Three real bids on the same job. Zero sales calls to you.

Usually, no. In California, a contractor cannot legally ask for a down payment of more than 10% of the contract price or $1,000 — whichever is LESS. There is one narrow exception involving a special bond, and only about two dozen contractors in the state hold it.

Before you sign a contractor's bid, check it for five things. If any of them are missing, the price isn't finished yet:

1. Scope, in plain words. Material, layers off, underlayment — not just "reroof." For any trade: the work itself, named specifically enough that two bidders pricing it would price the same job.
2. Exclusions. What's NOT included: deck repair, disposal, permit, gutters — or the equivalent silent lines for your trade. A silent exclusion is the problem. An exclusion is not a flaw; an exclusion nobody stated is.
3. Warranty, split in two. Manufacturer = materials. Workmanship = labour. Different numbers, different lengths — both in writing. Never accept a single "warranty" line that does not say which half it is and how long each half lasts.
4. Payments tied to completed work. Deposit within the California cap (see FAQ entry 1: usually $1,000 max — narrow bond exception), then pay as work is done — never far ahead of the work.
5. Permit & inspection. Who pulls it? Is the fee in the price? No permit isn't cheaper. It's incomplete. If a bid says no permit is needed, ask the bidder to put that in writing and check it with your city yourself.

And one rule covers all five: if it was said but not written, it is not agreed. Get it in the bid, or treat it as not included. Verbal scope, verbal warranty, and verbal price adjustments are not agreements.

This is a check, not legal, engineering, or contracting advice.

No — if it was said but not written, it is not agreed. Verbal scope, verbal warranty, and verbal price adjustments are not agreements. Get it in the bid, or treat it as not included.

Yes — it's the whole point of the business model. Marketplace sites are free to you because you are the product: your request is sold to multiple contractors as a lead. We charge you one flat fee instead, so there's nothing to sell. Your name, phone, and email are never given to a contractor. They receive a project address, a spec, and our contact details — that's it.

Us. All questions, scheduling, and follow-ups run through SameSpec. If a contractor needs a site visit, we book it with you first and confirm the window — nobody shows up unannounced, and nobody gets your number "just to coordinate." When you pick a winner, then we introduce you directly to sign the contract.

Before a company can receive a spec, we check its CSLB (California Contractors State License Board) license status and bond, and request a current insurance certificate. Every packet shows the verification result per bid — including when something couldn't be verified, like Bid C in the sample packet, which is flagged rather than hidden. Verification is a check at packet time, not a guarantee of the contractor's work — your contract is always directly with the contractor you choose.

Because a percentage or referral fee makes our money depend on who you hire and how much you spend — that's exactly the conflict we're removing. A flat fee from you means our only incentive is a packet you'd recommend to a neighbor. Contractors pay us nothing: no referral fees, no placement fees, no pay-to-rank.

Then the fee comes back in full. We contact every licensed company we can reach for your trade and city precisely because some won't bid — but if fewer than three legit quotes on your spec come back within 14 days, you choose: a full refund, or we keep working the list at no extra charge. The guarantee is three legit quotes on your spec, or your fee back. A legit quote is a real, priced bid with line items, terms, and a price attached, from a licensed company, against your approved spec.

Yes — send it through our free bid-review upload page and you'll get a one-page, plain-language review back: the deposit against the California cap, the contractor's licence checked on CSLB with the date checked, every exclusion and missing item we can spot, and a verdict — looks solid, ask before signing, or red flag. Free, before any payment, no obligation, and we never contact the contractor or share your files with them.

Any project a licensed contractor can bid: roofing and tree work, kitchens and bathrooms, HVAC, concrete, fencing, painting, electrical, plumbing, landscaping, pools, ADUs, solar — and business projects like office and storefront build-outs. We handle each project type the same way: with a trade-specific spec template, and companies checked licence-first for that trade before any spec is sent, so a kitchen spec asks kitchen questions, not roofing ones. We have researched company lists today for roofing, tree work, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical, and coverage varies by city within those trades. For other project types — kitchens, bathrooms, concrete, fencing, ADUs, solar, pools, and commercial work — coverage is still being built, so intake review will tell you straight — before any fee — whether we can reach enough licensed companies to spec your job properly.

No — homeowners and businesses both. The service fits landlords, property managers, realtors prepping a listing, HOAs, and businesses with a storefront, office, or facility project — anyone who needs real bids without becoming a part-time procurement department. Pick "Business / commercial project" in the intake, or note it in the project details.

We cover the Bay Area — San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and the cities and suburbs in between — as contractor coverage allows. Outside the Bay Area, the waitlist is the right place — it's how we choose where to expand next.