Guide
How to get quotes from contractors without spending your day on the phone
Text the job to Pally. It finds well-reviewed local contractors, calls each with the same questions once you say go, and texts back every quote, for free. Ask the strongest for a written bid or a site visit.
To do it yourself, write one project brief, attach clear photos, and send the same request to several qualified contractors through their website forms, email, or a home-services marketplace. Either way, compare the work included, materials, availability, payment schedule, warranty, and exclusions alongside the total.
A practical approach
What to do
Write one project scope
Describe the problem, location, dimensions, desired result, and timing in one reusable document, with wide and close photos. Note access limits and when someone can visit. Separate required work from optional upgrades so quotes cover the same job.
Build a qualified short list
Start with contractors who handle your exact kind of project and serve your area. Review recent work, complaints, and references, and check the license and insurance rules for the trade. Marketplaces and neighbor referrals help you find names, but neither replaces your own checks.
Send the same request
Send each contractor the same brief and photos, asking when they could inspect or start, whether the estimate has a fee, and when a written quote will arrive. Set one reply deadline and log every answer in one place. Treat a first online figure as a screening estimate, not a bid.
Standardize the follow-up
Ask every serious candidate the same questions: what is included and excluded, who handles permits, how changes are priced, start date, duration, and warranty. Use the same list on site visits and delegated calls. Consistent questions expose differences a single total hides.
Compare written bids
Put each bid into columns for scope, materials, schedule, payment milestones, warranty, exclusions, and total, and send one written round of questions on the gaps. A lower total can mean less work or materials. Sign a written contract, not a texted estimate.
The Pally option
How Pally helps
Pally can run the quote round for you. It finds well-reviewed local businesses, calls each with the same questions once you say go, and texts back every quote as calls finish. Booking the one you pick is a separate request.
Quote hunter
Movers, contractors, repairs: Pally phones the list, gets real quotes, and books the winner on your go.
See the recipeCall it in
Pally makes real phone calls for you: books the table, chases the appointment, sits through the hold music.
See the recipeThe web errand
The answers that live three clicks deep in some website: Pally goes and gets them.
See the recipeOptions
Other tools people use
Fair alternatives, including ones that overlap with Pally.
Thumbtack
Thumbtack fits homeowners who want to describe a project and contact local professionals through an online marketplace.
Responses are leads rather than fully comparable bids, and many jobs still need a site visit before final pricing.
Angi
Angi fits home projects where you want to research local professionals and request quotes online.
Matching narrows the search, but you still need to verify scope, credentials, references, and contract terms yourself.
Yelp
Yelp fits people who want to find nearby contractors, review customer feedback, and send written quote requests.
Reviews and message replies do not establish that a contractor is licensed, insured, available, or right for the job.
Google Gemini
Gemini fits eligible US Pixel 11 owners who want a business called for a service quote.
The small calling test needs a Google AI subscription, US SIM, and beta Phone app; a phone estimate still needs a written bid.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a contractor quote by text or email?
Many contractors accept an initial written request with photos. Work involving hidden damage, measurements, or several trades usually needs a site visit before the contractor can give a reliable final bid.
What should I send for an accurate quote?
Send the same written scope, dimensions, photos, location, access details, material preferences, and target timing to every contractor. Ask what is included, excluded, and subject to change after inspection.
How do I compare contractor quotes?
Compare the scope, materials, schedule, payment milestones, warranty, permit responsibility, exclusions, and total. Ask candidates to clarify missing items in writing before you choose.
Should I choose the lowest contractor quote?
Choose the bid that gives you a clear, complete scope from a contractor whose qualifications and references you have checked. A lower figure can omit work or use different assumptions, so resolve those differences first.
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