Keystone Exteriors

Words in [brackets] are blanks you fill in with your own details when you adopt this sample in Supreme Plan AI.

Executive Summary

Keystone Exteriors is an exterior remodeling company in Pennsylvania that installs vinyl, fiber cement and engineered wood siding, seamless gutters and gutter guards, replacement windows and trim. We measure, give a fixed price in writing, schedule a crew and finish with a clean site and a walk-through. Our installers wrap the house properly, flash windows and doors and use the right fasteners so the siding lasts.

The outside of a house protects everything inside. Water that gets behind siding or overflows from a gutter rots wood, damages foundations and invites mold. Homeowners often put off the work until damage is obvious and then hear conflicting prices. A local company that explains the options and shows the work behind the siding earns referrals.

Here is what our numbers show. We expect about 18 siding jobs, 60 gutter jobs, 14 window and trim projects and 80 repair jobs in Year 1, which brings in sales of $679,600, growing to $2,269,251 by Year 5. We expect a small profit of about $9,600 in Year 1, then growing to about $106,100 by Year 5 as we add crews. Exterior remodeling margins are about 28% after materials and field labor, and marketing is a major cost.

We need $180,000 in total. Of that, $126,000 is startup costs (a truck and trailer, siding and gutter equipment, the registration and lead-safe certification, software and opening marketing) and the rest is cash to pay for materials and crews between customer payments. I am putting in $60,000 of my own money, and I am asking for a $120,000 SBA loan.

I am Dan Kowalski, the owner and lead installer, with 12 years of experience installing siding, gutters and windows, including six years as a crew lead. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this plan, not promises.

Company Description

Keystone Exteriors is a small, independently owned exterior remodeling company in Pennsylvania, planned as a limited liability company (LLC). We serve homeowners within about 40 miles of our yard.

Our mission. To protect homes from the weather and improve how they look, with honest advice and careful work.

What we believe. A good siding or gutter job depends on details behind the surface: flashing, house wrap, nails and slope. We show homeowners what we find, explain the options in plain language and never recommend a full replacement when a repair will do.

What we offer:
- Siding. Vinyl, fiber cement and engineered wood siding, with house wrap, flashing and trim.
- Gutters and guards. Seamless gutters formed on site, downspouts and guards that keep out leaves.
- Windows and trim. Replacement windows, exterior trim and capping.
- Repairs. Storm damage, rot repair, leaking gutters and resealing.

Who we serve. Homeowners, with a focus on older homes, and landlords and real estate agents who need work before a sale.

What we do not do. We do not do roofing, structural work or interior remodeling, and we refer those jobs to trusted partners. We do not start without a signed contract.

How we are run. I am the owner and lead installer and work on the crew. A sales and estimating representative, a crew lead and a part-time office coordinator join in Year 2. Field labor is counted in the cost of each job. A small advisory group of a supplier, an accountant and an attorney tells us what is working.

Where things stand today. We have a draft contract and warranty, supplier quotes and letters of interest from seven past customers and two real estate agents. Before we begin, our attorney will review our contract and lien notices, and we will confirm the state contractor registration and lead-safe renovator requirements.

Problem & Opportunity

Homeowners put off exterior work until it is urgent, and then face a market full of door-to-door salespeople, high-pressure sales and large price differences. Some contractors collect a deposit and disappear. Others install siding without proper flashing or house wrap, and water damage appears years later.

Gutters are overlooked. A clogged or poorly sloped gutter dumps water at the foundation, causes ice dams and leaks and shortens the life of the siding and fascia. Gutter guards range from helpful to useless.

For a contractor, the business is cash heavy and seasonal. Materials are paid before the customer finishes paying, and winter slows work. Lead generation is expensive, and a single bad job can cost a company its reputation.

Rules matter. Pennsylvania requires contractors who do home improvement work to register, and the federal lead-safe rule applies to disturbing paint in homes built before 1978.

We want to be clear about what we know and do not know. Demand is steady for older homes, and referral-based contractors are usually busy. We will use the most recent numbers for our area in our final plan and will not overstate them. We do not know how fast referrals will build, so our plan keeps a large marketing budget and cash to cover the first year.

Products & Services

Keystone will give homeowners clear options, a fixed price and careful installation.

How it works, step by step:
1. Inspection and measure. We inspect the exterior, check for rot and water damage and measure, and we show the homeowner what we find.
2. Options and quote. We present two or three product choices at different prices, explain the differences and give a written fixed-price quote.
3. Contract. The homeowner signs a contract with the price, schedule, payment schedule and warranty, and we take a deposit as state law allows.
4. Ordering and scheduling. We order materials and schedule a crew, and tell the homeowner the start date.
5. Installation. The crew removes old material, repairs sheathing as needed, installs house wrap and flashing, hangs siding and trim and forms gutters on site. We follow lead-safe practices on older homes.
6. Cleanup and walk-through. We pick up nails and debris with a magnet sweep, walk the house with the homeowner and fix anything on a punch list.
7. Warranty. We give a written workmanship warranty and the manufacturer's product warranty.
8. Quality. We track callbacks, schedule against plan and customer feedback.

