My friend is in the market for a kitchen remodel. He says Home Depot wants
$100.00 to just come out and measure. I've never heard of this before. Is
this common?

ScottO.

"ScottO" wrote in message
...
My friend is in the market for a kitchen remodel. He says Home Depot wants
$100.00 to just come out and measure. I've never heard of this before. Is
this common?

Expo design center (a subsidiary) wants much more here.

It's becoming more common.

On Jun 22, 6:27?pm, "ScottO" wrote:
My friend is in the market for a kitchen remodel. He says Home Depot wants
$100.00 to just come out and measure. I've never heard of this before. Is
this common?

ScottO.

yeah sad too many windowshoppers.

you can take your measurements to lowes and their kitchen designer
will come up with a nice plan

why charge $100 for an estimate,when you can charge $300 for the plan.

free estimates are what gets potential customers to call you in the
first place.

I say give the window shoppers the free estimate without a plan
and if they want a plan, charge them $300 for it and it is NOT deducted
from the contract price.
at least this way you are being paid for your time and you didn't waste
more than 20 min. on a plan that a window shopper is expecting for free.

I usually give free estimates at the time of looking at the job,
then I inform them about the "design fee" to get a plan.

works like a charm
it usually weeds out the garden so to speak.





wrote in message
oups.com...
| On Jun 22, 6:27?pm, "ScottO" wrote:
| My friend is in the market for a kitchen remodel. He says Home Depot
wants
| $100.00 to just come out and measure. I've never heard of this
before. Is
| this common?
|
| ScottO.
|
| yeah sad too many windowshoppers.
|
| you can take your measurements to lowes and their kitchen designer
| will come up with a nice plan
|

In article ,
"stainer" wrote:

I usually give free estimates at the time of looking at the job,
then I inform them about the "design fee" to get a plan.
Interesting how things work differently at different places. If you
gave me an estimate and then mentioned the design fee (especially since
the fee is not credited toward the project if we accept) I would have
tossed you out the door as trying to rip me off. Especially since I am
sure the actual bid doesn't always match up with estimate after you get
exactly everything down on paper.

"Kurt Ullman" wrote in message
...
| In article ,
| "stainer" wrote:
|
| I usually give free estimates at the time of looking at the job,
| then I inform them about the "design fee" to get a plan.
| Interesting how things work differently at different places. If you
| gave me an estimate and then mentioned the design fee (especially
since
| the fee is not credited toward the project if we accept) I would have
| tossed you out the door as trying to rip me off.

ripping you off..........how?
you got your free estimate (which you expected)
I never said you would get a free kitchen design.
designs take experience, knowledge and time.
my time is worth the money you would spend.


Especially since I am
| sure the actual bid doesn't always match up with estimate after you
get
| exactly everything down on paper.

my estimates are written in stone on paper or verbally

In article ,
"stainer" wrote:
| I usually give free estimates at the time of looking at the job,
| then I inform them about the "design fee" to get a plan.
| Interesting how things work differently at different places. If
| you
| gave me an estimate and then mentioned the design fee (especially
since
| the fee is not credited toward the project if we accept) I would
| have tossed you out the door as trying to rip me off.

ripping you off..........how? you got your free estimate (which you
expected) I never said you would get a free kitchen design. designs
take experience, knowledge and time. my time is worth the money you
would spend.

Doesn't your free estimate take experience, knowledge, and time? At
least if it is going to be anywhere near accurate?



--
--Tim Smith

"stainer" wrote in message
...
why charge $100 for an estimate,when you can charge $300 for the plan.

free estimates are what gets potential customers to call you in the
first place.

I say give the window shoppers the free estimate without a plan
and if they want a plan, charge them $300 for it and it is NOT deducted
from the contract price.
at least this way you are being paid for your time and you didn't waste
more than 20 min. on a plan that a window shopper is expecting for free.

I usually give free estimates at the time of looking at the job,
then I inform them about the "design fee" to get a plan.

works like a charm
it usually weeds out the garden so to speak.


I got to where I could walk into a kitchen and give an estimate that would
be within $500 of the final cost. I would try to avoid spending the 3 hours
drawing up a plan, needlessly, like you said to "weed" the garden. Told a
lady, my estimate, once, and she went into a long tirade about how she
hadn't spent that much to buy the house 40 years before and there was no way
she would spend that much to remodel just the kitchen. So, I started to
pick up my things and leave and she says, "Well, since you're here draw up
the plans so I can see what you're ideas are". Yea, sure, so she could take
them somewhere else to get a lower bid? Not likely.

