One project brief. So every plumber prices the same job.
When three plumbers hear three slightly different versions of your problem, you get three bids you can't compare. The Project Passport takes about five minutes: answer the questions below and it produces one clean, printable brief — the problem, your home's specifics, and the scope every contractor should price. Hand the same document to everyone you call, then line the bids up in our quote comparator.
the homeowner
- Service
- —
- The problem
- —
- Urgency
- —
- Property
- —
- Posture
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- Prior repairs
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- Timeline
- —
Scope — please price all of the following in writing
Every written bid should state
- Exact work included — and anything excluded
- Materials with brand and model numbers, or the allowance amount
- Who pulls the permit, if one is required
- Start window and expected duration
- Payment schedule, deposit amount, and change-order process
- Labor warranty and manufacturer warranty, separately
- Cleanup, haul-away, and any wall/floor restoration
California basics (for both of us)
For a home-improvement contract, California caps the down payment at the lesser of $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, under Business and Professions Code section 7159. License records are public and free at cslb.ca.gov.
· every bidder
Bids you can't compare cost more than bids you can.
CSLB recommends getting at least three written bids based on identical plans and scope. When the scope drifts between phone calls, the cheapest bid is usually the one that priced the least work — and the difference arrives later as change orders. One written brief holds the scope still.