Lost a $400 bid because I skipped a walkthrough

Called a commercial job in Cleveland last month. Old warehouse, 15 panelboards. Gave a price over the phone based on the blueprints. Showed up to find the whole conduit run is buried in 4 inches of spray foam. Had to eat the extra time myself. Anyone else get burned by skipping a site visit?

3 comments

3 Comments

mary_patel591mo ago

Shouldn't count on blueprints for old buildings? You never know what someone sprayed or stuffed in there over the years. That foam sounds like a real pain, you definitely earned that lesson the hard way.

perry.karen1mo ago

Mary's right on the money about old buildings having all sorts of nasty surprises. Blueprints are just a rough suggestion in older places, you never know what some hack did before you showed up. Skipping that walkthrough cost you way more than just the time, it probably saved the customer money on the foam removal too.

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luna_clark381mo ago

A buddy of mine found an old cast iron pipe wrapped in cloth in a wall from the 1920s. @perry.karen is right, that walkthrough might have saved them from a plumbing disaster. Hack jobs run deep in those old places.