- How It Works
Four steps, in writing, from click to completion.
Cannida runs every project the same way: booking fee, site visit, written quote, scheduled work. No mystery numbers, no shifting scope, no surprise invoices. Here’s exactly what happens between “Book a service” and the final walkthrough.
$50
Booking fee · refundable
5 BD
To written quote
2 wks
Typical start
- — Launch services
Jump to the part you came for.
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned
SDVOSB · SBE · MWBE · FL VBE
EPA Lead-Safe Certified (DC)
Bonded & Insured
Tampa Bay & the DMV
- — The four steps
From click to completion, the same path every time.
The compact version of this lives on every service page. This is the long version — what happens at each step, who you’ll talk to, and exactly what you’ll get in writing.
01
- Day 1
Same day · online
Book your slot
You pick a service, answer a two-step qualifier — scope and property type — and hold your spot in the schedule with a refundable booking fee.
The fee isn’t a deposit on the work. It’s a commitment fee that secures an estimator’s time on a specific day to come out and properly scope your project. If you don’t move forward after the site visit, the fee is refunded in full. If you do, it’s credited against the project total. Either way, you’re not out the money.
You’ll get a booking confirmation by email immediately, with the estimator’s name, the scheduled site-visit window, and what to have ready when they arrive.
- — What you receive at this stage
- Booking confirmation email with reference number, estimator name, and scheduled window
- Refundable fee receipt showing the $50 hold and refund/credit terms
- Pre-visit checklist — what to clear, who should be home, photos we'd like if applicable
02
- Days 2–4
On-site · 30–60 min
Site visit & scope
A Cannida estimator comes to the property at the scheduled time, walks the work area with you, takes measurements, photos, and notes, and confirms the scope of what you want done.
For lead remediation, this is when XRF testing or dust sampling happens, performed by an EPA-certified Risk Assessor. For painting, it’s surface inspection, substrate condition, and color confirmation. For cement, it’s subgrade check, measurement, and any required permit considerations.
You walk through the scope with the estimator and confirm exactly what’s in (and what’s out) before they leave. No ambiguity goes back to the office.
- — What you receive at this stage
- Confirmed scope — the agreed list of what's being done, signed off by you on site
- Site notes & photos we use to build your written quote
- Any required test results (lead testing, for example) within the timeframe required by the certification
03
- Day 5–7
Written · emailed
Written quote
Within five business days of the site visit, you receive a written quote — line-item, not a single number. Materials, labor, prep, permits, and any pass-through costs are itemized so you can see exactly where the money goes.
The quote includes a project schedule with a target start date and an estimated duration. It also includes your warranty terms, payment milestones, and the documentation you’ll receive at completion. If you have questions, you have direct access to the estimator who walked the site — not a sales line.
If you decide not to move forward, the booking fee from Step 1 is refunded in full. If you do, it’s credited against your first payment milestone.
- — What you receive at this stage
- Line-item written quote — materials, labor, prep, permits, taxes itemized
- Project schedule with target start date and estimated duration
- Warranty terms & completion docs list — what you'll receive at the end
- Payment milestone schedule — when each payment is due (see below)
04
- Week 2+
On-site work + close
Work, walkthrough, closeout
Crews arrive on the scheduled start date and work to the scope, materials, and timeline in your signed quote. Site cleanup happens daily. Your project lead is the same person from start to finish — no contractor-to-subcontractor handoffs.
When the work is done, the project lead walks the completed scope with you on site. Anything that doesn’t match what you signed off on gets fixed before we close the project, not after. You sign off the walkthrough; we send the completion package; the project is closed.
Workmanship warranty starts the day of completion. If something covered fails, you call us and we come back.
- — What you receive at this stage
- Daily progress — your project lead's contact, work status, no surprises
- Final walkthrough — you sign off on what was delivered against what was quoted
- Completion package — final invoice, warranty certificate, and any required compliance docs (lead clearance, permit close-out, etc.)
- — The booking fee, explained
Why we ask for a small fee up front.
It’s the question we get most often. Here’s the honest answer — what the fee is, what it isn’t, and why we run this way.
A contractor's most expensive resource is their estimator's time on site. Free quotes only stay free if most of them turn into work — and the way that math works out is that the cost of every walk-away gets baked into the quoted price for every project that does close. The honest customer subsidizes the tire-kicker.
We don’t run that way. The booking fee asks for a small commitment from both sides: you commit to actually being there for the site visit, and we commit to showing up on time with a real estimator who can scope the job and answer your questions in writing.
If you decide not to move forward after the quote, you get your money back. That’s the whole point — it’s a hold, not a charge.
