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Thank you in advance. I may be interested in putting a second floor on my ranch; the addition would cover only about half of the first floor...
The additional sq ft will be about 800-900 sq ft.
Master Suite (w full Bathroom) and Two bedrooms with a full bath.
As far as finishes go, nothing fancy at all, just basic stuff.
I have a feeling the price range will be wide, but just want to see if I'm in the ballpark before I start calling contactors and wasting their time and mine getting estimates if this is going to cost too much.
Can someone please explain to me how construction prices have tripled since 2002? It's not like the materials have tripled in price, or my salary has tripled since then. Wth?
Do the shell, exterior and roof thru the general contractor.
Then hire your own electrician, plumber, sheetrock, etc on your own. Will save you a ton of $$.
Ugh.. this type of answer always irks me, and I'll tell you why... I've seen it done successfully, I wont say it doesnt happen... But chances are there's going to be some serious issues.
First off, the whole saving a ton of money thing, wont usually happen. Contractors and architects have different prices for homeowners than they do GC's... It's not a dishonest thing. A GC has detailed knowledge of what needs to be done, what needs to be prepped, when to fit them in the schedule, which makes the contractors job go much more smoothly. A GC gives a contractor more work than a homeowner could, and that volume will also justify lower prices.
Second, there's a lot of small details that dont quite fit into a subcontractors scope of work. After the place is framed and the framers have left, who is going to install blocking when the electrician tells you he needs it for light fixtures? Who is going to patch the roof when the plumber has to add a separate vent? Who is going to sweep down the floor and scrape the spackle blobs off before the tile guys show up?
There's a million different little Who is, or what if's that happen and a GC who knows will have it all covered. When a homeowner encounters these types of issues, it usually brings the project to a screeching halt for a day or two, and then every sub's schedule is thrown for a loop. Unhappy workers dont usually work to their full potential.
Third, what is your time worth? GC'ing your own project will consume every free second you have, and if you have a day job, be prepared to be interrupted frequently. What's your boss going to think about that? Inspections are scheduled daytimes... Will you eat up all your vacation days to be there for them? What happens when you fail an inspection for something that may take 30 seconds to fix? A GC may have the tools to do it and keep the project on schedule. A homeowner will have to call back a contractor to fix it and reschedule another inspection.
Really, I could go on about this for ten pages, but Im sure you get the idea. If you're the OCD type with scheduling and have a basic understanding of construction, give it a try... But dont believe that it's easy and you'll save a TON of money because someone on the internet says so.
Can someone please explain to me how construction prices have tripled since 2002? It's not like the materials have tripled in price, or my salary has tripled since then. Wth?
Materials have certainly gone up overall... So has cost of living on Long Island... I cant charge $300/day anymore and expect to pay my business overhead, mortgage, kids stuff, etc.... Besides, businesses are supposed to make a profit. May as well work for someone else if I cant make it worth all the headaches.
Are you saying a full second story with two baths should only cost 1/3 of the $140K someone mentioned earlier?
Materials have certainly gone up overall... So has cost of living on Long Island... I cant charge $300/day anymore and expect to pay my business overhead, mortgage, kids stuff, etc.... Besides, businesses are supposed to make a profit. May as well work for someone else if I cant make it worth all the headaches.
Are you saying a full second story with two baths should only cost 1/3 of the $140K someone mentioned earlier?
I hear you. But please explain how prices tripled. My salary hasn't. Why should yours? Why do contractors charge more if it's a wealthier area?
Regarding the $140k, you're assuming that's the correct quote. Actually, you said it'd be higher than that.
Materials have certainly gone up overall... So has cost of living on Long Island... I cant charge $300/day anymore and expect to pay my business overhead, mortgage, kids stuff, etc.... Besides, businesses are supposed to make a profit. May as well work for someone else if I cant make it worth all the headaches.
Are you saying a full second story with two baths should only cost 1/3 of the $140K someone mentioned earlier?
What would you charge to add a rear dormer, two doggies on a basic cape in Massapequa? Two bedrooms/bath in the center by staircase?
rear full dormer, full 5x8 bath, and two doggies up front, all new roofing... My 8.5 second in-my-head estimate comes to about 65-75K.
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