When DAD’s knocks on your door, many trade and construction professional costs have been incurred – just to get him there, ready to do the job.
Don’t judge remodeling costs solely by the time DAD’s spends in your home.
When DAD’s, or any contractor, arrives at your door, many trade and construction professional costs have already been incurred. These costs get workers, their trucks, tools, materials, and equipment ready and able to go to work.
Without years of training, it would be impossible for a doctor to make a diagnosis and prescribe a remedy. Consider for a moment that it isn’t just his initial training. It is an ongoing variety of continuing study and the expenses of maintaining an adequately equipped staff and office.
As a patient, you pay for the doctor’s knowledge and skill plus a share of his business costs (overhead).
This analogy holds true in any service business. The actual expense for providing an initial estimate for your project cannot be determined solely by the time spent at your home. A remodeling firms costs begin with the salary of the professional who first took your call to arrange the first visit.
A typical remodel customer visit and rough estimate requires 5-6 hours plus travel time. It also includes all the expenses in the above caption. Considering all the costs involved, your first visit and initial rough estimate costs about $902.69.
All things considered, the cost to come to your home and provide an initial consultation and provide a follow-up estimate is time and labor intensive.
Contrary to a digital world, an initial estimate is not going back to the office and pushing a button. Unlike how easy the internet makes it look, providing an estimate for a renovation requires time, skill, serious thought processes. It also requires developing a sense for what the customer wants. Consider that it costs almost $1,000 just to come to your home for a first visit. It’s not reasonable to expect a detailed estimate requiring another 12-20 hours and thousands more in costs before signing a contract. Doing so would put the company out of business in a matter of weeks.
