Commercial service work is priced in ways that are not always obvious from an invoice. This page explains how we handle estimates, service calls, parts, and change orders, so you know what you are agreeing to before we start.
Service calls
Service calls are billed on time and materials unless the work has been quoted as a project.
That means labor at our published rate for the trade involved, plus parts and materials, plus a dispatch charge that covers travel to the site. After-hours, weekend, and holiday calls carry a premium rate, which we will tell you when you call rather than when you get the bill.
If a technician diagnoses the problem and the repair requires approval, work stops there and we quote it before continuing.
Estimates
For anything beyond a straightforward repair, we provide a written estimate before work begins.
An estimate identifies the scope, the equipment or materials specified, the labor involved, and what is excluded. Exclusions matter as much as inclusions — if a job may uncover conditions we cannot see from the outside, such as a deteriorated curb under a rooftop unit or corroded supply behind a wall, we say so in writing rather than absorbing it into a number that will change later.
Estimates are valid for a stated period. Material pricing in several categories moves month to month.
Parts and materials
Parts and materials are billed at cost plus a markup. That markup is standard practice across commercial trades, and it covers procurement, stocking, warranty handling, and the cost of carrying inventory on service vehicles so a common failure part is on site rather than a day away.
If you want to know the markup on a specific job, ask, and we will tell you before the work is performed.
Some customers prefer to supply their own parts. We can work that way, though we do not warranty parts we did not supply.
Change orders
If the scope changes mid-job, we stop and document the change before proceeding.
A change order states what changed, why, what it costs, and what it does to the schedule. Nothing beyond the original scope gets billed without written approval.
What you receive
Every completed job comes with documentation identifying the equipment worked on, what was found, what was done, parts used, and labor hours.
For accounts on maintenance agreements, that documentation accumulates into a service history — which is useful when you are deciding whether a unit is worth another repair, and when a manufacturer asks for maintenance records on a warranty claim.
Maintenance agreements
Scheduled maintenance is priced as an annual agreement rather than per visit, with the scope and interval defined up front. Agreement customers get priority dispatch and a reduced rate on repair work outside the agreement scope.
Frequently asked questions
Do you charge for estimates?
For quoted project work, no. Diagnostic time on a service call is billable, since diagnosing the fault is the work.
Do you charge more for nights and weekends?
Yes. After-hours, weekend, and holiday rates carry a premium. We will state the rate when you call.
Can I supply my own parts?
Yes, though we do not warranty parts we did not supply.
Will you tell me the markup on parts?
Yes, on request, before the work is performed.
How do you handle work that turns out to be bigger than expected?
We stop and issue a change order. Nothing outside the approved scope is billed without written approval.