Tom G

"ScottO" wrote

My friend is in the market for a kitchen remodel. He says Home Depot wants
$100.00 to just come out and measure. I've never heard of this before. Is
this common?

Do they apply the money to your order? I can see why they wouldn't
want to come do your measuring then have you order your cabinets
from somewhere else.

nancy

On Jun 22, 5:27 pm, "ScottO" wrote:
My friend is in the market for a kitchen remodel. He says Home Depot wants
$100.00 to just come out and measure. I've never heard of this before. Is
this common?

ScottO.

Just did this. The money is refunded/applied to your order.

On Jun 22, 7:39 pm, Brent Bolin wrote:
On Jun 22, 5:27 pm, "ScottO" wrote:

My friend is in the market for a kitchen remodel. He says Home Depot wants
$100.00 to just come out and measure. I've never heard of this before. Is
this common?

Just did this. The money is refunded/applied to your order.

Which is pretty standard. I started charging for estimates a long
time ago. Same deal. You sign up, you get a refund. Cuts down on
the tire kickers. It also lets people know that you value your time,
and you expect them to do the same.

R

As a consumer, I first thought this was unfair.

However, I now see that it is fair to the contractor. It cost him money to
make the estimate or measure.
"RicodJour" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Jun 22, 7:39 pm, Brent Bolin wrote:
On Jun 22, 5:27 pm, "ScottO" wrote:

My friend is in the market for a kitchen remodel. He says Home Depot
wants
$100.00 to just come out and measure. I've never heard of this before.
Is
this common?

Just did this. The money is refunded/applied to your order.

Which is pretty standard. I started charging for estimates a long
time ago. Same deal. You sign up, you get a refund. Cuts down on
the tire kickers. It also lets people know that you value your time,
and you expect them to do the same.

R

"RicodJour" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Jun 22, 7:39 pm, Brent Bolin wrote:
On Jun 22, 5:27 pm, "ScottO" wrote:

My friend is in the market for a kitchen remodel. He says Home Depot
wants
$100.00 to just come out and measure. I've never heard of this before.
Is
this common?

Just did this. The money is refunded/applied to your order.

Which is pretty standard. I started charging for estimates a long
time ago. Same deal. You sign up, you get a refund. Cuts down on
the tire kickers. It also lets people know that you value your time,
and you expect them to do the same.

R


So then a person with a remodel job would have to pay $300-500 up front to
get 3 - 5 bids and then only $100 would be credited back. Seems like quite
a racket. Why even be the low bid. You could make a living just going out
on estimates - just give an outrageous bid. I will never pay for a quote.
It's highway robbery.

Madx wrote:

So then a person with a remodel job would have to pay $300-500 up front to
get 3 - 5 bids and then only $100 would be credited back. Seems like quite
a racket. Why even be the low bid. You could make a living just going out
on estimates - just give an outrageous bid. I will never pay for a quote.
It's highway robbery.

A bid is for a job, with all the specifications & plans laid out
already. Basically....... a bid sheet

It's absurd to think a real company would perform lay-outs, design,
specifications, and such, just to satisfy your curiosity.

With that logic, why would anyone want to be an architect, and work for
free?

On Jun 22, 8:50 pm, "Madx" wrote:
"RicodJour" wrote in message

I started charging for estimates a long
time ago. Same deal. You sign up, you get a refund. Cuts down on
the tire kickers. It also lets people know that you value your time,
and you expect them to do the same.


So then a person with a remodel job would have to pay $300-500 up front to
get 3 - 5 bids and then only $100 would be credited back. Seems like quite
a racket. Why even be the low bid. You could make a living just going out
on estimates - just give an outrageous bid. I will never pay for a quote.
It's highway robbery.

Wouldn't it be more like burglary since we're talking about
houses?

You've heard the old saying, there is no such thing as a free lunch,
right? Well, it's true. You may not think you're being charged for
that "free" estimate, but you are. The contractor just buries it in
his price somewhere. I prefer to be more upfront about it.

It requires effort to prepare an estimate. There's the site visit,
discussing the customers wants and needs, working up the estimate
itself, then sitting down with the customer to review the estimate and
point out where there are areas where money could be saved, or areas
where more money will be required to do it right. In short -
educating the customer.

