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Even if you are a do-it-yourselfer, there will be times you need to call in a professional. I recently had a break in my sewer line and wanted to go with the first company to show up. I decided to give it a day and get a few more estimates and I was sure glad I did!
I learned a lot in the process of talking to multiple professionals. One thing I learned is that just because one company is charging you one price, and another is charging another price – it doesn’t mean you are getting something different.
I only called companies with multiple reviews and high ratings. This was a big expense and I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to have to spend money again anytime in the near future due to bad workmanship.
The very first company that determined my sewer line was broken about 60 feet from my house using a camera gave me an estimate. The estimate was $5,600.00 to dig about 3.5’ down and replace a section of pipe 7 to 10 feet long depending on what they found once the area was visible from the ground.
I called 3 additional companies thinking they’d all be about the same. To my surprise they were all over the map. I received quotes from $1,400 – $6,200. All from companies with 4.8 ratings and above. I didn’t stop there – I actually spoke with each company to confirm the exact work that would be performed to ensure I was comparing apples to apples.
I narrowed it down to two companies in which their prices were a few thousand dollars different from one another. Upon further questioning of the work to performed I learned that one company had planned to use large equipment to dig the area while the other company was hand digging. The company hand digging the area won my business. And they were $2,000.00 cheaper.
Before you decide on any home improvement or repair project, know the answers to the below questions and ask more questions as necessary.
