How We Charge & Estimate
Over nearly 30 years of service, we've developed the following financial practices we feel are fair to both our clients and our company and associates:
Time & Material Basis
Our practice is to charge only for the actual time (labor) and materials we utilize in completing your work, regardless of estimate. This ensures you pay only for work we perform, not for the amount on the estimate. This practice also means we don't have to pad our initial estimate to protect ourselves from unexpected conditions or problems we might encounter. See below for more info on our "Ballpark Estimates".
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In addition to the time we spend on-site performing the work at your home, the time we invest in your project usually includes:
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Purchasing Materials: we provide materials at our cost, but charge for time spent purchasing materials specifically for your project – including helping you research and select materials when there are multiple options for price, quality, design, appearance, etc.
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Travel Time: to and from your jobsite and/or to pickup/deliver materials (including disposal of debris). Travel time is charged at ½ our hourly rates
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Project Coordination: these fees include time spent meeting clients and doing on-site assessment, planning and estimating the project, client communications, coordinating subcontractors and deliveries, working with building inspectors, etc. These costs vary by the size and complexity of the project, but a typical range is between 5% and 20% of the on-site labor costs.
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Hourly Rates:
Our hourly rates (per handyman/handyperson) range from $60 to $75 per hour depending on the nature of the work and who is doing it. We charge ½ our hourly rate for travel time.
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"Ballpark" Estimates
We can provide “ballpark” estimates for most projects upon request. By “ballpark”, we mean our best estimate of the minimum and maximum costs we would anticipate charging for the project as we understand it.
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Our “ballpark" estimates are based on our initial discussions with clients, a brief onsite visual inspection and/or photographs, and our experience with similar past projects.
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Our “ballpark” estimates are primarily intended to help our clients with making decisions about whether to proceed with a project, and/or to choose between various project and/or material options. We then bill for the actual time and materials we use to complete in your project, regardless of estimate.
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Our estimates assume we will encounter typical conditions, and that we will use typical methods and materials for the work described. Any atypical conditions or materials, special methods needed, or additional problems encountered can increase the costs of completing the work.
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Whenever practical, we consult with clients before proceeding if we encounter conditions that could increase the costs above our maximum "ballpark" estimates.
Billing, Payment, & Contracts
Our philosophy is if our clients trust us with the care of their homes, we trust that they will pay us fairly and promptly for work that we complete to their satisfaction.
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To minimize paperwork, we typically do not require a formal signed contract for most jobs. Instead, we do our best to document the nature of the work and anticipated costs in our “ballpark” estimates and subsequent email and other communications. For larger projects, we may execute a "preconstruction" agreement to cover planning and coordination work completed prior to starting on-site work.
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We do not typically require any downpayment before starting work on most jobs unless we are ordering large quantities of materials or special ordering custom materials for your project.
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We do not require (and don’t usually accept) payment before we leave the jobsite. We will sometimes accept payment on the spot for small jobs.
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We encourage clients to inspect our work thoroughly as soon as possible after we complete it (or even while we are working). Please let us know of any questions or problems you encounter with our work as soon as possible, and we will do our best to correct any problems to your satisfaction.
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We typically email your bill within 1-2 weeks after completion of the job. In return for not expecting payment or deposit in advance, or payment on the spot, we request that our clients pay promptly upon receipt of our bill.
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We accept personal checks (or cash), or payment through the free Zelle payment system offered by many banks and credit unions (see www.zellepay.com for more information).
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We do NOT accept credit cards, Paypal, Venmo, or other payment apps (except Zelle) at this time.
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