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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.
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
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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.
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.
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.
Elkmont Estimates is founded by Jeff Diem who has an extensive background in restoration, construction, and real estate. He's been active in the restoration industry since 2014 when he owned and operated a Paul Davis Emergency Services franchise. Having been the guy sucking sewage at 3am, Jeff knows where money is made and lost. He combines his real-world restoration experience, with an eye for detail, thinking in the abstract and knowledge of the games adjusters play. A construction management degree from the University of Denver helps too! When he's not estimating and arguing with adjusters about Overhead and Profit, Jeff is likely dirtbiking, mountain biking, or camping with his wife, Sarah, and dog Lotus.
Kevin Mardegian has been in the restoration industry since 2013 with a focus on large losses since 2015. Kevin has experience in writing and running projects for two of the largest general contractors in the county, so he understands what it takes to get project to the finish line. When he is not working, Kevin spends most of his time hanging out with his five children (Penelope, Temperance, Hunter, Joanna, and Eve) and his Great Pyrenees dog Rocky! If he is not with his family, you can catch him watching Michigan State sports, playing golf, or playing video games.
Tess comes from a strong background of reconstruction and mitigation. Prior to joining Elkmont, Tess was a project manager for a reconstruction company for the past 6 years. Tess knows the ins and outs of the industry and understands how vital it is to write a proper estimate and stand up for what you are owed. Before working in the construction industry, Tess worked for an ag-tech start up in San Francisco. Her experience there now inspires her to utilize different technologies to create the most accurate and profitable estimates for her clients. When Tess isn't day dreaming about Xactimate line items she can add to estimates, she is typically out and about with her husband, Parker, and one year old daughter, Theadora. Together they all love to ski, hike, fly fish and simply just be in the great outdoors.
Damen Lippold has 20 years experience in the Restoration industry, writing and running both residential and commercial projects. Damen began as a laborer, and has worked his way up through the industry to his current position as Senior Restoration Estimator. He has helped our community rebuild after catastrophic events such as, the 2008 Windsor tornado, the 2012 High Peak Fire, and the 2017 train derailment in Weld County. Damen enjoys helping homeowners through what is often one of their worst experiences and seeing the evolution of the project from studs to restored. Damen holds an Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification in Fire & Smoke Restoration, Haag Global, Inc. certifications in Composition, Wood, Tile, and Metal Roof Damage Assessments. He also holds an Xactimate Level 2 Certification, and is a Licensed General Contractor. When he is not working on restoring homes, Damen spends a lot of time hanging out with his family. Including his wife Danyilla and four children ( Skyle, Staffani, Sonny, and Scarlett). If he is not with his family, he enjoys the friendly competition of a round ofdisc golf, paintball, or video games.
Danny Rodriguez is a friendly and experienced professional with over 15 years of expertise in the restoration industry. With a range of qualifications including multiple IICRC certifications, a Florida State license as a mold assessor and remediator, and being an Xactimate Level II expert, Danny is a master of his craft. Starting his journey as a technician and accumulating years of hands-on experience, he has built a solid reputation for consistently delivering reliable and outstanding results. When not immersed in restoration projects, Danny enjoys spending quality time with his incredible family, including his wife Ariel, lovely daughters Ella and Piper, and their beloved dog Ginger. Known for his passion and dedication to sports, Danny is a huge Miami Heat and Dolphins fan. As a new chapter unfolds, Danny and his family recently purchased a new travel trailer, anticipating future travel escapades and the exploration of new horizons.
Todd Watkins comes to us after being in the retail industry for 20 years. Todd has experience in managing and leading many different types of retail locations. His success is attributed to identifying with people in difficult situations, defusing tough situations, finding amicable agreements, and negotiating in a professional manner to ensure successful relationships with everyone he encounters. When he is not working, Todd spends most of his time hanging out with his wife, Naomi, and their Giant Schnauzer Stella! Todd also enjoys playing video games, bowling on Friday nights and is a die-hard football fan on the weekends.
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.
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!