Locke & Ladder team member documenting exterior conditions before an exterior consult

Schedule a Consult

Bring the decision you are stuck on. We will start there.

Tell us a little. We’ll be in touch within one business day.

How would you like to meet?

This permission applies to this project request. You can ask us to stop contacting you at any time.

Thank you. We’ll be in touch soon.

Four steps from form to detailed proposal.

01 Within 1 business day

We confirm receipt.

The team reads the form, reviews the path and service you selected, and replies within one business day. We stay in front of the conversation, then propose two or three consult times that fit your schedule.

02 Days 1–7

The on-site consult.

We walk the home with you: exterior, attic if relevant, problem spots. Documented roof health report. Materials consultation with swatches and Brava samples. No pitch, no pressure, no signature asked for.

03 Days 5–14

Detailed proposal.

Flashings, ventilation, accessories, supervision, tear-off, and the planned schedule are named. If concealed conditions change the scope, the discovery and price change must be documented before that additional work proceeds.

04 Schedule on your terms

Build week.

A named project manager and crew lead own communication, progress photos, site cleanliness, and the final walkthrough. Your proposal should identify who fills those roles.

Who Locke & Ladder is a strong fit for

We won’t be the lowest bid. Here’s who picks us anyway.

Our public reviews are unusually direct about this: homeowners regularly describe us as the second- or third-highest of three or four bids. They choose us anyway. The reasons recur. We’ve put them on the page in case that helps you decide whether to schedule.

  • Scope clarity matters more than lowest price. If you’ve ever been burned by “as needed” allowances or a contractor whose final invoice didn’t match the proposal, we’re a fit.
  • The home is a long-stay or architecturally significant property. The added cost of Brava, custom copper, James Hardie, or Pella architectural windows makes more sense over a longer horizon.
  • You want a single point of communication. A named project manager (typically Caleb) who runs the project from tear-off to final walkthrough and is on-site daily during install.
  • You’ve had a bad contractor experience before. The opposite of the instincts that produced that experience is our operating model.
  • You want to know who owns the install. The proposal names the project manager, crew lead, scope, and final-walkthrough responsibility.

Where we’re NOT a fit

Worth saying out loud.

  • Lowest bid is the dominant criterion. We won’t win that race; we won’t run it.
  • The project is a flip on a short hold period. Higher-cost materials rarely return their full added cost inside an 18-month resale horizon.
  • We only run residential crews in two metros. Indianapolis from our Carmel base and the western Chicago suburbs from Burr Ridge. For homes well beyond the named cities, we are probably not the right call.
  • The project is outside our current repair area or crew schedule. We handle roof diagnostics and repairs in the metros we serve. If the address or timing does not fit, we will say so quickly and refer the work when we can.

If any of the “not a fit” points describe your project: call us anyway at (317) 662-2169 and we’ll either refer you to a contractor we trust or tell you straight that we can handle it.

Reach us directly.

Indianapolis Metro

Carmel, IN office.

Locke & Ladder
3077 E 98th St, Suite 275
Indianapolis, IN 46280

(317) 662-2169

Monday – Friday 8:00a – 6:30p
Saturday 10:00a – 5:00p · Sunday closed

Open the Carmel page
Chicago Metro

Burr Ridge, IL office.

Locke & Ladder Chicago
8004 S Madison St
Burr Ridge, IL 60527

(708) 859-6942

Monday – Friday 8:00a – 6:00p
Saturday – Sunday closed

Open the Hinsdale page

FAQ

Schedule a Consult

What happens after I submit the consult form?
Within one business day, the Locke & Ladder team responds to confirm receipt and propose two or three consult times that fit your schedule. The consult itself is on-site whenever practical: we walk the home with you, listen, look, and take notes. No pitch, no pressure, no signature asked for at the visit.
Do I need to have everything figured out before the consult?
No. Most homeowners arrive at the consult with photos, a rough scope idea, and a few questions. We bring the catalog, sample swatches, project proof from nearby installs, and a structured decision framework. The consult is where the scope gets defined, well before any contract is signed.
How long does it take to receive a proposal?
Typical residential proposals land within five to seven business days of the consult. Brava and other specialty-roof projects sometimes take longer because the scope detail requires more material spec work. Insurance-claim proposals follow the adjuster’s timeline.
Who will I be working with?
Each project gets a single named project manager: typically Caleb, named repeatedly in our Google reviews, plus the specific crew lead for the trade (Jay for windows, Charles and Joe for whole-home installs). Reviewers consistently note that the same names show up on the install days as on the consult.
Is Locke & Ladder the right fit for my project?
We are a strong fit when (1) scope clarity matters more to you than lowest price, (2) the home is a long-stay or architecturally significant property, (3) the project involves long-life or design-specific materials like Brava synthetic cedar, James Hardie, Pella, or copper detail, or (4) you’ve had a previous bad contractor experience and want a project run differently. We are not a fit when lowest bid is the dominant decision criterion.
Is Locke & Ladder the cheapest contractor?
Usually not. Lower bids may be appropriate for simple work, but they can also omit flashing, ventilation, trim, supervision, or cleanup.
What should a homeowner look for in a contractor quote?
Look for named materials, quantities, flashing, ventilation, tear-off assumptions, exclusions, warranties, project management, and cleanup.
Do you offer financing?
Financing options can be discussed after the project scope is clear. The Cost & Scope Index is a project-planning tool, not a financing calculator or credit offer. Available programs and terms depend on the lender, project, and applicant.
Can I bring a competitor’s quote to the consult?
Yes. Send or bring the quote before the consult. During the consult we can identify scope questions to ask—ventilation, flashing, tear-off, accessories, supervision, and change-order terms. You do not need to hire Locke & Ladder before that conversation.

If the form isn’t your style, call us.

Each office has its own direct line: call whichever metro fits your project. Carmel / Indianapolis: (317) 662-2169  ·  Burr Ridge / Chicago: (708) 859-6942. We answer during business hours; outside those, your message is returned within one business day.

Call Carmel / Indianapolis · (317) 662-2169 Call Burr Ridge / Chicago · (708) 859-6942 Use the form instead