Owner-run, two crews, and a habit of writing things down.

Why the paperwork looks like a drawing

Because that is what a cage is. Somewhere there is a sealed drawing that says what your enclosure was engineered to hold, what size the beams are and how far apart the anchors go. Most homeowners have never seen theirs, and most quotes they receive are one line long: “rescreen pool cage.”

One line is not enough information to compare two prices, and it is not enough information for the next contractor either. So our record names the structure it was done to and the specification it was done in. If we are ever the second company on a cage, that sheet is exactly what we would want handed to us.

The thing we are actually strict about

Not adding load to a frame that was not engineered for it. Denser mesh, extra solid panels, unvented surfaces — every one of those makes the enclosure catch more wind, and none of them make the frame stronger. The frame does not know that the customer asked nicely.

That is why the record has a $0.00 line on it. When somebody asks for something we think is wrong for their structure, the answer, the reason and the zero all go on the paperwork. It costs us the line item. It is also the only version of this job we are willing to do twice.

What being owner-run actually changes

Two things, in practice. First, the measure and the accountability are the same person, so nobody quotes a job they will not have to stand behind. Second, we turn work away. Two crews can only be in two places, and the alternative to saying “not for three weeks” is saying yes and then rushing somebody else’s cage. We would rather give you the honest date.