As a small contractor, I am worn out from doing time consuming estimates for people to only have them use someone else, and many of the jobs are small enough that there is no architect involved, so we end up doing design work just to get a plan to estimate from. I am not charging now and it is killing me, how are others handling this and how do you charge the client without them going next door?
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client, "We would like an estimate for our new kitchen."
you, "Could I have a copy of your plans to work from?"
client, "We haven't got anything like that yet"
you, "That's fine! We can start fresh. I always have some good ideas to bring to a project and we do some design services. we can set up a time to come out and show you our projects completed book, take initial measurements, sign a design agreement, and get a deposit form you. Our design deposit to begin for most jobs runs $500."
client A, "Sounds good, Can you come by on thursday evening, or saturday morning"
you, "I would prefer a day during the week in regular business hours but if your work schedule makes this impossible, I can meet you in the evening. It is best if both partners can be there"
Client B, "UH, Home Depot will do this for free, right?"
you, "I really wouldn't know. I don't like to lower my standards that much."
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SHEREMODEL, unfortunately I don't think there's a clear concise answer to this problem when you look at the big picture. We do give free estimates and even some design work too but that's for some well qualified GC clients we have and selected job we've been invited to bid on that I think are worth the time ( my time in fact since I'm the estimator). However in scenarios like your describing I'd be thinking very differently.
This actually came up the other day over in the JLC forums and I posted a link there to a document I been using for a few years called Why We Don't Make Speculative Presentations. It comes from a great book called The Creative Business Guide to Running A Graphic Design Business so while it would need some modification and adaptation if you want to use it it the thinking is still very apropos for explaining to your clients why you'll be charging them for design work and an estimate.
That discussion on JLC was about Sonny's "The Process" which is essentially the same kind of thing. A while back Sonny Lykos wrote
a small essay explaining why he doesn't give free estimates and he been kind enough to give it away for a lot of other people to modify and use. You might want to click and e-mail him and ask him for a copy.
You'll probably also want to read the article CHARGING FOR ESTIMATES:
A significant number of builders have
withdrawn the traditional customer bait on the artdesignbuild.com site. It covers Sonny's thinking along with some of the other thinking out there.
I would caution you though if you are going to charge for an estimate it should be a professional quality estimate not just charging for your time to make SWAG (Scientific Wild Assed Guess). The problem I have with a lot of contractors is that their estimating skills are not nearly as evolved and developed as their actual trade skills.
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