Let’s be real—if you’re reading this, you’ve probably spent more hours in Xactimate than with your family this week. In every column, I answer the real questions restorers like you are asking—about estimates, approvals, systems, and sanity. Ask anything. I’ll shoot straight and help you move forward.
Why Two Estimators Can Walk the Same Job and Still Land on Different Prices
December 8, 2025
8:35 am
Every reviewer eventually faces the same confusing scenario: two estimators walk the same loss, see the same rooms, touch the same building materials, track the same moisture pattern, yet produce scopes and prices that look like they came from two different industries. One calls for selective removal and targeted drying. The other calls for full removal and a complete rebuild. One totals $3,500. The other reaches $7,000. So the question becomes: How can this be? Who’s right? Who’s wrong? And how can the numbers be so far apart? From a carrier perspective, the initial
Kris Rzesnoski is a restoration industry leader with deep operational, legal, and financial expertise. From running multi-branch operations to rebuilding a business from the ground up, he’s turned adversity—partner deaths, fraud, and client losses—into lessons in scalable success. A Triple Master Restorer and former professor, Kris has trained owners, testified in landmark legal cases, and led a $16M turnaround. As an early employee at Encircle, he helped scale the platform globally. Grounded in real-world experience, Kris is trusted for teaching restoration pros how to build profitable, resilient businesses—without sacrificing operational integrity or legal strength.