GarageDoorBossPro Blog — Estimates & Quotes

Quoting Sensors, Keypads, Remotes and Weatherstripping: The Small Line Items That Add Up

Not every garage door quote is a spring or an opener. Plenty of calls are about the small stuff: a door that reverses for no reason, a keypad that stopped working, a remote that went through the wash, daylight showing under the door. Small jobs, quoted clearly, keep customers coming back for the big ones.

The Small Lines Around the Big Ones

Opener installs, the subject of Quoting an Opener Install: Drive Type, Horsepower and the Old Opener on One Estimate, are where many of these small lines first appear. But sensors, keypads, remotes and weatherstripping also come up as their own calls and as add-ons on tune-ups.

The approach is the same in every case: give each item its own service on your list, with a clear name and your price, and put it on the estimate as its own line.

Safety Sensors

Photo-eye sensors are one of the items on the door safety inspection checklist in the GarageDoorBossPro tech app. When a tech finds sensors that are damaged or not working right, the fix belongs on an estimate.

Services you might set up:

• Safety Sensor Replacement (pair)
• Safety Sensor Realignment / Service
• Sensor Wiring Repair

Keep the language plain and factual. The estimate says what the tech found and what the repair is. It does not need to predict anything or make safety claims beyond what the tech observed and wrote down.

Keypads and Remotes

Keypads and remotes are often the easiest yes on a quote. A family with three drivers and one working remote is happy to add two more. Set up services like:

• Wireless Keypad Install
• Remote (each), with quantity on the line
• Remote and Keypad Programming

Equipment details help here. GarageDoorBossPro can save keypads and remotes on the house with brand and model, so the next time someone calls about a lost remote, the office knows what was installed without asking the customer to climb on a ladder and read a label.

Weatherstripping and Bottom Seals

Bottom seal and weatherstripping work is a common add-on on tune-ups and a good fit for fall and winter. It is also an item on the safety inspection checklist. Services might include:

• Bottom Seal Replacement (per door)
• Perimeter Weatherstripping (per door)
• Threshold Seal Install

Because these are priced per door, the quantity on the line matters. A three-car garage with two doors needs two bottom seals. If the doors are saved on the house with their sizes, the office can see at a glance what the customer has. Property measurements, such as the number of doors, can also be used to price these services, which is covered in the measurements guide.

Small Lines on Bigger Quotes

The best time to offer a small line is when the customer is already saying yes to something else. On a spring replacement quote, a bottom seal line costs the customer little and saves a second trip later. On an opener install, a keypad and extra remotes round out the job.

Keep them as separate lines so the customer can take what they want. Lumping a keypad into an opener price makes the opener look expensive. Showing it separately makes it look like a choice, because it is one.

Small Calls Still Deserve a Written Quote

It is tempting to skip the estimate on a $40 remote and just do it. But a written quote, even for small work, does a few things:

• It confirms the price before the visit, so the invoice is no surprise.
• It records the approval online, so there is no question later.
• It becomes the scheduled job when approved, so the remote or keypad lands on the right van's day.
• It saves the new equipment to the house through the job.

With a template for each common small job, the quote takes almost no time to send.

One practical tip: when a customer calls about a single remote, ask how many drivers use the garage and whether the keypad still works. A two-minute question on the phone often turns a one-line quote into a three-line quote the customer is glad to get, and every line still comes from your own service list at your own price.

Small Items, Same Standard

Small line items are where a garage door company shows it is organized. Clear names, steady prices and the same treatment whether the job is $40 or $4,000. When the customer is ready for a new door, they remember who quoted the remote properly. That bigger quote is next: Quoting a New Garage Door: Size, Material and Insulation on the Estimate. For more quoting tools, visit the GarageDoorBossPro garage door estimate software page.