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Surfacely glossary — terms explained

Surfacely uses a precise vocabulary. These terms have specific meanings — understanding them once makes every other guide easier to follow.

The hierarchy

Client: The person or business paying the bill. A client can have many sites.
Site: A physical address. Sites sit between clients and buildings — Surfacely manages this layer for you, so you usually don't think about it directly.
Building: A paintable structure at a site — a house, warehouse, outbuilding. One site can have several buildings.
Area: A named zone within a building: North Elevation, Kitchen, Garage Interior. Areas are permanent — they persist across jobs and re-paints.
Surface: The paintable thing itself — walls, ceiling, windows, soffit, balustrades. Surfaces are permanent records. Measurements and condition change over time; the surface register does not.

Project: The overarching activity — measuring, quoting, and delivering a paint job against one or more buildings. Every quote, invoice, variation, and update belongs to a project.
Quote: A priced scope sent to the client for acceptance. Quotes are versioned — Q1, Q2, Q3 — so revisions are tracked without overwriting history.
Variation: A formal scope change after the quote has been accepted. Additional work, reduced work, or work swapped for something else — all require a variation so the agreement stays clear.
Proposal: A sales document — longer and more persuasive than a quote. Covers your assessment, approach, scope, safety, and investment. Sent for larger or more competitive jobs.
Invoice: A billing document tied to a project. Surfacely generates deposit, progress, and final invoices at the right moments in the project lifecycle.

Measurement: A set of dimensions recorded against a surface at a point in time (length, width, quantity, coats, etc.). Measurements drive hours and material calculations.
Assessment: A structured sweep of an area covering access method, defects, exclusions, safety hazards, and notes. Separate from measurement — it captures the qualitative picture of the job.
Speed Step: A 1–8 scale describing the character of the work: 1 (Intricate) to 8 (Production). Each step maps to a production rate in m²/hr. You set 8 rates in company pricing; each surface has a default step.
Prep Level: How much prep this surface needs. Everyday bands: None (0%), Minimal (10%), Light (20%), Standard (30%), Moderate (50%), Heavy (80%), Very Heavy (120%), with Extensive (150%) and Restoration (300%) bands above. Expressed as a percentage of painting hours added on top.
Wash Only: A surface with coats set to zero — exterior surfaces only. Calculates wash hours at the wash rate; no paint material is counted. Used for surfaces that need cleaning but not painting this visit.

Surfacely Assist: The AI layer that analyses photos in the background and surfaces observations — defects, probable surfaces, area name ideas. Observations are suggestions; you confirm or dismiss each one.
Self-Scope: A feature that lets a homeowner take photos of their property via a shared link before you visit. The AI analyses the photos and presents surface chips for the homeowner to confirm, giving you a head start when you open the job.

Crew Brief: A safety and scope document for your team — the on-site equivalent of a quote. Covers the work scope, hazards, access method, safe work controls, and colour schedule. Your crew signs off via a portal link.
Project Update: A short field post — text, photos, or voice note — attached to the project timeline. Can be internal (team only) or shared with the client via the portal.

Repaint: The standard project type. All surfaces are treated as previously painted.
New Build: For unfinished construction. The first coat is treated as a primer, and the default coat count is 3. Hours and material are calculated differently from a repaint.