Finding work in building permits
Practical guides for pool service, dumpster rental and home-service businesses on using public building permits to find customers, with live numbers from FirstDig's data.
- The jobs that come after new construction: HVAC, landscaping, fences and more: A new house is one permit and a long list of later jobs: HVAC, plumbing fixtures, fences, driveways, lawns, irrigation, pools and solar. Which trades come in when, how to tell from the permit how far along a build is, and when to reach the builder or the new owner.
- How to win commercial pool contracts: apartments, hotels and HOAs: Commercial pools are fewer than backyard pools, but each contract is bigger and steadier. How pool service companies find new commercial pools and remodels in building permits, who decides at apartments, hotels and HOAs, and what wins the contract.
- How FirstDig works: new building permits in your area, every morning: Every new pool, roof and remodel starts with a building permit, filed weeks before the work. Here is how FirstDig turns city permit records into a short list of jobs in your service area, every morning.
- How roofers find work in reroof permits: A reroof permit usually means another roofer already won that job. The value is around it: aging streets, storm areas, busy builders and your competitors. Here is how roofers read roofing permits.
- How pool service companies find new customers in building permits: Every new pool needs a permit before anyone digs. Here is how pool service and repair companies use those permits to reach owners while the pool is still being built, before another company does.
- How dumpster rental companies find jobs in demolition and construction permits: Demolition, new construction and large remodels all fill containers, and every one of them starts with a permit. Here is how roll-off and dumpster rental companies use permits to find contractors before they book.
- Grow your pool route street by street: why dense routes beat big routes: A route with 40 pools on six streets earns more than one with 60 pools across town. How pool service companies grow route density with new pool permits, neighbors and door hangers, and how to measure it.
- How to read a building permit: the fields that matter for finding work: Permit records differ from city to city, but the useful parts are the same. A field-by-field guide to permit numbers, types, statuses, dates, values and contractors, and what each one tells a business.
- The jobs that come after new construction: HVAC, landscaping, fences and more: A new house is one permit and a long list of later jobs: HVAC, plumbing fixtures, fences, driveways, lawns, irrigation, pools and solar. Which trades come in when, how to tell from the permit how far along a build is, and when to reach the builder or the new owner.
- How to get pool service referrals from pool builders: Pool builders hand every new pool to someone for the startup and the weekly service. How pool service companies find the busiest builders in the permit records, what to offer them, and how to become the name they give to every new owner.