GoHighLevel for Deck Builders and Staining: Automate Quotes, Deposits and Weather Reschedules
TL;DR
Deck work is seasonal and urgent. Missed calls, slow quotes, and weather chaos kill margins. GoHighLevel captures leads, collects measurements and photos, generates price ranges, books site visits, takes deposits, handles weather reschedules, and nudges for reviews. You cut admin time, keep the calendar full, and protect profit in peak months.
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Pain points you are paying for
- Seasonality compresses revenue into 5 to 6 months, leads wasted in spring never return.
- Quotes take days, homeowners get a faster contractor.
- Weather pushes work back, crews sit idle, customers get annoyed.
- Incomplete intakes cause bad estimates and unpaid change orders.
- No structured follow up for maintenance staining after year one.
What the system does
- Capture every inquiry from forms, calls, ads, and social into one CRM.
- Qualify with a 90 second intake, photos, dimensions, material preference, railing and stairs count.
- Price range instantly by rules, m² deck area, railing in linear meters, stairs quantity, stain or build.
- Book site visit or remote consult into the correct calendar, collect a deposit on acceptance.
- Reschedule with weather logic and batch notifications.
- Follow up for stain recoat, inspection, or upsell to lighting and privacy screens.
- Review requests 24 hours after completion with draft replies.
Quote flow that removes friction
- Lead submits form or calls.
- AI asks for rough deck size in meters, photos from two angles, and material choice, for example pressure treated, composite.
- System calculates a range and shows the next step, site visit or remote quote.
- Client picks a time, receives confirmation and prep instructions.
- After the visit, the formal quote goes out with a one tap accept and deposit link.
- Acceptance moves the job to production, reminders and weather logic start.
Intake fields that drive accurate pricing
- Deck area in m², length × width.
- Railing length in linear meters.
- Stairs count and width.
- Joist condition, unknown allowed.
- Material, pressure treated, cedar, composite, PVC.
- Stain type for maintenance jobs, transparent, semi, solid.
- Add ons, privacy screen, lighting, pergola, skirting.
- Access notes, side gate, tight yard, slope.
Example pricing structure, use as rules in your knowledge base
These are example rule inputs, not market promises. Adjust to your region and costs.
| Scope | Typical range, CAD | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| New build, pressure treated | 400 to 700 | per m² | Base includes framing, decking, basic stairs |
| New build, composite | 700 to 1,100 | per m² | Add brand factor and hidden fasteners |
| Railing, aluminum | 120 to 220 | per linear m | Height and style affect price |
| Stairs, additional flight | 350 to 650 | per flight | Wider than 1 m increases price |
| Maintenance stain, clean and coat | 30 to 60 | per m² | Add prep factor for peeling or repairs |
| Repairs, board or joist replace | 80 to 160 | per item | Site visit confirms count |
Show the range during intake, confirm again in the quote. Store consent by email or SMS to cut disputes.
Weather and schedule logic that protects margin
- If forecasted rain is above a set threshold inside 24 hours, auto move the job to the next dry slot in the same crew calendar and notify the client by SMS and email.
- Keep a hotlist of flexible jobs, for example small repairs, to backfill gaps.
- Block stain jobs when temperature is below manufacturer minimum, auto push with a clear reason and next available dates.
- Batch move all jobs in a weather impacted day, send a single status summary to the owner.
High impact automations
- Missed call text back in 15 seconds, link to intake form with photo upload.
- Photo intake with overlay prompts, full deck photo plus close up of worst board.
- Quote chaser at 24 hours and 72 hours, reply with questions link.
- Deposit collection inside the quote, target 15 to 30 percent.
- Permit reminder tasks when municipality requires drawings.
- Change order capture with a one tap approval link, price and timeline impact shown.
- End of season nurture to book spring spots with an early deposit.
- Maintenance cadence for staining every 12 to 24 months based on product used.
Scripts that convert
- First reply, “I can give you a price range now if you share deck size in meters and two photos. Takes 60 seconds.”
- Range anchor, “For a composite deck of about 20 m², recent builds land between 14,000 and 20,000 CAD. Want a site visit to confirm and lock calendar space?”
- Stain anchor, “For maintenance staining, typical homes run 30 to 60 CAD per m² depending on prep. I can check boards and confirm on site.”
- Close, “I have Wednesday 10:30 or Thursday 14:00. Which do you prefer? I will send prep instructions and a checklist now.”
- Deposit, “To secure materials and a crew window, we take a 20 percent deposit by card or e-transfer. The link is in your quote.”
Metrics to track weekly
| Metric | Target | If below target, do this |
|---|---|---|
| First response time | under 2 minutes | Add missed call text back, expand AI hours |
| Intake completion rate | over 70 percent | Reduce fields, add photo prompts |
| Quote sent within | 24 hours | Template quotes, prebuilt option sets |
| Quote to deposit conversion | 35 to 55 percent | Tighten ranges, add expiry, add 2 follow ups |
| Weather reschedule notice | 12 to 24 hours | Raise forecast threshold, automate batch moves |
| Review rate post job | 25 to 40 percent | Ask at 24 hours, remind at day 3 and 7 |
Real example, compact
A Calgary deck builder used GoHighLevel to automate intake and weather moves. Spring peak, 312 inquiries over 60 days. Intake completion 78 percent, 189 quotes sent within 24 hours, 91 deposits collected, average deposit 3,400 CAD, weather reschedules handled in one batch per storm day, zero angry calls about last minute changes. Off season nurture booked 27 spring spots with small deposits in November.
Owner insights
- Ranges reduce tire kicking and speed up serious buyers.
- Photo intake cuts site time and surprises.
- Deposits protect cash flow and crew scheduling.
- Weather honesty with fast rescheduling builds trust and reviews.
Setup blueprint in GoHighLevel
- Build an intake form with m² calculator, railing meters, stairs count, material choices, photo upload.
- Add Voice AI for calls that drives back to the form or books a consult.
- Create quote templates, good, better, best options with add ons.
- Connect Stripe and enable deposit links inside quotes.
- Build workflows for quote chasers, deposit reminders, weather moves, review requests, and maintenance campaigns.
- Add a hotlist pipeline for small jobs to fill gaps.
- Test with 20 real leads, adjust ranges, and tighten messaging.
FAQs
How do I stop bad leads
Ask for size in meters and two photos first. Sharing a range early filters out mismatches.
What if the client has no measurements
Send a quick guide, step count times tread depth, or book a site visit and set expectations that the final quote depends on confirmed size.
How do I handle change orders
Send a one tap approval link with the added cost and new completion date. Do not start changes without written approval.
What deposit should I take
Aim for 15 to 30 percent, higher for composite with long lead materials.
How do I keep crews busy on rain days
Backfill with small repairs from the hotlist, inspections, and quoting time blocks, all pre-scheduled.
next steps
- Start a free GoHighLevel trial and deploy the deck builder snapshot with intake, quote, deposit, and weather workflows.
- Train team on photo intake and quote templates.
- Switch on maintenance campaigns so this year’s projects fill next year’s calendar.