And if you're a homeowner, are you worried about your pocketbook in these lean times? Does price matter more than ever for projects that you want or need done?

On my end, I'm days and days into bids for fairly complicated remodeling projects that I submit, never to hear a peep from the person again. Indeed, I've delivered more bids this month that have gone unanswered that at any time in my career -- combined!

Tell me if this has ever happened to you: You meet a prospective customer through a social network -- aka a party -- and you get talking. As happens at every party I go to, people ply me with their remodeling triumphs and tragedies, and that was the case with this guy and a tiny molding problem he wanted to solve himself but couldn't. However, before he could finish his tale, I had to leave, so I gave him my card and asked him to email me for a little guidance -- which he did, rapid fire.

Now, we weren't friends so I admit I was investing in a potential reference, which happened. He asked for a price on a fairly complicated project. I visited his home, took measurements, talked him through the process, answered his million questions, then I went back to the office, counted sticks and boards and gallons and delivered an estimate that included everything from landscaping to trim carpentry. It worked out, tidily, to be about $100/foot. All told, minus the party, I have about 14 hours into this bid.

Now I'll give the dude the benefit of the doubt just in case something important or terrible befell him. However, I sensed "needling cheap-skate" while I talked to him during the estimate (I hate to say this, but I've noticed that people who like to take you on long tours of their house and show off this and that tend to be high-maintenance clients). Long story short, he worked me for a price and information -- and he got it. What's more, he can hand it off to the next slob who walks through his door and see if he can get a lower price.

"Have you thought of this flashing or that drainage detail?" he'll ask the other guy. Well, the homeowner didn't think of it, I did. I'll have done half my competition's bid for them -- and provided a benchmark for them to beat.

Now, sometimes this goes with the territory, but like I said before, I've never seen it to this degree. From now on, I'm going to work out rough estimates that I can deliver in a few minutes rather than a few days for customers I sense are kicking the tires -- and I've been compiling some general guidelines to help me with that. For example, remodeling is somewhere between $75-100 / foot; roofing is materials plus 2x materials for labor and so on.

The point is, I'll be able to deliver a ballpark estimate and then say, "If this is near your budget -- and you're serious about getting this work done -- then I will do a detailed proposal. One that I hope you'll keep confidential." I will also add that I'll be investing a lot of time in the proposal and that if they're shopping price I certainly understand but that I want a chance to counter-offer (I'll need to see a written bid from my competition; if their prices are really that awesome I may want to use them as a sub, for crying out loud!).

Clearly, in this market we need to turn over every stone to bring new accounts through the door. But working for free -- and giving away your industry knowledge--doesn't make any sense.

Or is it just me?