u/emmaparkin99

We’re planning to renovate our resale flat later this year and have started reaching out to interior design firms. So far we’ve gotten two quotes, one at $45k, another at $62k for similar scope.

The difference is huge, but getting more quotes means spending weekends driving to different showrooms, sitting through long presentations, and waiting for proposals.

For those who’ve done this before:

• Is 3–4 quotes enough?
• Any way to see multiple firms’ ideas and pricing without taking a month of Saturdays?

We’re first-timers and don’t want to make a $50k mistake just because we got tired of shopping around.

Group of 8 friends looking to rent a house in the Hamptons for a week in August. Budget around $50-$60k for the week. We're in our 30s, and we want to be close to the beach and restaurants, not looking for crazy party scenes but nice dinners and day drinking.

Thinking of Southampton or East Hampton but open to suggestions. How far in advance do we need to book? Any rental companies that are reliable? Also is a car absolutely necessary or can we Uber?

Appreciate any advice from people who've done this before.

I run a small breakroom supply route. I mostly stock snacks, granola bars, and paper towels. Nothing fancy, just basic stuff small offices need.
Lately, three different clients have asked if I also do coffee. I wasn't expecting that at all. It caught me off guard because I've never offered anything like that.
One client said their Keurig keeps breaking. Another said their employees complain about stale coffee. The third just asked casually if I knew anyone who does office coffee. I don't know much about coffee service. I assume it means providing a machine and keeping it stocked with beans or pods. Maybe cleaning it once in a while?
I'm trying to figure out if this is worth adding to my route. The equipment seems expensive upfront. But coffee also seems lower maintenance than snack machines. No stale products to throw away. No counting change or dealing with card readers. Just a machine that brews and people drink it. I guess the risk is that offices might not drink enough to make it worth it. Or the machine breaks and I'm stuck fixing something I don't understand. Does anyone here do office coffee service alongside other breakroom supplies? How did you get started? Did you buy or lease the equipment? What about repairs, are you on your own or does someone handle that for you? Also curious about pricing. Do you charge per cup or a flat monthly fee per office? Any advice would be great before I say yes or no to these clients.