Why this approach is strong. Clear options, honest advice and careful details earn referrals and repeat work, and gutters and repairs add smaller, steady jobs.

Market Analysis

Who we serve: homeowners within about 40 miles who need siding, gutters or windows.

Our primary group is owners of homes built before 2000. We will use the most recent numbers for home age and values in our area in our final plan. Our secondary group is landlords and real estate agents.

How we sized our plan. We plan 18 siding jobs, 60 gutter jobs, 14 window and trim projects and 80 repair jobs in Year 1, growing to 55, 170, 44 and 225 by Year 5. Our Year 1 prices are about $14,800 for siding, $3,200 for gutters, $7,800 for windows and trim and $1,400 for a repair, rising about 3% a year. Materials and field labor cost about 70% of the price.

Demand data. Letters of interest from seven past customers and two agents cover about a fifth of the Year 1 jobs. We do not count on any one referral.

We do not take every job. We decline work outside our scope and do not start without a signed contract.

Competitive Landscape

Other choices for homeowners, and what makes us different.

- Big national exterior brands. They have large advertising budgets and often subcontract installation. We install with our own crews.
- Door-to-door contractors. Some are good. We do not use high-pressure sales and give options in writing.
- Other local exterior companies. Many are excellent. We compete on communication, details and warranty.
- General contractors. They do many kinds of work. We specialize.
- Handymen. They are low cost and may not be insured or registered. We are registered and insured.

What makes us different.
- A fixed price and honest options.
- Photos of what is behind the siding.
- A clean site and a written warranty.
- Local crews who live here.

What we do not claim. We are new. Established companies have large portfolios. We plan to earn trust one house at a time.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach homeowners.

Referrals. We will ask past customers and agents for introductions and thank them for each referral that becomes a job.

Online. A website with a gallery and online request form, a Google business listing and reviews and a modest paid advertising budget (about $26,000 in Year 1).

Local. Yard signs on finished jobs with permission, home shows, partnerships with real estate agents and insurance adjusters and a storm response flyer after major weather.

Seasonal. Off-season discounts for gutters and winter booking incentives for siding in spring.

Pricing. About $14,800 for siding, $3,200 for gutters and $7,800 for windows and trim in Year 1, quoted in writing.

Operations Plan

How the business will run.

Setup (the 2 to 3 months before the first job). We will form the LLC, register as a home improvement contractor, complete lead-safe renovator certification, buy the truck, trailer and equipment, open supplier accounts, buy insurance and set up estimating software. We will not start work until we are registered and insured.

Staffing. In Year 1: I serve as owner and lead installer. Installers and helpers are employees, and their cost is counted in each job. A sales and estimating representative, a crew lead and a part-time office coordinator join in Year 2, a second sales representative in Year 4 and a third crew lead in Year 5.

Costs. Materials and field labor are about 70% of the price (about $10,500 on a $14,800 siding job in Year 1).

Payments. We take a deposit as the state allows, bill in stages and pay suppliers on terms. About 8% of annual sales is owed to us at any time.

Safety and compliance. We follow OSHA ladder and fall protection rules, lead-safe practices and local permit requirements, and keep a project file and lien waivers for every job.

Seasons. Siding and window work is busiest from April to November. We schedule gutters and repairs in winter.

Insurance. We carry general liability and completed operations, workers' compensation and commercial auto insurance. Insurance is about $18,000 a year in Year 1.

Management & Organization

The people who will run Keystone.

Dan Kowalski, owner and lead installer. An installer with 12 years of experience in siding, gutters and windows, including six years as a crew lead. He leads installation, estimating, hiring and finance. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Sales and estimating representative (from Year 2). Visits homes and prepares quotes.

Crew leads (from Year 2). Run crews and quality.

Office coordinator (part-time, from Year 2). Handles scheduling and billing.

Installers and helpers. Their cost is counted in each job.

Outside advisors. An attorney, an accountant, an insurance broker and a free mentor from SCORE or the Small Business Development Center.

Staff pay in this plan is a full year per person: owner and lead installer $60,000, sales and estimating representative $56,000, crew lead $58,000 and part-time office coordinator $28,000. Replace them with the pay you can offer where you live.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals and when we plan to reach them.
- Before opening (2 to 3 months ahead): get at least 5 letters of interest from past customers or agents, confirm contractor registration and lead-safe certification, get insurance and truck quotes, form the LLC, get an EIN and open a business bank account. Do not start a job without a signed contract and the required insurance.
- Year 1: 18 siding jobs, 60 gutter jobs and 14 window projects; $679,600 in sales and a profit of about $9,600.
- Year 2: 30 siding jobs, a sales representative, a crew lead and a coordinator; $1,150,716 in sales and a profit of about $6,100.
- Year 3: 40 siding jobs and a second crew lead; $1,569,708 in sales and a profit of about $53,200.
- Year 4: 48 siding jobs and a second sales representative; $1,930,631 in sales and a profit of about $84,600.
- Year 5: 55 siding jobs and a third crew lead; $2,269,251 in sales and a profit of about $106,100.
Growth depends on winning and keeping customers, so treat the later years as goals, not promises.