It's a slot reservation
Holds the estimator's site-visit time on a specific day
It's fully refundable
Don't want to move forward? Refunded in full
It credits against your project
If you do move forward, $50 off your first milestone
It's never a hidden charge
Shown clearly before you book, not buried
- Standard booking fee
One fee, three services.
Refundable · credited if you proceed
Anytime before work starts
Original payment method
Applied to Milestone 1
Refunded plus reschedule
- — When you pay what
Payment milestones, not surprises.
Most residential projects use a three-milestone schedule. Larger commercial and municipal projects can use a different structure — we’ll write it into your quote.
- Step 1
Booking fee
Holds your site-visit slot. Refundable if you don't move forward; credited against Milestone 1 if you do.
$50
Refundable
- Quote signed
Milestone 1 — Project start
Due when you sign the quote and we schedule the work. Covers materials procurement and crew scheduling.
~30%
Of project total
- Mid-project
Milestone 2 — Work in progress
Due at the agreed mid-point of the work, when material is on site and crews are active.
~40%
Of project total
- Completion
Milestone 3 — Final & walkthrough
Due after the final walkthrough you've signed off on. Includes the completion package and warranty certificate.
~30%
Of project total
- — Warranty & refund policy
What we stand behind. In writing.
The three guarantees that ride with every Cannida project. Each one is documented in your contract — these aren’t marketing terms.
- 01 / Refund
- Booking
Refundable booking fee
If you decide not to move forward after the site visit and quote, your booking fee is refunded in full to the original payment method. No timeline pressure, no restocking trick — it’s your money until you sign a contract.
- Window:
Anytime before work starts
- 02 / Scope lock
- Quote
Quoted price is the price
What you sign is what you pay. Change orders are written, priced, and signed before any out-of-scope work happens. No invoice-day surprises — if it wasn’t in your quote and you didn’t sign a change order, you’re not paying for it.
- Method:
Written change orders only
- 03 / Warranty
- Work
Workmanship warranty
Our workmanship is warrantied for the period written into your contract — varies by service (paint adhesion, concrete settlement, lead clearance). If something covered fails, you call us, we come back, we fix it. Manufacturer defects fall under the manufacturer’s warranty, which we help you claim.
- Coverage:
Written into every contract
- — Common questions
What people ask before they book.
Is the $50 booking fee really refundable?
Yes — fully refundable to your original payment method anytime before work starts. If you decide not to move forward after the site visit, you say so and we issue the refund. If you do move forward, the $50 is credited against your first project milestone. Either way you’re not out the money.
What if Cannida cancels or reschedules the site visit?
If we have to cancel or move your appointment, we let you know as soon as we can and offer a new window that works for you. Your booking fee is held and applies to the rescheduled visit at no additional cost — or refunded in full if a reschedule doesn’t work for you.
Do you ever charge more than the quoted price?
Not without a written change order you’ve signed. If something genuinely unexpected comes up mid-project — hidden damage discovered behind a wall, for example — we stop, document it, price it, and bring you the change order before doing any out-of-scope work. You always have the option to approve, modify, or decline.
How do you handle payment?
Credit card, ACH bank transfer, or check. The booking fee is paid online when you book; project milestones are invoiced and paid through whichever method works for you. Federal, state, and municipal clients can be set up on net-30 terms with a signed contract.
Can I pay the full amount up front instead of milestones?
We don’t recommend it and we don’t ask for it. Milestone payments protect both sides — you’re not exposed to a contractor walking off with prepaid money, and we’re not financing a project out of our own pocket. If you want to pay early on a milestone, that’s fine; we don’t accept full prepayment in advance of work.
How long does the whole process take?
From booking to written quote is typically 5–7 business days. From signed quote to project start is usually one to two weeks depending on scheduling and material lead times. The project itself ranges from a single day (small interior paint, sidewalk repair) to several weeks (whole-property remediation, large exterior repaint). Your written quote includes a target schedule with start date and estimated duration.
Do you work with government, federal, or institutional clients?
Yes. Cannida is SDVOSB-eligible and SBE-certified for federal, state, and regional set-aside contracts. Institutional clients use net-30 terms with signed contracts and can request our capability statement. Contact the procurement desk through the Contact page for that route.
What if I'm not happy with the finished work?
The walkthrough at completion exists exactly for this. Anything that doesn’t match what you signed off on in the quote gets fixed before we close the project, not after. If something covered by the workmanship warranty fails after completion, you call us and we come back. We don’t close out a project until you’ve signed the walkthrough — that’s the protection on both sides.
Now you know how it works. Ready to book?
Two minutes to qualify, $50 refundable to hold your slot, on-site estimate within the week. Same process every time — that’s the point.