Where do you think that time comes from? I have no more hours in my
week than you do. I can't just ignore hours anymore than your boss
will ignore hours if you decide to skip work. From your comment, it's
obvious that you're not the boss or I wouldn't need to explain this
stuff to you. An estimate and presentation might take three hours or
more. What do you feel would be a reasonable amount of money to
charge for that time?

Since you brought up the 3-5 bids, where does that come from? Do you
think that somehow gives you a better project or saves you money? It
doesn't work that way. Most people that get more than a couple or
three bids are simply price shopping. They think that all contractors
are interchangeable and will pick the lowest bid. My work is far
above the norm and so are my prices. You and I would never get past
the initial phone call. I screen potential customers at least as
carefully as the owner screens me. If someone is price shopping,
there are other contractors who are eager to race each other to the
bottom of the barrel. I'm not. I've never been the low bid, and if I
was informed I was, besides being shocked, I'd assume I'd missed
something and go racing to double-check my estimate.

When you hear about a remodeling project where there were horrendous
cost overruns, it's usually due to an owner price shopping, taking the
lowest bid and hoping for the best, or because an owner doesn't
understand the correlation between what they'd like done and what has
to be done. Both scenarios are recipes for disaster.

R

While I appreciate your comments, to suggest that consumers shouldn't shop
around is ludicrous. Also, to suggest that the person who bids more must be
the better provider is just as bad. As a person soliciting for work, you
are a salesman. To suggest that all sales people should get paid to show
their wares is unbelievable. I suppose when you go car shopping, you just
go and buy from the first dealer you stop at. Of course not! You shop
around to find the best price AND service. I'm not saying I don't believe
that your time is valuable it's just the nature of the beast and you decided
to go into this line of work so you must deal with the occasional window
shopper. By far the best recommendation is word of mouth and no complaints
filed against you at the BBB. I have no reason to believe that you don't do
quality work but I'm sure the scammer ready to rip me off would say his work
is top notch too. Using your logic, if he's more expensive, it must be
true!



"RicodJour" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Jun 22, 8:50 pm, "Madx" wrote:
"RicodJour" wrote in message

I started charging for estimates a long
time ago. Same deal. You sign up, you get a refund. Cuts down on
the tire kickers. It also lets people know that you value your time,
and you expect them to do the same.


So then a person with a remodel job would have to pay $300-500 up front
to
get 3 - 5 bids and then only $100 would be credited back. Seems like
quite
a racket. Why even be the low bid. You could make a living just going
out
on estimates - just give an outrageous bid. I will never pay for a
quote.
It's highway robbery.

Wouldn't it be more like burglary since we're talking about
houses?

You've heard the old saying, there is no such thing as a free lunch,
right? Well, it's true. You may not think you're being charged for
that "free" estimate, but you are. The contractor just buries it in
his price somewhere. I prefer to be more upfront about it.

It requires effort to prepare an estimate. There's the site visit,
discussing the customers wants and needs, working up the estimate
itself, then sitting down with the customer to review the estimate and
point out where there are areas where money could be saved, or areas
where more money will be required to do it right. In short -
educating the customer.

Where do you think that time comes from? I have no more hours in my
week than you do. I can't just ignore hours anymore than your boss
will ignore hours if you decide to skip work. From your comment, it's
obvious that you're not the boss or I wouldn't need to explain this
stuff to you. An estimate and presentation might take three hours or
more. What do you feel would be a reasonable amount of money to
charge for that time?

Since you brought up the 3-5 bids, where does that come from? Do you
think that somehow gives you a better project or saves you money? It
doesn't work that way. Most people that get more than a couple or
three bids are simply price shopping. They think that all contractors
are interchangeable and will pick the lowest bid. My work is far
above the norm and so are my prices. You and I would never get past
the initial phone call. I screen potential customers at least as
carefully as the owner screens me. If someone is price shopping,
there are other contractors who are eager to race each other to the
bottom of the barrel. I'm not. I've never been the low bid, and if I
was informed I was, besides being shocked, I'd assume I'd missed
something and go racing to double-check my estimate.

When you hear about a remodeling project where there were horrendous
cost overruns, it's usually due to an owner price shopping, taking the
lowest bid and hoping for the best, or because an owner doesn't
understand the correlation between what they'd like done and what has
to be done. Both scenarios are recipes for disaster.

