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flaming_potato · 03-20-2019, 10:23 PM

My 2 cents:

I am in the flooring business and 99% of the time we do not charge for an estimate. The other 1% of the time is when I get called to give an estimate for a repair and I happen to have the tools or materials to fix it on the spot then I will try to figure out a price based on my time to charge.

What gets me is when people ask (and I get it but it still grinds my gears) is when people ask for a price to install or repair their floor over phone or email when I haven't even seen the job. There are so many factors for me to consider when pricing out a job such as:

- prep work (old floor removal, baseboards, subfloor leveling)

- layout and an acurate sqft measurement

- type of flooring material to be installed (also mouldings and transitions, stairs?)

- existing furniture
- homeowners expectations and timelines
- and a lot more I could go on

Therefore I have no problem coming over at no charge to give my clients an accurate estimate and educate them on flooring and my services. The last thing I want to do is sell myself short or surprise my client with extra charges after I fully asses the job. Most people don't understand the amount work involved with what I need to do to get the job done properly, under warranty and problem free.

I have had clients say to me "Oh, its only 650 sqft of laminate install that should be easy for you to give me a price over the phone, no?" Then I get there and their existing carpet and mdf baseboards are soaked with cat piss and disintegrate when removed, the subfloor has swelled due to the excess moisture from the cat piss and over watering of the plants and needs to be repaired and all the high edges sanded down and there is furniture everywhere that they "forgot to remove". And then they are shocked when I have to charge more for having to spend almost an extra day dealing with all of these things that were failed to be mentioned to me, starting with getting a coveralls and a respirator to remove the carpet and baseboards without gagging. So yeah I try not to take that chance anymore. I guess this could go in the gear grinder thread!

Do I sometimes spend an hour or so at an estimate only to lose the job or not get a call back? Yes. Unfortunately this is one of the many costs in my business. Now I understand how it can be necessary for some companies to charge for their time depending on what it is they do. I typically can only do my estimates in the evening and weekends anyways because I am generally busy during the day in the week. Sometimes I wish I charged for estimates as it sucks taking time away from the wife and kids but I find it works out most of the time anyways, win most, lose a little. I need to do it to keep busy anyhow.

03-20-2019, 10:23 PM	#54
flaming_potato Backup Goalie Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Calgary Exp:	My 2 cents: I am in the flooring business and 99% of the time we do not charge for an estimate. The other 1% of the time is when I get called to give an estimate for a repair and I happen to have the tools or materials to fix it on the spot then I will try to figure out a price based on my time to charge. What gets me is when people ask (and I get it but it still grinds my gears) is when people ask for a price to install or repair their floor over phone or email when I haven't even seen the job. There are so many factors for me to consider when pricing out a job such as: - prep work (old floor removal, baseboards, subfloor leveling) - layout and an acurate sqft measurement - type of flooring material to be installed (also mouldings and transitions, stairs?) - existing furniture - homeowners expectations and timelines - and a lot more I could go on Therefore I have no problem coming over at no charge to give my clients an accurate estimate and educate them on flooring and my services. The last thing I want to do is sell myself short or surprise my client with extra charges after I fully asses the job. Most people don't understand the amount work involved with what I need to do to get the job done properly, under warranty and problem free. I have had clients say to me "Oh, its only 650 sqft of laminate install that should be easy for you to give me a price over the phone, no?" Then I get there and their existing carpet and mdf baseboards are soaked with cat piss and disintegrate when removed, the subfloor has swelled due to the excess moisture from the cat piss and over watering of the plants and needs to be repaired and all the high edges sanded down and there is furniture everywhere that they "forgot to remove". And then they are shocked when I have to charge more for having to spend almost an extra day dealing with all of these things that were failed to be mentioned to me, starting with getting a coveralls and a respirator to remove the carpet and baseboards without gagging. So yeah I try not to take that chance anymore. I guess this could go in the gear grinder thread! Do I sometimes spend an hour or so at an estimate only to lose the job or not get a call back? Yes. Unfortunately this is one of the many costs in my business. Now I understand how it can be necessary for some companies to charge for their time depending on what it is they do. I typically can only do my estimates in the evening and weekends anyways because I am generally busy during the day in the week. Sometimes I wish I charged for estimates as it sucks taking time away from the wife and kids but I find it works out most of the time anyways, win most, lose a little. I need to do it to keep busy anyhow. __________________ Last edited by flaming_potato; 03-20-2019 at 10:29 PM.