Contractors have been doing this for decades. Here are two examples of the scam. The roof of your property needs replacing. You call a few roofers to come by

Contractors have been doing this for decades. Here are two examples of the scam. The roof of your property needs replacing. You call a few roofers to come by and give an estimate for work. You choose the cheapest roofer, who uses the same materials as the others and has been allegedly in the family-run business for the last 125 years. After the first half of day's work, the shingles of the old roof were removed. The proprietor contacts you and gives you bad news that there are several sections of wood that rotted away and they recommend you not apply new shingle to it as it will never fasten. It will cost additional to replace these parts, naturally, and the cost ranges from hundreds to thousands of dollars. The problem with this situation is that there is always wood paneling that needs replacing. You never just replace shingles without replacing a few wood panels. The next scenario involves masonry. The limestone steps of your outdoor stairs is cracking and the brick needs re-pointing. You bring in a few contractors to give estimates for the repair work. Once you've contracted work, at the end of the first day you are contacted by the proprietor who informs you that there is nothing but sand holding your stairs up and they cannot work with sand. You have to rebuild the stairs, laying concrete for each step. Only then, can limestone steps be safely installed. It will cost several thousands of dollars more for this work. Both contractors engage in drip pricing, waiting for you to be along the way with their work, leaving you to decide whether to stop the project, accuse you of breach of contract, and exploit your vulnerabilities for not having a roof or stairs. Both roof and stairs projects required work that the contractors were not forthright about. Both gave a partial price for estimates and wait to have you over a barrel before you pay the full amount.