How do you prepare to give a proper estimate?
From our experience as a contractor and working with other companies, the most important aspect is to know the customers expectations for the work.
What you think may be a simple and quick repaint, potential clients may think you are bringing their 50 year old home back to original condition if you don’t prepare a proper estimate.
What are some of the things that should be discussed and documented?
- Exactly which substrates are to be finished?
- Are there extensive nail holes? How will they be addressed?
- Will walls need to be skim coated and sanded?
- Is there a build up of paint on the trim that needs to be addressed?
- Does caulking need to removed and re applied?
- Is there paint on switchplates and hinges?
It’s important to clarify these items with customers and employees!
Preservation or Restoration
Our company uses two these two terms for preparation . These are two totally different terms but can kill your profit on a job if you didn’t express this to your workers.
Preservation is what we do 99% of the time, knock off the loose paint, caulk where needed feather sane prime and paint. Restoration involves stripping surfaces either by mechanical or chemical means and may involve lead work and other protective measures.
You can imagine going from one to the other can cost a bunch more. So if you never explained this to your crew and they go over whose fault is it?
Always make sure to go over in detail your plan and make sure everyone is on the same page.
Great advice. We tend to overlook customer expectations and assume that we know what they want. This is the first step towards a bad situation which usually costs you money or an unhappy customer or both. Thanks for the reminder.
Thank you Jeff, I appreciate it.
Customer satisfaction is our motive.If you will satisfy your customers then it helps to grow your business.
Thank you, always the satisfaction is first, sometimes between the estimate to the operations something goes wrong, sometimes it is the company but mostly it is the customers expectations they never let us know during that estimate.