What to expect
So you’ve booked your consultation. What’s next?
Upon booking an appointment, you’ll receive an email confirmation along with some applicable reference material that will vary depending on the type of project you’ve requested. We strongly suggest our clients review that material, as well as research what other options are available through normal contractors in your area before your design consultant arrives.
You won’t find products or services like ours offered by any other company and you’ll be seeing what we have to show you for the first time ever. We’ve found it’s usually best to familiarize yourself with some of the differences, maybe even try an appointment or two with another company or contractor beforehand so you can see the products they have & how they operate as a business in order to be prepared to make the most of your design consultation with us. Because we don’t just say we value our time & appreciate efficiency, we put our $$$ where our mouth is by offering multiple discounts for our clients depending on how prepared & ready they are when we show up! (Check out our “Available Discounts” page for more)
Our process
It’s appointment day. Your design consultant just arrived. What will our journey together look like?
We have a seamless & transparent step-by-step process for approaching every potential project to ensure that we take no shortcuts & provide every homeowner with the same valuable & enjoyable design consultation experience that our customers have come to expect. By the time we finish, you’ll have all the information you need to make an informed decision about your project.
Greeting / Introduction
Who’s coming into your home? Your design consultant will arrive exactly at the scheduled meeting time with a job folder, iPad & business card in-hand, and a tape measure on his belt.
You’ll go through the typical introductions, then they’ll offer a brief background of themselves, who they are & how they came to work with the company so you can feel comfortable with who you’re doing business with.
It’s best to find a place like a breakfast area, living room or dining room where you normally gather that has a table to make it easier to move around looking between photos & real physical samples we will bring with us.
Warm-up / Needs Assessment / Agenda
After introductions, we will ask questions like why you’re considering the project, how you’re trying to alter the feel of the home, what type of company & product you’re looking for, and what’s the ultimate end-goal you’d like to achieve? What is your time frame?
This will help them learn more about you & what you’re truly looking for with your home improvement project, and allow them to determine if we really are the best fit for your needs, if we can complete the job within your time-frame, or if we should refer you to another company that can better serve your needs & save us both time.
Once you’ve agreed that we think our company & products will be a good fit for your home & style, they will give a quick rundown of the agenda so you know what to expect for the rest of the meeting.
Inspection / Measurements
Before replacing or installing any new product on your home, the first point of order is always to inspect the existing structure to see if there are any potential issues that could prevent us from being able to complete the project.
Once we’ve determined we can do your project, we’ll work together to take rough measurements and make initial hand drawings of the project that we’ll reference in a few minutes for the 3D designer & pricing purposes.
Then we come back inside and the fun part begins!
Photo Gallery / Product Overview
Next we’ll give a quick yet informative rundown of the types of products & materials available to you through the typical contractors in your area, the pros & cons of each, how long you can expect each type of product to perform if you were to purchase them, and finally the fundamental issues that come with each of those product types that caused us to move on to a better solution for our customers.
Once you understand the reasons why the other products fail eventually, we’ll bring in our physical material samples for you to hold & inspect so you can easily see the superior engineering & quality of material in our products for yourself as we explain how we solve problems in ways other products can’t.
We’ll also have photo galleries to show you actual completed projects on real homes in your area that you may find inspirational or useful when building your design in the next step.
Interactive 3D Designer
Hopefully by now you can see that our product(s) will best meet your needs for your home in terms of design, aesthetic, performance, longevity & value retention, now it’s time to design & personalize your project.
Whether you’re replacing windows & doors, or installing a deck, patio cover, screenroom, sunroom or outdoor kitchen, there are a ton of small details that can make a huge difference in your overall satisfaction with the finished product!
Most contractors try to keep it as simple as possible & won’t talk small details or provide more options unless customers ask. We have a detailed options checklist for each of our products, and we make sure to cover every possible option that might make a difference to you so that you know you’re getting exactly what you want!
We also have exclusive 3D rendering software we’ll use to design your exact patio cover, screenroom, and/or sunroom where you can see the design & make changes in real time, right there in your home!
Pricing / Financial Options
Now that we’ve solidified our product design & project details, it’s time to see if we can turn our dream into reality. We have standard formulas for each type of product that allow us to quickly price our projects both accurately & consistently for every homeowner based on their specific project details & required labor.
We combine the manufacturing, shipping, removal & disposal of old products/material (if necessary), permits, engineered drawings, installation materials, labor, product warranties, installation warranties and taxes to provide you with an all-inclusive, out-the-door, exact investment amount that will not change at all once the agreement has been made, unless you decide to make changes afterwards. We are professionals. If we make a mistake and don’t correct it before we agree to terms, we will not come back to ask you for more $$$ during the project.
We offer 6mo. – 24mo. same-as-cash financing options & have longer term plans with interest available as well.
We do offer a discount of 5% off the entire project for paying by cash or check (50% due up front, then final 50% due upon project completion to qualify) as well.
You can combine cash & financing options (up to 50% down up front, then finance the remaining portion).
Ordering Process
Once you’ve decided on your project details & figured out which investment option works best for your financial situation, you’re almost done! We’ll do a final review of the project details together, then complete the paperless agreement together on our company iPad and immediately send you a PDF copy of the agreement via email.
After you’ve verified that you received the email, your design consultant will give you a physical project folder with all relevant information dealing with your project & our company, as well as their business card inside so you’ll know what to expect moving forward & who to contact if you have any questions, concerns, or issues covered by warranty down the road.
At that point your project has been ordered and we’re now ready to wrap up our design consultation.
Product Delivery & Installation Expectations
The final step is setting expectations for what comes next. We will discuss the permitting process (if necessary), lead times (usually 4-8 weeks for most products. Remember our products are custom manufactured to fit your existing home’s dimensions & your specific style, not picked up off a shelf at a box store or lumber yard), how the product will be delivered, when we will call to schedule your installation date, roughly how many days the installation should take and how we will close the job once it’s been completed.
Then we’ll give you one last opportunity to ask us any final questions, then we’ll thank you for your time & part ways. At that point you can relax for a while until we call to set up your installation after your product has been manufactured and is ready to ship!
***But don’t take our word for it, set up a free 90-minute design consultation to see the East Alabama Full Service Home Improvement Co. process for yourself! ***