ok so a construction company reached out to me through instagram of all places and they want regular progress documentation for a build site, like monthly visits, photos and video, maybe some 3D mapping stuff down the line. this would be my first actual recurring client and i dont want to mess it up but i also have no idea what to charge for something like this vs a one-off job.

do you charge a day rate, a per-visit rate, or try to lock them into some kind of monthly retainer? i've seen people mention retainers but it feels weird to pitch that when i havent even worked with them before. also they mentioned the 3D mapping thing casually and i dont currently have that capability, should i just be honest about that or kind of figure it out before committing

they seem genuinely interested and the site is about 20 mins from me so logistics arent bad. just want to handle this right

construction documentation is actually one of the more stable niches if you can land regular clients, good find. for per-visit pricing a lot of guys charge somewhere in the $300-600 range depending on deliverables and site size, but honestly if they want monthly recurring i'd try to frame it as a project rate for the whole build duration. gives them budget certainty and gives you guaranteed income for months.

on the 3D mapping thing ? be honest, don't overcommit. you can say something like 'that's something we can add to the scope as the project develops, i'd need to bring in additional software and that would be priced separately.' they brought it up casually so its probably not a dealbreaker right now. way better than promising it and delivering garbage because you rushed to learn Pix4D in a weekend

yeah don't lie about the mapping capability, that stuff requires proper ground control points and the right software workflow to be actually useful for construction and if they bring in someone to check your data and it's off it'll tank the whole relationship. but like the other person said it doesnt sound like they need it immediately so just be straight about it.

retainer is totally normal to pitch even on a first client, you're not asking them to pay for nothing, youre giving them priority scheduling and consistent service. i'd say just call it a 'monthly documentation package' instead of retainer if the word feels too salesy to you, same thing really. make sure you have a simple contract too, even just a one pager, construction clients especially are used to paperwork and it actually makes you look more professional not less