[@nonymous]

Do most of you sell your customer the floors or do they purchase the floor from a flooring retailer and call you for installation?

 

[adamsb]

Do most of you sell your customer the floors or do they purchase the floor from a flooring retailer and call you for installation?

We try to sell, we also do a lot of existing stuff for remodels. We will do the labor if they have purchased the wood, but on our terms. It has to be acclamated good and all that.

 

[Floorwizard]

I am a retailer.
Some contractors buy some stuff from me, but I am mostly full service.
Cradle to grave and warranty issues if any.

 

[DecksEtc]

I don't do floors but your question can be extended to just about anything. In my experience, it's a bad idea to have customers do any of the material ordering. You're just opening yourself up to a lot of potential problems. What happens if there isn't enough of/the correct amount of material - is the customer going to drop everything, leave their office and drive to pick up what you need? Are they going to reimburse you for your time while you sit around waiting for them to get what you need? What happens when the materials aren't there when the customer said they would be? Will they reimburse you for the time you lost waiting for it to arrive.

In my experience, is that if they want to start off by controlling things by ordering the materials, then there is a very high probability that they are going to be a big PITA during the job and long after you've finished even.

The bottom line is that you have to decide for yourself if you want to have the customer provide the materials and take the chance that everything will still work out.

Good luck!

 

[Donedat]

We do package deals meaning that everything is included in the price. If the customer supplies the wood then I mark up the price. They really don't save much by buying there own. We deliver the product to the door, carry into the house even. If they buy it, they have to do all shipping. They usually spend more money buying their own products.

 

[Mike Finley]

What decks and Donedat said. I like to be the total turnkey solution for a customer not just the hired help.

 

[Glasshousebltr]

Ditto.

Bob

 

[Donedat]

I try to keep up to date on all products related to my market area. I boast that if it is made into flooring, I can get it. Living in the Seattle area, we benefit from a local ship yard, so imported products are plentiful.