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When do you offer discounts or "discounts"?
In home services, it can feel like customers are always looking for a deal. But after years in the business, our approach is pretty simple: we don't discount. Not because we're rigid — but because our pricing is already fair. We charge what the job is worth, and we stand behind that number. The only times we'll budge: If something goes wrong on our end — If we made a mistake or fell short, a discount is the right thing to do. It's not a handout, it's accountability. If we have to reschedule — Life happens. If we're the ones pushing a job back, we think it's only fair to make that right for the customer. Outside of those two situations? We hold firm. I've heard some people "discounting" on the invoice as a pricing strategy but it's not actually a discount. When you discount freely, you train customers to always ask. You undervalue your work. And honestly, the customers who only show up when there's a deal aren't usually the ones you want long-term. The right customers understand that quality costs what it costs. What about you? Do you have a rule for when discounts are on the table, or do you play it by ear? Would love to hear how other home service businesses handle this.
$100K lesson - What contract language protects contractors when hidden conditions change the scope of a renovation job?
Hey all, first post. I'm Chad, founder of Great Raven Renovations Ltd. We're based on Salt Spring Island, BC, and run renovation, roofing, decks, and structural work across Salt Spring, the Cowichan Valley, and South Nanaimo. Started the company in January 2022 after walking away from a stable off-island job rather than compromise how I wanted to work. Almost four years in now. Has been a hard, useful run. The reason I'm here: most of what I've learned came the expensive way. Over those years I've put well over $140,000 into building this business — and lost more than $100,000 of it. Failed hires who couldn't hold a craftsmanship standard. Clients who exploited weak contract language to underpay or walk on finished work. Each one left a mark. What changed isn't that we got smarter on people — it's that we built a system around the kinds of losses that almost killed the company. A few of the pieces that came directly out of disputes: Hidden-conditions clause in the master contract. Written after a project where opening a wall doubled the real scope and the client refused to acknowledge it. Signed change orders with price and schedule impact before work happens. Written after a job where verbal "just add this" requests turned into three weeks of unpaid labour. Before/during/after photo record on every job, including substrate conditions. Written after a homeowner claimed two months post-completion that something was never done — when in fact it was, and we had nothing to prove it. Completion walkthrough before the final draw is invoiced. Written after a final-payment dispute that should have been a 10-minute conversation on site. One accountable point of contact (me) instead of a rotating dispatcher. Written after we tried it the other way and watched communication fail in real time. None of that came from a course. It came from losses. The process exists because of disputes, not in spite of them. Curious how others here handle this — specifically the hidden-conditions problem. On older island homes we open walls and find things nobody could have priced. What language are you using in your contracts to protect both you and the homeowner when the unknown shows up? Anyone landed on wording that actually holds when a client pushes back? Appreciate the community. Looking forward to learning from you. — Chad Great Raven Renovations Ltd. Salt Spring Island, BCChargeback on Landscape Services- a first!
I recently had a client file a chargeback dispute on a landscape installation we planted back in May. Nearly $1800 was withdrawn from my business account despite my counterclaim. To be clear, the estimate was sent and signed with deposit made in advance of the work. We completed the work on schedule and final payment was made. The client wanted additional work done, but was caught up in our Spring planting schedule, so we haven't been able to circle back. Without any further communication, this chargeback was filed and nearly 2k is gone. I have proof of purchases, signed documents, client communication texts, and final pictures of the project. Unfortunately this is now in the hands of her bank and whatever they decide to do. Should I file a lien? She has now gone radio silent after I sent a very respectful email detailing the above info and a follow up text. In the end, 2k won't sink us but I would hate to think that any client can just maliciously do this.Payment Nightmare: Should Contractors Require a Deposit Before Starting a Job?
I recently had a job where the customer tried to pay in various formats and payment was never able to go through. I ended up leaving and hoping they would pay at a later date. Thankfully they did pay a few days later. How do others go about this potential issue? I have thought it may be a good idea to require a small deposit to make sure payment is able to be made before the job is started.What marketing channel works best for you right now???
Hello, We are currently evaluating our marketing strategy to improve lead consistency and build deeper community trust. While we currently use Yelp, we find the results inconsistent and often attract price-shoppers rather than long-term clients. :( Moving forward, I would like to pivot our focus toward community-based marketing, such as sponsoring local schools and Little League teams. These sponsorships build the kind of long-term goodwill and trust that ensures local homeowners think of us first during emergencies. To clarify our strategy, we are avoiding the following channels: - Lead Aggregators (Angi, Networx, HomeAdvisor): These platforms sell the same lead to multiple contractors. The requirement to respond within seconds to avoid losing the job—while still being charged—does not align with our workflow. - Yelp for Major Projects: Due to high cost-per-click metrics and a high volume of price-sensitive inquiries, we find this to be a low-return channel for larger plumbing jobs. Your Friendly Neighborhood Plumbers,
How do contractors price jobs based on actual business costs instead of competitor rates?
We run a contracting business in Juneau, Alaska. It’s a remote town with no roads in or out, so our market does not work like most places. Lead generation is not our problem. The work is there. Our bigger challenge is filtering demand, choosing the right jobs, and pricing from the actual cost of running the business instead of just asking, “what does everyone else charge?” That has changed how we look at pricing. Two companies can do the same job with completely different numbers behind it: equipment payments, fuel, insurance, payroll, repairs, debt, admin time, material costs, disposal, taxes, and risk. Competitor pricing matters, but only to a point. If our cost structure is different, their price can’t be our whole pricing strategy. We have a CPA and bookkeeper we trust, so the books are not something we’re guessing on. What we’re working on now is turning the P&L and balance sheet into real-world pricing decisions: what the equipment needs to bill, what materials need to carry, what minimums make sense, and which jobs are actually worth putting on the schedule. We’ve also been using AI to organize that information into pricing structures, quote templates, equipment rates, per-ton pricing, material pricing, and job-type frameworks. To be clear, we’re not using AI to tell us what to charge. We’re using it to organize what we already know, pressure-test assumptions, run simulations, and find holes before they show up in the bank account. The more we work through it, the more we wonder how often underpricing comes from not having a clear link between pricing and the actual cost of running the business. Curious how others think about this. When you price work, do you start with your own numbers first, the market first, or a mix of both? For those using AI, have you used it for pricing, estimating, job costing, or financial review beyond emails and marketing content?
What do you do when a customer goes radio silence when their bill is due?
Does anyone have any advice on how to handle a customer who has gone radio silent without paying their bill? We finished the project and had a few punch list items to finish. The homeowner is not returning my calls to schedule the return date and they have an outstanding balance. This is a new issue for us so we feel a little unsure how to proceed. We'd love some ideas!