R

It is foolish to think a homeowner shouldnt compare prices. Unless
the estimate is in the range I was thinking the job should cost then
I will get a couple estimates.
For instance the chimney cap blew off my chimney. On most houses I'd
have ladder up and deal with it. However my tudor type home has a
Very high chimney (cant reach top even from roof. Had a couple people
come out- #1 "You need new cap- starts at $175". I said I'll get back
to you. #2 Local Co. in town says that normally costs $40 or so but
never shows. #3 comes out says "$50 we can do it now" I said "Do
it!!" For a really large job estimates help determine a fair price.
If three guys are about the same money then its up to refenreces and
reputaion. Hi pricers are usually ripoffs and lowballers may be shady

On Jun 22, 10:11 pm, RicodJour wrote:
On Jun 22, 8:50 pm, "Madx" wrote:

"RicodJour" wrote in message

I started charging for estimates a long
time ago. Same deal. You sign up, you get a refund. Cuts down on
the tire kickers. It also lets people know that you value your time,
and you expect them to do the same.

So then a person with a remodel job would have to pay $300-500 up front to
get 3 - 5 bids and then only $100 would be credited back. Seems like quite
a racket. Why even be the low bid. You could make a living just going out
on estimates - just give an outrageous bid. I will never pay for a quote.
It's highway robbery.

Wouldn't it be more like burglary since we're talking about
houses?

You've heard the old saying, there is no such thing as a free lunch,
right? Well, it's true. You may not think you're being charged for
that "free" estimate, but you are. The contractor just buries it in
his price somewhere. I prefer to be more upfront about it.

It requires effort to prepare an estimate. There's the site visit,
discussing the customers wants and needs, working up the estimate
itself, then sitting down with the customer to review the estimate and
point out where there are areas where money could be saved, or areas
where more money will be required to do it right. In short -
educating the customer.

Where do you think that time comes from? I have no more hours in my
week than you do. I can't just ignore hours anymore than your boss
will ignore hours if you decide to skip work. From your comment, it's
obvious that you're not the boss or I wouldn't need to explain this
stuff to you. An estimate and presentation might take three hours or
more. What do you feel would be a reasonable amount of money to
charge for that time?

Since you brought up the 3-5 bids, where does that come from? Do you
think that somehow gives you a better project or saves you money? It
doesn't work that way. Most people that get more than a couple or
three bids are simply price shopping. They think that all contractors
are interchangeable and will pick the lowest bid. My work is far
above the norm and so are my prices. You and I would never get past
the initial phone call. I screen potential customers at least as
carefully as the owner screens me. If someone is price shopping,
there are other contractors who are eager to race each other to the
bottom of the barrel. I'm not. I've never been the low bid, and if I
was informed I was, besides being shocked, I'd assume I'd missed
something and go racing to double-check my estimate.

When you hear about a remodeling project where there were horrendous
cost overruns, it's usually due to an owner price shopping, taking the
lowest bid and hoping for the best, or because an owner doesn't
understand the correlation between what they'd like done and what has
to be done. Both scenarios are recipes for disaster.

R

I say give the window shoppers the free estimate without a plan
and if they want a plan, charge them $300 for it and it is NOT deducted
from the contract price.
at least this way you are being paid for your time and you didn't waste
more than 20 min. on a plan that a window shopper is expecting for free.

I usually give free estimates at the time of looking at the job,
then I inform them about the "design fee" to get a plan.

works like a charm
it usually weeds out the garden so to speak.


"RicodJour" wrote in message
oups.com...
| On Jun 22, 7:39 pm, Brent Bolin wrote:
| On Jun 22, 5:27 pm, "ScottO" wrote:
|
| My friend is in the market for a kitchen remodel. He says Home
Depot wants
| $100.00 to just come out and measure. I've never heard of this
before. Is
| this common?
|
| Just did this. The money is refunded/applied to your order.
|
| Which is pretty standard. I started charging for estimates a long
| time ago. Same deal. You sign up, you get a refund. Cuts down on
| the tire kickers. It also lets people know that you value your time,
| and you expect them to do the same.
|
| R
|

On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:02:53 -0400, "stainer"
wrote:

I say give the window shoppers the free estimate without a plan
and if they want a plan, charge them $300 for it and it is NOT deducted
from the contract price.

I don't know what "deducted from the contract price" means anyhow.
Don't contractors figure out how much they want, and if they get paid
300 dollars for the first part, charge less for the rest of it?

If they didn't charge less for the rest of it, they'd be charging 300
dollars more for the whole job than they would have if the
meausrements and plan were done after signing a contract?

(which someone might do if the contractor came recommended or if they
had employed him before.)

