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Lowes and HD prices are for BASIC installs and i'm an electrician not a handyman big difference. I don't install many fans because like you said the handyman guys do a lot of them and that's fine with me. But when i work in nice houses 400k+ and they buy high end Casablanca brand fans they want a pro not a joe.
In a lot of places a 400k home is not a nice home it's a starter home or a fixer.
When I needed new bedroom carpeting I visited the local carpet place who had installed the other carpeting in the house. They came out, did the estimate and told me it would take approx. 5 weeks before they got the carpet in and could install.
5 weeks??
So I went to Lowes, saw the same Mohawk carpet (different pattern name). They came out, measured and I received my estimate.
To the penny, the same as the local guy.
The difference.... 5 days to install.
Oh, and the install was perfect. 5 years later still happy with it.
Yeah, the guy told me that the fee would be refunded at the end of the install. The problem is, I am betting they add that fee in on the back end. It will just be easier going straight to a roofing company myself. I just wanted a simple estimate.
BTW, what I am finding so far from the estimates is that they take the cost of materials and double it and that is the labor charge. For example, the roofing materials cost $2,500 and they charge me $5,000 total for the materials and the labor. Does this sound accurate of what they do in your area?
As a general contractor that can be accurate. all depends on a company. My dad has his own company and that is how he charges. As for me, i charge $180 per square of roof of just tearoff and replace (does not include materials). If i have to replace all the underlayment and resheet it is $200 per square. any roof ove an 8/12 pitch look at an extra $30 per square. so example that $2500 material is for 13 square, my labor charge is $2340 now look at a dumpster come to about 2500. With all of there installation service IMO you are better off going with some of the true construction companies, some may be small but they have far more experience, and there will not be any hidden fees. A GC will give you a price and most times that is the price for you and will not change unless discussed with you. As lowes goes they tell you so much per sq ft when all set and done your bill so much higher with added fees.
I purchased two toilets at Lowe's and I paid for installation and removal of old. The installers showed up in a truck with the name of a local plumbing company on it. They did a great job.
I had Lowe's price out a tiling job on a 3 season porch. They insisted on an underlayment, etc. driving the job very high. When questioned, the department manager told me that was the only way they could guarantee no cracks and as they had to warranty the work, it was the only way they would do it. He privately told me that he did not agree it was needed but that was policy. He also said they turn down quite a bit of installation work if it is considered tricky in any way. I had a local flooring/tile company do the job for about 1/2 of what Lowes quoted with no underlayment. All were happy.
I had a local well known flooring company store install some hardwood floors. The installers showed up in truck with no name on it, wearing t-shirts with the flooring company name. One spoke no english, the other spoke little. They did a great job and I would have had recourse to the store, but all installers are not what they seem to be.
Sorry to say but sometimes it is just a crap shoot unless you have a track record with the person.
I am in the midst of getting numerous estimates for a new roof and for giggles I went onto Lowe's website and gave them my info for my local store to call me for a consult. Lowe's actually installed my mom's laminate flooring and did a good job, so what did I have to lose by getting an estimate.
The guy calls me yesterday when I wasn't home, so he says he will call back today at 9:30 and sure enough, he called this morning. Here is what he said; "We come out, take measurements, show you shingle samples and discuss colors. There will be a $35 fee for this. You can pay with a credit card over the phone."
That is when I stopped him and said I didn't know there was going to be a fee for a freaking estimate. I don't need to see samples or colors. I know what a shingle looks like up close and the color I want. He said, "Well that is the fee we charge because we have to send someone out." I told him I would think about it, which means kiss off.
The guy calls back four hours later and tells me that they can wave the $35 fee, like he is giving me some sort of "deal". I told him to forget it. I wasn't going to get into a showcase showdown over an estimation fee. If the fee could be waved that easily, why not just do away with the damn thing??? I'll be damned if I pay a fee for someone to measure length and width and be done in five minutes. Lowe's made $47 billion in revenue last year. I wonder how much of that came from people dumb enough to pay their "fee's"? I asked mom if they charged her a fee for estimating the floor and the answer was no. Weird. I still love their store, but I won't be checking into their install services anymore.
Lowe's did our replacement windows. Professional subcontractor. Good follow thru.
I'm not so sure about a roof; I'd talk to my neighbors for suggestions.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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I've used lowes for a number of things, carpet, flooring, all of my kitchen appliances. Never had an issue. Once the delivery guy damaged my wall and someone fixed it the next day.
I wanted to remove ceramic tile from a bathroom and then lay sheet vinyl. Since it was a bathroom, I decided to use local floor company that has been in business for the past 45 years in my town. What a mistake. I had to wait weeks for the vinyl. They sent one tiny little guy to do the job. It took him 10 hours and he whined and cursed the entire time. He also left a mess in both bathrooms, including his coffe cups, some scraps, pieces of concrete, etc.
Best of all, after he left, one of my toilets started leaking. Floor business was a pita to deal with. Never again am I using the small local guy.
From my personal experience, these 3rd party contractors from Sears and Home Depot all do half-@55 jobs.
Oh, I got a quote from Sears to paint and re-texture the exterior of the house. Install a new door for the front of the house. Guess how much Sears wanted. $22k! lol
Lowes and Home depot do the same thing. They contract with local businesses or individuals to perform work int heir name. the local guy has to give Lowes a big discount in exchange for a steady flow of business. then Lowes cna charge a semi-competitive rate and still make a profit.
The advantage is you get a big player to go to for warranty issues. Lowes will lean on the contractor for you and they carry a much bigger stick than you do. Those big box stores used to make you sign a contract however alleviating them of any warranty obligations, they want things just between you and the contractor. Not sure whether they still do that. However obligations or no, Lowes will threaten the contractor with no more work if they do not make it right. Many of those contractors get 80 - 90 % of their work through Big box contracts.
A potential disadvantage is you have a contractor working on your house getting paid substantially less than if you contract directly. Being the lowest paying job for the contractor is generally not a good thing. You become lower priority and they may cut corners where you will not notice in order to save a little money.
IN general you will usually pay a little more than you would if you hired someone directly.
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