How to Compare Quotes
Sometimes I just shake my head when I hear how some contractors do business and how naïve homeowners can be. Recently I quoted a substantial home remodeling job. I always offer to bring over the quote to review with the homeowner face-to-face so that we are on the same page as far as what I have quoted and the allowances that are taken into account. Many times the homeowner just wants me to email the quote since they are anxious to see it. In this case the homeowner had gotten four so called “quotes”.
When I called to ask if they reviewed the quote and had any questions they said they were going with someone else. They said my quote was not the highest but they were going with the lowest quote which was substantially less than the other three. The difference was so significant that I had to ask a few questions and when I asked them whether they were sure that we had quoted the same work, quality and allowances they said they only had a total price from the contractor they were going with and did not have anything in writing or any of the details.
I spent probably 7 hours of my time let alone the time of my sub contractors and vendors making sure that I had everything they asked for included in the quote and provided a specific detailed estimate showing exactly what they would get for their money. I had outlined the allowances for all of the fixtures, carpet, tile, etc. The homeowner had a PDF of the plans but not a copy and I had even gone to have a print copy made so I had the exact information.
I know that I will do many quotes where I will not get the work for one reason or another. Sometimes the reason is out of my control but I know that taking the time to do thorough quotes benefits the homeowner and myself.
The message I want you to take away is to proceed with caution when a contractor tells you that he/she can do exactly what you want for the budget you have set without giving you anything in writing to show what you are paying for and what he/she is committing to. In that situation someone is going to be VERY disappointed in the end and it’s probably going to be YOU.