So isn't it pretty much always deducted from the contract price even
if they don't say so. If one signed a contract before anyone came out
to meausre, wouldn't it be high enough (300 or whatever) to allow for
the time it takes to come out and measuere and draw up the plan?

at least this way you are being paid for your time and you didn't waste
more than 20 min. on a plan that a window shopper is expecting for free.

I usually give free estimates at the time of looking at the job,
then I inform them about the "design fee" to get a plan.

works like a charm
it usually weeds out the garden so to speak.

ScottO wrote:
My friend is in the market for a kitchen remodel. He says Home Depot wants
$100.00 to just come out and measure. I've never heard of this before. Is
this common?

ScottO.


That is the figure here - HD contracts out for a measuring service. As
it turned out, we decided not to go with HD - we thought the $100 was
forfeitied, so didn't even bother to ask. The kitchen planner flagged
us down when we were in the store for something else so's she could give
us our money back!

On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 15:27:39 -0700, "ScottO"
wrote:

My friend is in the market for a kitchen remodel. He says Home Depot wants
$100.00 to just come out and measure. I've never heard of this before. Is
this common?

ScottO.


Damn, I'm in th wrong business. A $5 tape measure and a couple
gallons of gas and an hour of my time for $100. Heck I could make up
to $1000 a day.....

I'd tell HD that you have your own ruler and they can shove it !!!

wrote:
On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 15:27:39 -0700, "ScottO"
wrote:

My friend is in the market for a kitchen remodel. He says Home Depot wants
$100.00 to just come out and measure. I've never heard of this before. Is
this common?

ScottO.


Damn, I'm in th wrong business.

Or don't have much of an idea what it takes to operate a business.


A $5 tape measure and a couple
gallons of gas and an hour of my time for $100. Heck I could make up
to $1000 a day.....

I'd tell HD that you have your own ruler and they can shove it !!!

George wrote:
wrote:
On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 15:27:39 -0700, "ScottO"
wrote:

My friend is in the market for a kitchen remodel. He says Home Depot
wants $100.00 to just come out and measure. I've never heard of this
before. Is this common?

ScottO.

Damn, I'm in th wrong business.

Or don't have much of an idea what it takes to operate a business.


A $5 tape measure and a couple
gallons of gas and an hour of my time for $100. Heck I could make up
to $1000 a day.....

I'd tell HD that you have your own ruler and they can shove it !!!
And if you make a mistake, HD will tell you that you can EAT IT !!!

wrote:
On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 15:27:39 -0700, "ScottO"
wrote:


My friend is in the market for a kitchen remodel. He says Home Depot wants
$100.00 to just come out and measure. I've never heard of this before. Is
this common?

ScottO.



Damn, I'm in th wrong business. A $5 tape measure and a couple
gallons of gas and an hour of my time for $100. Heck I could make up
to $1000 a day.....

I'd tell HD that you have your own ruler and they can shove it !!!

We decided not to go with Home Depot after the measuring was done and we
saw the drawings.....apparently they measure the angle on all the
corners and one of ours was off. Our kitchen is rectangular, opposite
walls are parallel, so it made for weird looking drawings. Obviously,
the wallboard at the corner wasn't perfect. If they couldn't see the
obvious and correct it, I didn't want them mucking around in my kitchen.
They had one long wall shooting off into space, about 5 degrees off 90.

On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 11:48:56 GMT, Norminn
wrote:



I'd tell HD that you have your own ruler and they can shove it !!!

We decided not to go with Home Depot after the measuring was done and we
saw the drawings.....apparently they measure the angle on all the
corners and one of ours was off. Our kitchen is rectangular, opposite
walls are parallel, so it made for weird looking drawings. Obviously,
the wallboard at the corner wasn't perfect. If they couldn't see the
obvious and correct it, I didn't want them mucking around in my kitchen.
They had one long wall shooting off into space, about 5 degrees off 90.

This would be a very exciting design, and make your kitchen seem far
bigger than it is. Especially when viewed from outer space. You
should have gone with it.

On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 15:27:39 -0700, "ScottO"
wrote:

My friend is in the market for a kitchen remodel. He says Home Depot wants
$100.00 to just come out and measure. I've never heard of this before. Is
this common?

ScottO.


I wanted something not off the self for plumbing, and Lowes wanted a
few bucks to have a contractor to lay out the work. Before even
buying anything.

tom @ www.OnThisDayInHistory.info