. Sometimes it's just timing. An adjuster may have written the claim estimate before the walls were opened. If more damage turns up later, our post on damage found behind the wall covers how that's usually documented.
A difference between two estimates isn't a promise that anything will change. Your policy and your adjuster decide what's covered. What we can do is help document the work needed to put the affected areas back together, so the scope is clear to everyone reading it.
Does It Matter What Caused the Water Damage?
It can matter for coverage, but not for how the estimate reads. A toilet overflow, a burst pipe, a leaking water heater and a basement sewer backup can all end up as similar drywall, flooring and trim lines.
Coverage is a different story. Sewer backup coverage is often a separate endorsement with its own limit, and many standard policies don't include it. Check your policy and ask your adjuster before the rebuild starts. A detailed estimate won't change what your policy covers.
What If I'm Paying Out of Pocket?
You can still ask for a line-item scope. It shows you exactly which rooms and materials are included, which makes it easier to compare bids or to decide what to do now and what to put off. If you want to upgrade flooring or cabinets during an insurance rebuild, see our post on upgrading and paying the difference.
What Do We Do, and What Don't We Do?
We rebuild after the water is cleaned up and the structure is dry. That means drywall, ceiling texture, interior paint, trim, flooring and cabinets. We don't repair plumbing, pull water or run drying equipment. We also don't handle your claim or decide what's covered. Your plumber fixes the leak, a drying company handles the water and we help put the affected areas back together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a copy of the insurance company's Xactimate estimate?
Usually, yes. Ask your adjuster for the full claim estimate, not just the summary page. It helps us review the reconstruction scope.
Does an Xactimate estimate mean the price is set?
No. It's a detailed starting point for the scope of repairs. Quantities, materials and prices can change as the work is reviewed with you and your adjuster.
Do I need to understand every code?
No. We'll walk you through the lines that matter for your rooms and answer questions in plain language.
Will an Xactimate estimate get my claim paid faster?
We can't promise that. It makes the scope easier to read and compare, but timing and payment depend on your policy and your insurance company.
Rebuilding After a Plumbing Leak in Olathe?
We help homeowners in Olathe, Overland Park, Lenexa and Lee's Summit put their homes back together after burst pipes, toilet overflows, appliance leaks and basement sewer backups. We'll look at the damage, put the scope in writing and go over each part with you. See how the process works on our what to expect page.
Prefer to talk it through first? Call (913) 732-7220, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.