How to get three good quotes for a big job

You'll replace a furnace or a roof once or twice in your life, and the company quoting it does it every week. Three written quotes close most of that gap.

Before you call

Put the facts of the job in one place. For a furnace, that's the make, model and age of the one you have, the size of the house, the fuel, and when it was last serviced. For a roof, it's the square footage, the pitch, the current material and its age, and whether there's more than one layer. Take photos of the nameplate and of the problem. A contractor who gets this up front gives you a tighter number.

Check the license and insurance before the visit. The Federal Trade Commission says to use only licensed and insured contractors. Confirm the license with your state or county and ask for proof of insurance. Ask people you trust who they've used.

What a quote should show

The work, the materials, the completion date and the price. The FTC says to get three written estimates and that each should have these.
The equipment by make and model number, so you can compare like with like.
What's included, such as permits, disposal of the old unit, the thermostat, the electrical work and the inspection.
What's not included, in writing.
The warranty on parts and the warranty on labor, and who stands behind each.
Payment terms. The FTC says to limit the down payment, and some states cap it.

Comparing three that don't match

They won't match. Line them up by what each includes. The lowest quote is often missing something. The FTC says not to pick the lowest bidder automatically and to ask for an explanation when the numbers are far apart.

Ask each contractor what they'd do if this were their house, and what's most likely to go wrong.

After you choose

Get a contract with the contractor's name, address, phone and license number, the same details as the quote, and a schedule. Keep all three quotes and the contractor's details. The next time this job comes up you'll want to know what it cost and who did it.

Where Lyle comes in

Lyle keeps the nameplates, the service history and the ages of your systems, so you have what you need for a good quote before you call. It also keeps the details of every contractor who has worked on your house, with their numbers and what they did. Tell Lyle about the job and it helps you research it, including what the contractors will ask and what to look for in their answers. We take no commissions or referral fees from anyone.