What kinds of documents Hemma understands
When a document arrives, the first thing Hemma does is ask: what is this? The answer determines what gets extracted, where it shows up, and how it is treated.
Hemma sorts every document into one of eight types. This article walks through them.
01The eight types
Invoice. A bill from a contractor or supplier. Hemma extracts the contractor name and VAT number, the invoice number and date, the due date, the net and VAT amounts, the total, the IBAN, the structured payment reference, and every line item with its quantity and unit price. Invoices are the type Hemma takes most seriously — they get a second AI reading for cross-checking.
Quote. A price proposal from a contractor. Same fields as an invoice, except there is no payment yet. Quotes also get the dual AI reading because the numbers will eventually drive budget decisions and side-by-side comparisons.
Permit. A municipal document. Building permit, environmental permit, EPB certificate, anything from your gemeente or commune. Hemma stores the file and tags it for retrieval; it does not pull out money fields, because there usually are none.
Plan. Architectural drawings, technical drawings, floor plans. Hemma stores the file at full resolution so you can mark it up and share it with your architect. No financial extraction.
Tech doc. Manuals, datasheets, specifications, certifications. The kind of paperwork your installer hands you when the heat pump is commissioned. Stored and tagged for when you need it years later.
Photo. A picture of the build. Stored with its original metadata so you can find it by date.
Inspiration. A reference photo or screenshot — the kind of thing you save when scrolling Pinterest before a renovation. Same handling as a photo, different tag, so your inspiration board does not get mixed up with your site photos.
Other. Anything that does not fit. Stored, tagged "other", searchable by name. If "other" turns up too often for your project, that is a signal that Hemma's classification is off — see the AI extracted the wrong amount or contractor for how to correct it.
02Trade tagging on invoices and quotes
For invoices and quotes, Hemma also identifies the trade the document is about: groundworks, structural, roofing, exterior joinery, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, screed and flooring, plastering, interior joinery, painting, landscaping, or miscellaneous.
That tag is what lets the budget tree group related work together, and what powers the side-by-side quote comparison when two electricians both quote you. It is also what shows up next to the contractor's name on the file row, so a glance is enough to know what kind of work the document is about.
03What if the type is wrong
Hemma extracts a confidence score with every classification. If it is below 80%, the document lands in Needs review and Hemma asks you to pick the right type from a dropdown. Once you confirm, Hemma re-runs the extraction with the correct type so the right fields come out.
You can also override the type after the fact on any document detail page. The original file does not change; just the type label and what Hemma extracts from it.
The classifier looks at the document content, not the filename. So a PDF named scan_001.pdf that contains an invoice will still be classified as an invoice. The filename is just a label for you.
04Common questions
My contractor sent a quote and an invoice in one PDF. What happens? Hemma processes the file as a single document and picks the dominant type. If you really need them separated, ask the contractor to send them as two attachments — one PDF per document is always the cleanest input.
A municipal letter is not really a "permit" — is it filed as one? It depends on the content. A letter announcing an inspection is more likely to be filed as "other" than as a permit. You can change the type if Hemma got it wrong.
Why does Hemma not have a "contract" type? Because in practice, Belgian DIY projects rarely receive standalone signed contracts as PDFs — most agreements live inside accepted quotes. If a contract does arrive, Hemma files it as "other" or "tech doc" depending on shape.
05What if it goes wrong
- The wrong type was assigned and the financial fields look strange? See the AI extracted the wrong amount or contractor.
- The document never got a type and stayed in Needs review? See a document is stuck in "Needs review".