Upholstery quote visits: measuring, photos and fabric choice

Offer the quote visit as its own bookable service, with slots grouped by area to limit driving, and use it to do three things on the spot: inspect the piece (frame, springs, padding), measure and photograph it, and narrow down the fabric with a few samples. If the choice needs more time, book a second, separate appointment at your workshop to see full swatches. Clients book the visit online and describe the piece in the note, so you arrive with the right samples in the van.

A photo of an armchair tells you its shape, not its state. Only by touching it do you know whether the frame is sound, whether the springs need retying, whether the old padding is horsehair or foam, and how many layers of fabric are hiding under the current cover. Those details change the price and the time the job takes.

A visit also settles questions that are hard to handle by message: how the piece will leave the house, whether the client wants piping or buttons, how much wear the fabric will take from children or pets.

Bring a limited set of samples chosen from what the client wrote when booking: plain or patterned, colours, durability. Leave samples with the client if you can collect them later, or invite them to your workshop to see the full range. Give the fabric its own appointment rather than extending the quote visit indefinitely.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. You open slots for each service at the length it takes, with one place per slot. Clients pick a service, then a free slot.

Durations and prices are examples: set your own. Include travel time in home visit slots. One option is to open visits on one area per day, repeated each week on chosen weekdays until a date, and say in the description which towns each day covers.

The public booking form asks for first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note you read in your new-booking email. Ask for the address, the type and number of pieces (sofa, two armchairs, six dining chairs), and the style of fabric they have in mind. Ask for photos by email if you want to see the piece before the visit. The note can't be edited once the booking exists, so put the questions in the service description.

A dining chair, a footstool or a headboard fits in a car boot. For those, a short quote slot at your workshop saves a journey for both of you: open a few of them on a set morning, and say in the description which pieces can be brought in. At the workshop you can also show finished work, full fabric books and the difference between foam grades, which is harder to do on a doorstep. Ask the client to bring one chair of a set rather than all six, and to bring loose cushions too if they want them re-covered.

Send the quote in writing and, once accepted, agree when the piece comes to the workshop. Book doesn't produce quotes or take deposits; it handles the appointments. If a client calls rather than booking online, create a slot and book them in yourself from your calendar: first and last name are required, email and phone optional. Clients can't move bookings online: they contact you, you reschedule or cancel from your bookings list, and you let them know, since Book doesn't email them about changes. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.