---
title: "What to Ask a Customer Before You Quote a Remodeling Job"
description: "Ask these five questions before quoting a remodeling job, decide when to visit, and send a scope recap the customer can correct."
url: "https://www.novatori.us/field-notes/questions-before-quoting-remodeling-job/"
source: "Markdown twin of https://www.novatori.us/field-notes/questions-before-quoting-remodeling-job/ — generated for AI agents."
---
Field notes

# What to Ask a Customer Before You Quote a Remodeling Job

Ask these five questions before quoting a remodeling job, decide when to visit, and send a scope recap the customer can correct.

Published October 16, 2026

A customer asks for a bathroom remodel. Do they mean a new vanity and floor, a new shower, or all three? Before you schedule a visit or give a price, find out what they want changed.

Use these five questions on a short call or in a message. Record the answers in the customer’s words.

## Five questions to ask before you quote

1. **What do you want changed, and what stays?** Name the fixtures, surfaces, and rooms. Ask whether nearby areas, such as the hallway, are part of the request.
2. **Where is the work, and what can you show me?** Ask for current photos and approximate dimensions. Find out whether the room is occupied and whether access or working hours are limited.
3. **What fixtures and finishes do you want, and who supplies them?** Ask for product links, model numbers, sizes, or examples if the customer has them. Mark choices they have not made yet. [NAHB describes specifications](https://www.nahb.org/blog/2023/05/protect-your-business-updated-contracts-from-nahb) that list products by brand and model, installation requirements, finishes, sizes, and dimensions.
4. **What related work do you expect included, and when do you want the job done?** Ask about tasks in adjoining areas, work another trade will handle, and the customer’s target date.
5. **What can we confirm now, and what needs a site check?** Repeat the work you understand. Put uncertain measurements, selections, and tasks on an open-questions list.

You can use the same sequence as a contractor client questionnaire. A call works too. The point is to capture the request before you build a price around it.

## When to visit before pricing

Schedule a site visit when you need to see or measure the work to define it. Common triggers are:

- Photos do not show the full work area or how to access it.
- Dimensions or site access are unclear.
- The customer describes related work that you cannot identify from the photos or conversation.

An undecided fixture does not always require a visit. Record the missing selection and confirm it before you price that part of the work. Keep anything you still need to check out of the confirmed details.

## Send a written scope recap

After the call or message exchange, send a short recap and ask the customer to correct it. A text or email is enough at this stage. Separate the requested work from exclusions and open questions.

**Hypothetical bathroom recap**

**Included work**

- Replace the existing vanity and toilet.
- Remove and replace the bathroom floor tile.

**Exclusions**

- No work in the adjacent hallway.
- The existing tub stays; no tub work is included.
- Light fixture replacement is not included.

**Open questions**

- Confirm floor dimensions on site.
- Confirm the vanity model, size, and who will supply it.
- Confirm whether the customer wants the shower surround changed.

**Next step**

- Visit the site, update this recap with the answers, and ask the customer to confirm the scope before pricing.

If the customer adds work later, write down the new request. Send the revised scope and price for approval before doing the added work. After the visit, a [job handoff checklist](https://www.novatori.us/field-notes/trades-job-handoff-checklist) can carry confirmed work and remaining questions to the crew. For a broader operating flow, see [the systems your business needs as it grows](https://www.novatori.us/field-notes/systems-to-scale-past-1m).

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