Today was the nicest day we had in a long time; Joey and I worked on my list of things to do around my house. Outside work in perfect weather; it was nice to see the world, not the inside of a house.
Friday we got things lined up for the week and I did two estimates late Friday. I hope to get them both, but I think we will only get one of them. The homeowner told me point blank that it is all about price for them right now. When folks tell me that I still keep the same price (seems like they think if they set the tone up front it will force me to lower the price). Well, I went under the house, walked around the house and told them that the rain water should be reviewed so it will not run under the house, and also that the subfloor is 16%-way too high for us install 4-inch hickory at 6.8%. At the end of my estimate the lady looked at her husband and he said, "This man knows his stuff." That made me feel good, but then she said if the next guy does the same things and goes under the house like I did, she will look at price but if not, we will get the job.
The way we do estimates and inform the homeowner with real facts, not the bull, just might get us this job. We do the same for each job to cover the south end, if you know what I mean. This also gives us a leg up on the guys who walk in, get the tape out and walk the rooms, not the whole house. Knowing that we have a high RH around here makes me like a mouse...crawl the house to find each and every concern that might make the job go bad. I will let you know how the estimate goes and if we get the job; if not it will be because they went with the lower price. If we get it, then it is because we did the work to prove we are what we say we are: NWFA trained and willing to do our very best each and every time.
