Advice on getting contractor bids

[Elmo Dukat]

Hi all,

So SPOCKED and I are thinking of putting a small addition on to our house - just about 120 sq feet, with a full basement. It's mainly just so that we can drop stairs from the first level to the basement, since we don't currently have interior stairs, and our ability to use the basement during bad weather (which is 6 months of the year in New England) is severely limited.

We're thinking of starting construction in the summer, after the wedding in May.

I've been getting in touch with a few contractors in order to elicit bids. I'm nervous that I'm going to get gypped, of course - there are some very good, and very bad, contractors out there.

How do I withstand the pressure to make quick decisions? Should I ask for references and a line-item quote before making any decisions? Will a contractor get angry with me and/or refuse to work with me if I tell him/her I'm meeting with other contractors to get some more bids before I make my final decision, after he's given his time to meet with me and go over the plans and a potential budget?

 

[JonathonWally]

Hi all,

So SPOCKED and I are thinking of putting a small addition on to our house - just about 120 sq feet, with a full basement. It's mainly just so that we can drop stairs from the first level to the basement, since we don't currently have interior stairs, and our ability to use the basement during bad weather (which is 6 months of the year in New England) is severely limited.

We're thinking of starting construction in the summer, after the wedding in May.

I've been getting in touch with a few contractors in order to elicit bids. I'm nervous that I'm going to get gypped, of course - there are some very good, and very bad, contractors out there

How do I withstand the pressure to make quick decisions? Should I ask for references and a line-item quote before making any decisions? Will a contractor get angry with me and/or refuse to work with me if I tell him/her I'm meeting with other contractors to get some more bids before I make my final decision, after he's given his time to meet with me and go over the plans and a potential budget?

Line item quote might be asking a bit much, that's a lot of work to come up with. so it depends on the contractor. He also won't really be able to line item anything without an architect and plan drawn up. Unless your already hired an architect to draw up all your plans and such.

Most contractors who have been in the business for longer than 6 months know going into a bid that you're shopping around. If you feel they don't know it, you can always mention it.

No offense, but if it's a smaller job that they're going to bid for, don't expect a lot of pre-planning in the bid unless paid for, it wouldn't be worth their time and money.

Also keep in mind that bids can change over time, what he estimates in January may cost more in June due to the economy, labor costs, and materials.

When you call them up on the phone, just say you're looking to get an estimate for some work done.

And don't feel pressure, no matter what they say, they may be slow on work and itching to pay some bills.

 

[Rÿcher]

Don't do what my landlord does and go for the cheapest bid. You get what you pay for most times. They'll use substandard equipment, labor and materials to get the job done and it might be worse off being what it was before.

Go with someone reputable with references. Take a look at their work. If they want to use beach sand instead of loam say, "no, use loam. And don't just throw away that tree that was in my yard! Replant it!"

My landlord got out leech field redone this last summer done by amateurs and it's...better (sort of). He would have been better off spending the extra few grand for the pros.

and that's all I got to say about that.

 

[JonathonWally]

Don't do what my landlord does and go for the cheapest bid. You get what you pay for most times. They'll use substandard equipment, labor and materials to get the job done and it might be worse off being what it was before.

Go with someone reputable with references. Take a look at their work. If they want to use beach sand instead of loam say, "no, use loam. And don't just throw away that tree that was in my yard! Replant it!"

My landlord got out leech field redone this last summer done by amateurs and it's...better (sort of). He would have been better off spending the extra few grand for the pros.

and that's all I got to say about that.

Well, the rule of thumb is to go with the middle bid. But that's not taking everything else into consideration, just a generalized thing.

 

[John Picard]

Insist on references. The bid should include price estimates, milestones (i.e. the foundation will be poured on this date, the walls will be raised by this date), and a draw schedule, meaning the contractor doesn't get ANY advancements on money until AFTER milestones are met. Too many want 50% up front and drag their feet. Go to the local law school and have a law student draw up a binding contract that allows you to fire the contractor if the work doesn't meet your agreed upon expectations. Also, ANY work performed by the contractor AND subs MUST meet local building codes, and any work that fails the requisite code inspection MUST be fixed at the contractor's expense.

