On Wednesday, January 24, 2018 at 9:43:06 AM UTC-6, -MIKE- wrote:

See Leon's Stallion quip! :-p

I just want to remind you and Leon that this is the 21st century. We get pick these days! And you can't judge, either. I will turn you both into the PC police.

I always enjoy your posts and this one was entertaining.

I don't know how Lowes gets away with their "free installation," other
than taking a big hit on the sale to keep the customers coming to their
stores.

I don't know either. HD has it from time to time, but I like the appliance lines better (and the pricing) at Lowe's, so I usually go there. Plus, Lowe's is more of a general public remodeling/repair store than HD, so they have more appliances on hand. The last to times I have been emailed a generic 20% off "Pro Advantage Coupon" it has worked with their current sale. So the last time I bought a kitchen full, I got 60% off with $65 haul off and delivery for a dishwasher, microwave, standard oven, and disposal. Free install on the dishwasher (plus parts) and oven (gas, so plus parts there, too).

This job is actually through Home Depot's Pro Referral, which was a web
site called Red Beacon (terrible name) that Home Depot bought when they
got sick of dealing with installers, directly.
Lowes bought a similar site called "Porch" that they now use for most of
their installation services. I'm on that site, too, but rarely respond
since they charge too much for for referrals for my taste. Pro Referral
is free so long as you're buying stuff from HD.

Part of what makes my little company run smoothly is that I manage my customer's expectations and concerns. I write a notoriously, laboriously detailed contract that leaves nothing to chance or imagination. I was slow a few years back and thought I would give both HD and Lowe's a try on their installation of cabinets. The pay wasn't good, and the customers were full of the baloney the salesperson had fed them. "The installer will go over that with you, sir". "The installer will work that out in the field, sir". "The installer can fix that with the materials he carries on his truck, sir. They do it all the time".

I did one job for each, and nothing else. My intent was to do a job like that, put a little money in my pocket, but offer all the rest of my services to the client to promote my business. As it was, it the coordination was so poor, it was not a good fit. Lowe's wanted me to go back out and put in a filler piece a month after it came in (wrong size piece delivered to the job) on a lower kitchen after the tops were in. They held my money until I did, then submitted the bill, and I waited ANOTHER month to get paid. No, thanks.

I hate paperwork, too. Who likes it!? Ever since I got an online
bookkeeping service, it took a lot of the paperwork out of the equation.
Taxes are so easy, now. I just click on the reports and print them off..
I try to stay religious about coming home and entering everything from
that day, mileage, income, etc. The site generates integrated estimates
and invoices, automatically enters CC transactions, estimates quarterly
taxes, and does all the tax reports. That's about 10bucks a month which
is nothing considering the time it saves me. I can deposit checks with
my phone, too. I don't remember the last time I went to by bank.

Quickbooks now has an interface with a lot of banks that will generate reports and do light bookkeeping for you as you enter your checks. Is that what you are using? Sounds like your service is pretty sound. I don't do my own books. I have, and my company is small enough it isn't a big deal, but I am lucky that my CPA always needs to have something done at her house, so a deal has been struck. I pay minimum charges, so one more thing off my plate.

My paperwork is the reports I write (which take hours) after an inspection. I annotate photos, cite code violations, cite Southern Building Codes, add graphics as needed to illustrate my point, etc. Then I invariably get a phone call that asks for an additional report to condense my findings and make point by point recommendations. When I am tired those take forever.

The next part is my painfully detailed estimates. I don't promise to paint a house, I tell them exactly how I am going to do it, what processes are involved, the exact paint, my prep, etc.

I will be up late tonight as I am going to look at a realtor "make ready" and it has me lifting the cabinet over the stove in order to add an over the oven micro, replace two different vanities, a toilet, and do some wall repair and painting. There is outside repair, caulking to replace, a piece of plastic soffit to find, and a patio that needs repairs. There is also an outbuilding they want to reside and paint. I have to find all the crap that fits with their budgets like the vanities, tops, faucets, a microwave, and plug in my cost for plumbing installs like new traps. stops, etc. to get the prices on point.

Then I have to write my recommendations based on my inspection report. After I am through I have to go over the whole thing again to make sure I didn't miss anything as I don't want to be held responsible/liable for deficiencies I find. Then I make sure I have the proper exculpatory language in the mix as some of my estimates and reports go to a corporate office somewhere else for approval, and no telling what a office guy would think I meant when he read my findings/estimate.

That level of detail has been a key in building my business, but it is harder than doing the work for me sometimes.

Anyway... off to the salt mine I go.

Robert