What we check every week: leads, estimates won, marketing cost per job, gross margin per job, callbacks, schedule against plan and cash in the bank.

Funding Request

How much we need and how we will use it. Total we are raising: $180,000.

How we got that number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds up three things:
- Startup costs of $126,000, listed item by item in the Startup Costs section: $44,000 for work truck and trailer, used and inspected; $26,000 for siding brake, saws, nailers, ladders and scaffolding; $16,000 for seamless gutter machine; $4,000 for estimating and project software and tablets; $3,000 for contractor registration, bond and lead-safe renovator certification; $5,000 for attorney and accountant: contract forms, lien rights and setup; $3,000 for yard deposit and first month; $8,000 for website with a project gallery, truck lettering and opening marketing; $3,000 for siding, color and gutter sample kits; $14,000 for safety training and the first insurance payments.
- The cash the business uses before it breaks even, about $0: because we pay for materials and crews before customers make their next payment, and marketing is a major cost.
- A cash cushion of about $41,500: three months of Year 1 operating costs.
- Together that comes to about $167,500, rounded up to the nearest $500: $167,500.
We are raising $12,500 more than that, $180,000 in all, to cover the loan payments and the extra cash the early years take. With this funding, the lowest year-end cash balance is about $41,400, at the end of Year 2.

Where the money comes from:
- My own money: $60,000.
- SBA 7(a) loan for startup and working capital: $120,000.

Kind of funding we are looking for. An SBA 7(a) loan through a bank or community lender, plus our own equity. Lenders for a contractor look at the owner's experience and registration, the signed backlog and a plan for payments by stage.

How we will pay it back. We expect a profit of about $9,600 in Year 1 and a profit of about $6,100 in Year 2, then a profit of about $53,200 in Year 3, a profit of about $84,600 in Year 4 and a profit of about $106,100 by Year 5. With this funding, the business has money in the bank at the end of every year of the plan. The loan is planned at sba 7(a) loan for startup and working capital at 12.75% over 10 years, about $1,774 a month. That is about $1,774 a month in all, and it is already included in our cash flow. We chose these as cautious planning rates; ask the lender for the real rates, which may be lower or higher.

What we are offering the lender: a personal guarantee and a lien on the truck and equipment.

A smaller first step, if needed. If we cannot raise the full amount right away, we can start smaller and grow into this plan:
- Phase 1: start with gutters and repairs, which need less cash per job, and subcontract siding while you build a backlog.
- Phase 2: once you have steady referrals, add siding and window crews and follow this plan.
To plan the smaller start, make a copy of this plan (use Duplicate) and lower the numbers to match.

All numbers in this plan are estimates. We will update them as real results come in.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this plan:

- Your resume, contractor registration and lead-safe renovator certificate.
- A personal financial statement (a list of what you own and what you owe; lenders usually provide a form).
- Business registration papers and your EIN (your business tax number from the IRS, free at irs.gov).
- Insurance quotes or proof of insurance.
- Your contract, change order and warranty forms, reviewed by an attorney.
- Photos of past jobs and references.
- Letters of interest from customers and agents.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Siding Replacement (per home): about $14,800 in Year 1, rising to $16,658; about $10500.00 in direct costs, rising to $12048.99; about 18 in Year 1, growing to 55.
- Gutters and Gutter Guards (per home): about $3,200 in Year 1, rising to $3,602; about $2050.00 in direct costs, rising to $2352.42; about 60 in Year 1, growing to 170.
- Windows and Trim (per project): about $7,800 in Year 1, rising to $8,779; about $5500.00 in direct costs, rising to $6311.38; about 14 in Year 1, growing to 44.
- Repairs (per job): about $1,400 in Year 1, rising to $1,576; about $900.00 in direct costs, rising to $1032.77; about 80 in Year 1, growing to 225.
- Siding jobs about $14,800 each in Year 1 with about $10,500 in materials and field labor; gutter jobs about $3,200 with about $2,050; windows and trim about $7,800 with about $5,500; repairs about $1,400 with about $900, rising about 3% to 3.5% a year.
- Pay (a full year, per person): owner and lead installer $60,000; sales and estimating representative $56,000; crew lead $58,000; office coordinator (part-time) $28,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: yard rent and utilities $20,000, insurance: general liability, completed operations and workers' compensation (office) $18,000, vehicle operations and fuel $14,000, marketing and lead generation $26,000, estimating and project software $4,000, licenses, bonds and training $3,000, accounting and legal $6,000, tool replacement $6,000, payroll taxes and benefits (office staff) $9,000. These grow between 4% and 14% a year.
- Startup costs and equipment ($126,000 in Year 1, then $5,000, $5,000, $6,000, $6,000) are spread evenly over five years in the plan's books.
- Customers and payers pay about 29 days after service. Income tax at 21%.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and research.

Startup Costs