Every tradesman has opened a wall and said "well, that changes things." Rot behind the siding. Old wiring behind the outlet. A subfloor soaked from a leak nobody knew about. A pipe somebody fixed with tape in 1987.
That's why one rule sits at the top of the Fixer School rules page: nobody gives a price on repair work sight unseen. Not you on the phone, not a helper, not a text-back, and not an AI.
Why AI makes this worse
AI tools are built to be helpful. Ask one "how much to fix a few siding boards?" and it'll give you a number. A confident, reasonable-sounding number. It has no idea whether the sheathing is rotten, whether the boards are still made, or whether it's a three-story wall.
If a bot on your phone line or website gives that number to a customer, the customer thinks you gave it. When the real price is higher, you're the liar.
What can be priced, and what can't
Okay to say up front: - Your service call or trip charge - Your minimum ("our smallest repair starts at...," if you're comfortable sharing it) - That every customer gets a written price before work starts
Never up front: - Anything involving rot, water damage, mold, wiring, plumbing behind walls, or structure - Matching old materials - "Ballpark" prices from photos
Write it down
Put it on one page, in plain words. Every person and every tool that answers your phone or your texts follows it. Example:
> We never give a price on the phone or by text. We look first. Our service call is $X. You'll get a written price before any work starts.
Paste that page into the instructions of any AI tool you use, word for word. Then test it: ask the tool for a price in five different ways ("just ballpark it," "my neighbor paid $200") and make sure it refuses every time.
Where AI does help with pricing
After you've seen the job. Read your notes and measurements into your phone and let AI turn them into a clean written estimate. You set the prices. See writing estimates in minutes with AI.
As we say at Fixer School: AI is a terrible master, but a great servant. It writes the estimate. It never sets the price.
