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O Elkmont Estimates
IS YOUR ESTIMATOR LEAVING
MONEY ON THE TABLE?
Is your current estimating process costing you money? Not all problems are visible
right away. Never miss a line item again!

OUR SERVICES

Elkmont Estimates is your Fractional Senior Estimator. For many restoration companies, they're simultaneously either too big, or too small. Hiring an in-house Senior Estimator is costly and a worthwhile investment, but if you cannot afford or find a competent Senior Estimator? Not having an experienced estimator can ultimately cost you money with missed line-item opportunities.

By using Elkmont Estimates on-demand you're working with experienced estimators who have personally done the work. We're not just a scribe copying your notes in Xactimate. We compare your notes and documentation to photos and add associated line items to help justifiably increase your estimate or invoice.

CLAIMS CLOSURE SERVICES

Are you tired of wasting your time and incurring brain damage dealing with adjusters? We recognize dealing with adjusters is arduous and frustrating. Our experienced team knows how to fight the system that delays and denies justifiable payments. Our expert estimators work with our Claims Closure Specialists to defend your scope, communicate with all interested parties, and escalate as necessary to get you paid what you deserve.

* Elkmont Estimates is not a licensed Public Adjuster nor Debt Collector

WHAT'S INCLUDED

  • • Detailed estimate or invoice including F9 notes where necessary
  • • A detailed email to you outlining why certain line-items were used so that you understand where our mindset was at.
  • • The estimate or invoice as a .PDF and .ESX. The files are always yours.
  • • Unlimited revisions and supplements.
  • • Emails or phone calls addressing adjuster issues.
  • • Follow up discussions as necessary. *In some scenarios many discussions lead into a more consulting role which is not included in the estimate. We address this case-by-case and a consulting fee may be applied if deemed appropriate.*
  • • Working one-on-one with adjusters and materially interested parties if utilizing our Claims Closure Services.
  • • Administering Liens and Demand Letters if Utilizing our Claims Closure Services *additional fees may apply


OUR PHILOSOPHY

We believe that restoration companies should be fully and fairly compensated for the work they perform. By underpaying a contractor, insurance carriers are preventing damaged properties from being returned to their pre-loss condition. We create the most detailed and justifiable invoices and estimates possible without fluff. We believe that we may need to defend our invoices and estimates to a jury and will always maintain integrity in our estimating processes. We only hire estimators with field experience and do not hire adjusters to create our estimates. See our FAQ page for why.

We believe that invoices are submitted for services rendered and that other than errors, they are non-negotiable, however we will adjust them at the request of our clients.

Our Clients

FOR FRANCHISE OWNERS

Having been a franchise owner, we know that the franchisor's interests are conflicted with their franchisees. The larger franchises that offer program work are racing to the bottom of the pricing barrel with their corporate agreements not permitting certain line-items, caps on hourly monitoring, and required discounts. This high volume, low margin work does not provide sustainable profit margins that are necessary to reinvest in the growth of a healthy buisness.

Some restoration franchises also offer estimating services for their owners to ease their workload. The problem is the corporate estimators are often poorly trained and only know the line-items that the corporate agreements with insurance carriers allow. Franchisor employed estimators seldomly push the envelope and only bill what they know will be approved, not what can be approved with a deeper understainding of how estimates are approved. We work with franchisees nationwide that are ready to break free from their corporate overlords and make more money with non-program work.

CAREERS

Are you a rockstar senior estimator with field experience? If so, we'd love to talk with you! Our positions are 100% remote with no on-call requirements! Please contact us to learn more about our current opportunities.

F A Q

While there are some specialty trade line-items that are frequently below market value such as electrical, HVAC, and plumbing work, most of the time we find that companies complaining they cannot make money with Xactimate do not know how to properly use Xactimate. The software has over 20,000 line-items and knowing which line-items support certain tasks is critical to ensuring you're making enough money on each job. If we know line-items are going to be low, we'll modify the pricing as necessary or add a note that the client should verify a price with the respective trade. We're happy to adjust as requested.

You can, however it may take longer to get approved and paid. Adjusters all have a boss to answer to and a box to stay in. While it is possible to use a custom price list and invoice from a software such as Quickbooks, our experience is that it takes longer to pay and invokes more arguing as the assigned adjuster is not familiar with the format and they need to be able to justify their approvals. We find it's easiest to meet them at their level and be able to substantiate each line-item without getting into an argument over a format they're uncomfortable with.

You certainly can, however it usually is not successful. Many restoration companies hire adjusters thinking that they'll get their estimates and invoices approved faster. While this may happen, we have found that they're trained only to add line-items that they know will be approved. Therefore the restoration company is missing out on line-items that the adjuster either doesn't believe will get approved or doesn't even know exist! Either way, the restoration company loses money that could have been theirs.

