I'll help resurrect this dead thread...
It's also educational to look at estimates done by a Public Adjuster to see all the possible things they throw in there. Hmmm. Why didn't I think to include testing for asbestos, inventorying every item in the house, and pressure washing the driveway? There's a Florida PA who includes those in every estimate. Appropriate for some claims, but might just be negotiable items in most cases.
When I starting doing Hurricane Irma claims for Tile roofs in Florida, I asked for a macro because I knew shingle roof construction but not tile roofs. I was pretty much told that if I didn't know how to write a macro, that I didn't know what I was doing. Well, that's why I asked.
Long story, short: I wrote about a dozen tile roof estimates (many were kicked back) and spoke to a half-dozen roofers about building techniques and building codes before I got the basics of tile roofs.
Would I have saved getting those files kicked back if I had a macro? Or would I have taken longer to learn the construction techniques? Clearly the old-timers have their opinion, but I can understand your point about seeing the playbook and learning their tricks.