"How much does a car cost? " is my answer.
It depends on what features are on your new or used car(home). Some people are insistent that I can give them a fee proposal without seeing the home or meeting with them. Do they ask their doctor his fees before seeing him? Although in the Internet age anything’s possible. Without even seeing X-rays or knowing medical history? Clients don’t want services that you have to meet with them or their site/house for one of the biggest purchases in their lives? And they don’t expect to get for what they paid for it. Do you want wheels with your car, cause I can knock a thousand of of the used car price if you don’t want wheels.
Each home and project are unique. We like to set-up free no obligation meetings at the property to discuss projects. Anyone who gives you a proposal over the phone without first seeing the project is doing a disservice to themselves and the customer. Any reputable contractor will refrain from giving a “number” over the phone as each project has it’s own unique set of requirements.
I’ll typically give my best guess. Can’t judge the motivation and we are always happy to help.
We do not provide cost estimates site unseen. In our experience, this is not to anyone’s advantage. For those who insist, we politely decline, explain our rationale, and leave it up to them to determine whether to proceed with us or not. It’s actually quite unusual for a client to insist on an immediate “ballpark” once they understand our rationale for not providing them.