Adjusters often refer to all documents submitted for payment as an “estimate.” This perpetuates a fallacy that everything is negotiable. It's not.

For mitigation, the invoice is submitted for work performed as an incurred cost. Unless there are errors, we believe that this document is non-negotiable, regardless of the adjuster's “Comparative Estimate.” For reconstruction, since work typically has not begun, this would be an estimate to for necessary work which usually does result in some negotiation, preferably about scope of work, not individual line-item prices.

A “Comparative Estimate” is usually the adjuster's way to knock a contractor on their heels and say what they will or will not pay for. Frequently line-items are omitted, scrambled, or modified in such a format that it's nearly impossible to understand. Our opinion is that the adjuster's version does not matter as they're usually required to make one for their own internal processes. We recommend only working from one document, the contractor's.

You sure can, but what's your time worth? We have spent thousands of hours learning Xactimate, gaining practical field experience, and honing our craft. What's your time worth? Is your time best spent selling more projects and managing the ones you have, or spending hours behind a monitor figuring out what happened on each project, what line-items to use, and stressing out that you may have missed out on justifiable line-items that cost you money?

1. Experience

▪ Our owner has been in this industry since 2014. He combines his hands-on restoration experience, construction, and Xactimate knowledge to create highly detailed and justifiable estimates and invoices that increase your revenue.

▪ We only hire the best estimators with real-world experience and pay top dollar for their skills. This is not as easy as it sounds like and you certainly get what you pay for!

2. We're not scribes. Many other companies simply look over the notes provided by the client and input line-items based upon those notes. We look over each note, photo, watch videos, and double check everything to be sure we catch it all. As an example, frequently, a tech will write that an inspection was done during business hours on a specific date when it was actually a Saturday. We double check to be sure that all after hours line-items are captured and accounted for. Or, a tech will write that a water loss originating from beyond a toilet trap is Category 2 water. Whoops, that's a Category 3 loss, and needs to be invoiced accordingly.

3. We align our financial goals with yours. How do you know the flat fee or hourly companies are creating the most detailed and accurate estimates and invoices for you? Often, they need to churn through a higher volume of claims at a low price which equates to lower revenue to the contractor per job. We believe in aligning our financial goals with yours which is why we charge a percentage of the approved amount. This incentivizes our estimators to create the best possible estimate or invoice without fluff that we know will not be approved since we won't get paid for it anyway!

Yes, and we do it every day! Combining our experience, tick sheets (which we provide to clients), photographs, and modern technology such as Matterport we find that our estimates are well detailed and far more efficient to create than if we were on-site. Being remote allows us to take our time looking through each and every photo, video, document, and property scan whereas being on-site oftentimes can feel rushed and be distracted by a homeowner being present. Don't worry though, if we have questions we'll be sure to ask!

Yes! If utilizing our Claims Closure Services, we will work directly with the assigned adjuster and property owner to get your claim closed and paid for the highest possible amount. We're not public adjusters, nor a debt collection service, however, we are experts and defending our justifiable estimates and invoices. We are experts at understanding IICRC S500, S520, S540 and the upcoming S700. We also understand current construction building methods. We know how to defend a justifiable estimate and invoice. Ultimately, we support our clients and they determine how firm we are with adjusters and property owners. Our Claims Closure Services are customized to how you want to run your business.

If a contractor is not on their program, they're under no obligation to engage with any of the TPAs assigned to a claim. These TPAs are only in business to beat up restoration companies, delay payments, and save the carriers money. While we suggest not negotiating or engaging with TPAs, if you choose to, we will be happy to justify all line-items we utilize. Keep in mind, even with all the logic in the world, sometimes they simply won't approve anything to be stubborn and get a win. Remember, your customer is the property owner and they're responsible for payment.

Yes! Elkmont Estimates currently offers Claim Closure Collection Services. We are not Public Adjusters or a Debt Collection Service however we work with adjusters and homeowners to resolve claims and can escalate as appropriate for each situation. Contact us to learn more about how we can help get you paid on older claims.

At this time, no. Our team dedicates its time to creating the very best, most detailed, and most accurate estimates and invoices possible. The TPAs and franchise SLAs are not in alignment with our values and frankly, we don't have the time for their unnecessary upload requirements, arbitrary deadlines, and needless button pushing. Those items only serve the insurance carrier, not the restoration company.

CONTACT US


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Contact Us
By using Elkmont Estimates on-demand, you're working with an experienced estimator who has done the work personally, not just a scribe copying your notes in Xactimate. We compare your notes and documentation to photos and add associated line items to help justifiably increase your estimate or invoice.
LINKS
ABOUT US
OUR SERVICES
WHAT'S INCLUDED
FRANCHISE OWNERS
FAQ'S & CONTACT US
OUR PHILOSOPHY
OUR CLIENTS