Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm getting some remodeling work done on a house that I recently bought, and this is what the contractor quoted me. At first he wasn't too pushy, but he's trying to a hard sell now saying that the paint contractors in particular will be hard to reschedule if not locked in soon.
This is for a house that's 1000sf.
Chimney & roof repair. $275
Plumbing repair + install dishwasher $1100 (including appliance)
Sheetrock texture, whole house $2500
Paint entire interior including trim, doors, cabinets $5500 - the paints I chose retail for about $31 per gallon.
Paint exterior + the detached garage that's 300sf, $1200
Carpet install for all rooms except br and kitchen $2700, the carpet's retail is something like $1.90 per sf
Kitchen flooring install - laminate $1.80 per sf, $1250
Kitchen - add 5 more feet of counter + install 2 new cabinets & new countertop with solid surface $38.50 per sf + new fixture & sink total $2400
New closet doors (2) installed & painted 475 (This is something I could probably do myself)
The bad news comes out to around 17000 + the general contractor's 12% fee, total around 19500.
It's been a long time since I worked with any contractors. Throwing in the exterior paint is a good deal compared to what I was quoted by others to paint the exterior alone.
The interior painting job sounds way too high. There are complications though - the previous owner put wallpaper & then painted over it, so that has to be dealt with. Still, I feel like that's 1500 or so too high. That's the single biggest expense and the part that my contractor seems most concerned about locking in.
So... thoughts? Is this a good deal? I bought a house that I knew needed work but I was hoping to keep my remodel budget around 15K, not 20K. My gut tells me this is an okay deal but not great.
Another issue is, if I try to piecemeal it, take time, get some cheaper quotes, do a few things myself, it's probably going to extend my time before I move in and I'll be paying rent + mortgage before too long and that'll negate some savings on the work.
Last edited by redguard57; 07-31-2014 at 10:26 PM..
License? Insurance (call his ins. company to verify)? References? Legal sign-offs on subs at completion and payment of the sub? Does zoning inspector know of him? The usual applies on payment schedules, but if you have worked with contractors before you should already know the drill.
Pricing is more or less in the ballpark. In some situations it can be an option to just add a thin layer of sheet rock over a problem wall. It can have the added effect of reducing sound bleed between rooms.
The high rate on interior painting means that you can expect a totally professional job. At that price, you get to expect perfection. It might be an idea to have face time with the painter sub and contractor, doing a recorded walkthrough of what you expect for the price. I can understand the sub not wanting to walk into a disaster if proper sizing wasn't used on the paper, or there are hidden problems, but if he is planning on doing the job right he shouldn't have any qualms about a walk through first.
Yes, I agree with younglisa - that sheetrocking "texturing" job smells fishy to me. If the walls are damaged, have new sheetrock installed. If you just slap mud on a crack, it's going to crack again down the road. It's so much better to start fresh - and oh, when that mud does crack, and you decide to replace it, it's going to be *heck* to remove. Texturing is hard to match after it has cracked and needs repair - and you'll ALWAYS see the repairs on a texturing job.
As for the roof and chimney repair, that's cheap! I wonder, what has he said he would do on that?
That quote is for materials and labor combined? I'd say it's a pretty good deal. Even with the high interior paint quote.
That quote includes removing the wallpaper, right? Depending on the paper, it can be a horrible experience (I know this because I one removed wallpaper from every square inch of wall in a 1800 sq ft house - the previous owner LOVED wallpaper). Some rooms it came off in great big sheets and would only take 20 minutes to de-paper the whole room, in other rooms we'd get it off in small 1-2" strips and it would take 1-2 HOURS just to do one wall.
But think about it this way - once he's done you will have: a repaired chimney and roof; a new dishwasher with better plumbing; new paint throughout house; new paint on exterior and garage; new carpet throughout; new kitchen flooring; new kitchen countertops, sink and additional cabinet space; and new closet doors
Had all that work already been done in the house when you saw it the first time, would you have bought the house had they listed it for $10K more? Then I'd say the $19K is worth the expense. You certainly won't regret all those upgrades, I'm sure!
Prices are different across the USA. Down here, I'd say that's a major screwing. Paint work for the interior, ceilings and walls, all one color, $1.25 a sq ft or for your house $1250.00. The exterior the same price which is about what he's charging you. To hang 2 doors and paint at $475.00 is ridiculous for a couple of hours work. But that's here, not there. He may be in line for Oregon but I'd certainly get other bids.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
