AI doesn’t take a measurement or push a panel through the saw. It helps you between the site visit and the shop: cleaning up your measurements, writing the quote, preparing a cut list for you to check, requesting prices from suppliers, showing the client an idea of the result.
AI helps carpenters with tasks such as “Write the quote for a custom piece,” “Dictate measurements at the client’s home,” and “Prepare a cut list to check.” Start with a single task, in Claude: allow 10 minutes the first time, and always review the result before you use it.
For each task: how it goes today, then with the tool. And the time it takes the first time.
Claude · On your phone: dictation and photos
TodayEvery piece is one of a kind, so every quote gets rewritten from scratch, in the evening, from a sketch and three measurements.
With ClaudeA complete description of the piece, with what is included, what isn’t, and the points to confirm.
Wispr Flow · Dictation on your phone
TodayMeasurements get jotted on a scrap of paper with the tape measure in the other hand, and there’s always one missing once you’re back at the shop.
With Wispr FlowComplete, readable measurements on your phone, ready to paste into the quote or the cut list.
Claude · Excel file, in the conversation
TodayGoing from finished dimensions to the parts list is an hour of subtractions where one forgotten thickness costs you a panel.
With ClaudeA part-by-part cut list, with the calculation behind each dimension in front of you so you can check it.
Also
ChatGPT · Image creation, from a sketch
A mood image of the piece in the client’s room, to decide before you build.
A clear price request, identical for each supplier, that makes the replies comparable.
Gemini Notebook · An “Instructions and data sheets” notebook
The manufacturer’s dimensions and the exact page of the instructions, found without leaving the workbench.
A clear summary of the subsidies and VAT for this case, with the official pages to pass on to the client.
Claude · Word file, in the conversation
A one-page care sheet, based on the manufacturer’s data sheet, to hand over with the invoice.
Tiime · “Facturation” (Invoicing) tab
A clear deposit invoice, sent the day the client signs, before you order materials.
What to check
A signed quote commits you: dimensions, materials, prices, and VAT remain yours. Keep the required legal wording from your usual template, and don’t photograph anyone or any of the client’s documents.
Write the quote for a custom pieceClaude · On your phone: dictation and photosThe prompt to copy
You’re helping me prepare the quote for a custom carpentry piece for a homeowner: [a built-in closet in an alcove, four hinged doors]. From my dictated measurements and the photos, write the description in four parts: fabrication (overall dimensions, materials and thicknesses as I stated them, finish, hardware), installation (floor protection, scribing to the walls, fasteners, adjustments), what is not included ([painting, electrical work, plaster repair, removal of the old unit]), and the terms (fabrication lead time, deposit, access). A description a client can understand, with no prices at all. Mark “to be confirmed” anything I didn’t specify, and don’t make up any dimension. End with the questions to ask the client.
In Nova, “My path” starts from your level: one next step at a time.
The first moves, with free tools.
In your jobWrite the quote for a custom piece
In your jobFind a drilling dimension in an instruction sheet
In your jobPrepare a cut list to check
In your jobDictate measurements at the client’s home
For a team: everyone moves forward in their own job. You see the team’s progress, never one person’s activity.
It writes the quote description from your dictated measurements, prepares a cut list as an Excel file with its calculations, and formats the price request to your suppliers.
Recommended planFree to start. Pro, $20 per month ($17 per month if billed yearly), if you use it every day.
At the client’s home, tape measure in one hand, you dictate the measurements into a note on your phone: the dimensions are written down as you go.
Recommended planFree, $0: 1,000 words per week on phone, 2,000 on desktop. Then Pro, $15 per user per month ($12 if billed yearly).
From your sketch and a photo of the room, it creates a mood image: the client sees the idea before you start building.
Recommended planFree, with a limit on images, $0. Plus, $20 per month, if you use it often.
You store the instructions for your hardware and the technical data sheets for your finishes there. It finds a drilling dimension or a drying time and shows you the page.
Recommended planFree: 100 notebooks, 50 sources per notebook, 50 questions per day.
For a question about window replacement subsidies or about VAT: it searches the web and shows the official page.
Recommended planFree to start: 3 “Pro” searches per day, 1 “Research” report per month. Pro, $20 per month (€22 on the French App Store).
Unlimited quotes and invoices, in the electronic invoice format, and your accountant sees the same documents you do. Tiime doesn’t write for you.
Recommended planFree, €0: unlimited quotes and invoices. To send the invoice from Tiime and send reminders in one click: Initial, €9.99 per month, excl. tax, billed yearly (€119.88).
Prices taken from the vendors’ official pages, dated on each tool page. These subscriptions are not included in Nova. Brands are named to identify the tools. No affiliation.
Nova recommends 6 to start with: Claude, Wispr Flow, ChatGPT, Gemini Notebook, Perplexity, and Tiime. All of them can be used for free to get started.
Yes. From your sketch and a photo of the room, it creates a mood image: the client sees the idea before you start building. The plan to choose: Free, with a limit on images, $0. Plus, $20 per month, if you use it often.
With “Write the quote for a custom piece,” in Claude (on your phone: dictation and photos). Allow 10 minutes the first time. A complete description of the piece, with what is included, what isn’t, and the points to confirm.
No. Nova is software, not an accredited training provider: it issues no diploma or certification. It costs €19 per month for one person, and €129 per month for a team of up to ten people.