If you have a means of buying and hauling material to the site to save costs, note that in the contract. No sense in the contractor charging you more for lumber, insulation, or anything else that he'd have to haul if you can do it yourself.

 

[Elmo Dukat]

Wow, amazing advice so far, everyone! Thanks, keep it coming!

 

[John Picard]

When SpockEd isn't looking, flash the contractors one in a while. That will insure they always come to work as they'll never know when they're going to get a free peek

 

[Jarrott2]

RULE # 1
Have a plan.
Decide on what you want to the last detail and then go for the contractor.
People often make all these changes at the last minute and that is what really screws things up.
Your construction is fairly small and should be very easy to do.
Do you want a finished basement? A family room?
Find other people who just finished a project to get recommendations for contractors. Get on the list now as summer projects can fill up quick on their list. Wait too long and you may have to wait til fall or longer.
Another option is to be your own contractor. Put all your ideas on paper and find a builder. Eliminating a contractor can save big bucks.
A contractor is mearly a middle person who gets everyone together.

 

[Sephiroth]

well, my main expertise is the other kind of contractor bidding, but i will tell you now, the lowest bidder is a moron, the highest bidder is a con artist, get an architect, and gimmie a call when you need the work done

 

[John Picard]

In addition to what Jarrott2 stated, don't go changing your mind every step of the project. That's a sure fire way to drive up costs, piss off the contractor and drag out the project time for completion.

 

[Elmo Dukat]

Don't do what my landlord does and go for the cheapest bid. You get what you pay for most times. They'll use substandard equipment, labor and materials to get the job done and it might be worse off being what it was before.

Go with someone reputable with references. Take a look at their work. If they want to use beach sand instead of loam say, "no, use loam. And don't just throw away that tree that was in my yard! Replant it!"

My landlord got out leech field redone this last summer done by amateurs and it's...better (sort of). He would have been better off spending the extra few grand for the pros.

and that's all I got to say about that.

Well, the rule of thumb is to go with the middle bid. But that's not taking everything else into consideration, just a generalized thing.

I think that's a really good idea.

RULE # 1
Have a plan.
Decide on what you want to the last detail and then go for the contractor.
People often make all these changes at the last minute and that is what really screws things up.
Your construction is fairly small and should be very easy to do.
Do you want a finished basement? A family room?
Find other people who just finished a project to get recommendations for contractors. Get on the list now as summer projects can fill up quick on their list. Wait too long and you may have to wait til fall or longer.
Another option is to be your own contractor. Put all your ideas on paper and find a builder. Eliminating a contractor can save big bucks.
A contractor is mearly a middle person who gets everyone together.

Cool. I have drawn up plans (just Photoshop), and I'm putting down on paper absolutely everything that want. It's such a small addition, there wouldn't be too many decisions to make. Esp since we want the contractor to take it to the point where we would do the finished interior work like floors above subfloors, insulation/drywall/plaster/paint, trimwork, light fixtures.

well, my main expertise is the other kind of contractor bidding, but i will tell you now, the lowest bidder is a moron, the highest bidder is a con artist, get an architect, and gimmie a call when you need the work done

If you can build a quality 120 sq ft addition, with basement connecting to existing basement, and stairs, and stop before the interior finish work (which we'd complete ourselves) for under $20,000, you're hired.

 

[Q2UnME]

Elmo. I was a Senior Project Engineer for over 15 years in the Chemical Industry. As such, I designed, bid and supervised constuction and start up on multi-million dollar projects. I can assist you and Spocked on drafting together your scope of work and the project bid documents. I'll not plug up this thread with a lengthy post, so PM me if you're interested. There's a lot to consider; scope of work, construction drawings, Architect Stamp, building codes, construction permits (Town or Village), contractor insurance, hold harmless agreements, performance/construction milestones, etc..

Q2UnME

 

[Sephiroth]

get the stuff Q2UnME mentioned then PM me, i'll see what estimate I can come up with

 

[Colonel Green]

Hire Yugoslavians who work under the table. My Dad it did for the foundation of his new house. They did a great job for half of what others were offering. Got their start building bunkers for Tito.

 

[Elmo Dukat]

Wow, thanks guys I'll get to work!