If you have never booked a plumber before, or you have and it went badly, here is exactly what happens when Nic’s Plumbing comes to your Seattle home, in order. No four-hour window, no sales pitch on a tablet, no number that grows once the wall is open. This is the visit minute by minute, from the text that says we are on the way to the photos that land on your phone when we leave.
- Before we startYou see three written options and approve one on your phone
- While we workRunners on your floors, covers on nearby surfaces, shoe covers at the door
- On the wayA text so you know when Nic will actually arrive
- When we leavePhotos of what I found and what I fixed, at the exact spot
Why a first visit makes people nervous
The same visit gets described over and over online: a “full sales pitch presentation on his iPad,” a quote padded with add-ons, a manager called in to magically drop the price, or a ten-minute look followed by a number that makes your head spin. The question underneath it all usually isn’t about pipes. It’s “is this reasonable?”, asked by someone staring at a number they have no way to check.
We built the first visit around removing that feeling, not talking you past it. You should never be looking at a screen thinking “I don’t know what I’m looking at.” Everything below is something you can watch happen, in your own house, on the first call.
A first visit, start to finish
Here is the order things actually happen in, from the moment I head over to the moment I drive away.
The text on the way
When I’m heading your way, you get a link that shows where I am and when I should arrive, the same way you’d track a delivery. Nic en route · live map No blocking off a whole afternoon to wait by the window.
At your door
I introduce myself and ask to see the problem before touching anything. This is the moment to flag anything you’re worried about protecting: original floors, a finished basement, a tricky crawlspace.
Runners down, before any tool comes out
A canvas runner goes down from your door to the work area, covers go over nearby countertops and tubs. On a 1910 fir floor, this happens before the diagnosis even starts.
The look
I trace what’s actually going on: the pipe material, the fixture, a camera or pressure check if one is needed. Stand right there and ask questions; nothing here is rushed to get to a number.
Three options, on your phone
You see Good, Better and Best written out: what each includes, what it doesn’t, and why I’d pick one for your house. No tablet presentation, no countdown discount.
You approve, then we start
You pick the option that fits and tap to approve it; that’s the number on the invoice. If something genuinely new turns up once work is open, that pauses for a revised written option too.
The work, kept contained
Openings are kept as small as the job allows, tools stay on the runner, and anything removed leaves with us. Ask to see the old part before it goes.
Photos, then a clean handoff
Before packing up, you get photos of what I found and what I fixed at the exact spot, sent to your phone. The workspace is sanitized, runners come up last, and the walkthrough covers what was done in plain language.
That order holds whether it’s a running toilet in a South Lake Union condo or a full diagnosis ahead of an old-house repipe. The scope changes; the sequence doesn’t.
What we will not do
No iPad slideshow about the company. No price that’s “instantly discounted” if you decide right now. No call to a manager to find a “rock bottom” number. No pressure to pick the biggest option, and no pressure to pick the cheapest one either. If you want to think it over, talk to your spouse, or get a second opinion, the written options are yours to keep and compare.
Roughly how long each part takes
| Part of the visit | What’s happening | What it depends on |
|---|---|---|
| The text, then arrival | You watch Nic’s ETA update as he drives | Distance, traffic, the job ahead of yours |
| Runners and covers | The work path is protected before anything starts | How far the work area is from the door |
| The look | Diagnosis, and a camera or pressure check if needed | Whether the cause is visible or hidden in a wall |
| Three options | Good, Better and Best explained and written down | Nothing. It runs the same way on every job |
| The work itself | The approved option, done and tested | The scope of the job, from a fixture repair to a repipe |
| Photos and walkthrough | Photos of what I found and what I fixed, workspace cleaned | Nothing. Small repair or large, you get the photos |
What the photos actually show
The problem as we found it and the room before we touched it: the corroded fitting or scale inside a cut pipe section, the fixture that failed, runners already down and surfaces already covered.
The completed repair in the same spot, the pressure test or camera result, and the room as we left it: sanitized, runners gone, nothing to suggest anyone was there except the fix.
Ready to see it for yourself?
Tell us what’s going on with the house. We’ll look, send Good, Better and Best options in writing, and start only when you approve one.
Related pages
How a job with Nic’s Plumbing goes
Floor protection, arrival updates and what I won’t do, in more detail than the first visit needs.
How the free quote works
What the three tiers mean and why the number you approve is the number on the invoice.
Contact Nic’s Plumbing
Reach us by phone or send details about what’s going on with your house.
Questions about the first visit
Will there be a sales pitch?
No. I diagnose the problem, explain it plainly, and show you three written options. There’s no company slideshow, no countdown discount, and no call to a manager to negotiate a “rock bottom” price. If you want to think it over before approving anything, that’s fine; the written options don’t expire the moment I leave.
How do I know the quote is reasonable?
You see the diagnosis before the number, and the number comes as three options, not one figure you have to take on faith. That gives you something to compare: what Good, Better and Best each include, and why. If you want a second opinion before approving, take one; a legitimate written quote holds up to that.
Do I need to be home for the whole visit?
You, or someone who can approve the quote for the house, should be there for the look and the options. Because approval happens on your phone and the photos arrive the same way, you can step out once the work itself starts if you’d rather not wait around.
What if I decide not to go ahead?
That’s fine. The look and the written options don’t obligate you to anything. You keep the diagnosis and the three prices either way, and there’s no pressure to decide on the spot.
Will you protect my floors even for a small repair?
Yes. The runner, the covers and the shoe covers go down for a dripping faucet the same as they do for a whole-house repipe. It isn’t scaled to the size of the invoice; it’s how every visit starts, and it’s the easiest part of this page to check in the first two minutes.
How soon can someone come out?
Contact us with what’s going on and we’ll get you on the schedule, with a text sent once I’m on the way. See contact for the fastest way to reach us.