Reply to 19 Contractors Contacted... Only 3 Estimates?? What Gives?

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Reply to "19 Contractors Contacted... Only 3 Estimates?? What Gives?"

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[quote=Anonymous]Just wanted to share this experience and get some perspective—because I seriously didn’t expect this to be so frustrating.

I reached out to 19 different contractors about building a deck. I’m not trying to do this on the cheap—I know this is at least a $40K+ job, probably more. I never said I needed it done for that price or anything—I’m just trying to get a sense of what’s out there and find someone solid. This isn’t a little $5K patio—it’s a real, full-sized project.

Two weeks later, only 5 contractors actually showed up, and only 1 gave me a written estimate. Two others gave verbal ballpark numbers and said, “If you're interested, I’ll put it in writing—but I need a commitment first.” Like… what?? How am I supposed to “commit” without even seeing the full quote?? That really threw me.

Should I just take those verbal numbers and treat them like actual estimates at this point? It’s wild.

Some of them even called later asking me what other people bid—just fishing for info instead of quoting based on their own work. Really odd.

Even worse, a few were hesitant to put in writing that the work would pass inspection, which is literally required. That’s basic stuff. I’m not one of those clients asking for line-by-line breakdowns either. In fact, my spouse says I’m too easygoing—I basically just say, “Here’s the job, I need it done.” That’s it. No pressure.

One guy even tried to pressure me into redoing the screen porch, claiming there might be issues. But we built this house custom just 10 years ago, had every inspection, and know it inside and out. Total scare tactic. Big red flag.

A couple of them said they might be able to fit me in this fall… Is this just how the market is right now?

At this point, I’m wondering—do I just go with the one contractor who gave a real, detailed, and professional quote? Or should I keep waiting, chasing down more?

Anyone else going through this mess? I honestly thought getting quotes would be the easy part.[/quote]

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