Home Remodeling Costs (Plano: house, water heater, purchasing)

[LeagleEagleDFW]

Had a contractor out today, and for those of you that are curious, he said around $4500 if it's not load bearing, $6,000 if it is. That includes everything from removing the wall to patching and painting and carpeting.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by LeagleEagleDFW

Had a contractor out today, and for those of you that are curious, he said around $4500 if it's not load bearing, $6,000 if it is. That includes everything from removing the wall to patching and painting and carpeting.

Thanks for coming back and letting us know...that sounds kinda high to me!

[TheOverdog]

he said around $4500 if it's not load bearing, $6,000 if it is.

That sounds a little high to me for non-load bearing, but there may be some electrical or hvac issues I'm not aware of. It just seems high because removing a load-bearing wall is only a $1500 premium, which involves an engineering sign-off, city permits, purchasing a beam (can be inexpensive or can be hundreds of dollars for the cost of the beam alone) and a few hours of attic work if the beam is hidden.

Drywall patching work is done by barely skilled labor in 2015, so even though 20 feet is a pretty big span, that seems like a big premium. At that rate, it might make sense to remove the drywall (not the framing) yourself, as it is just a hour or two of work with a hammer and a dumpster. Did the contractor break it out? How much was flooring vs carpentry?

Heck, if it's actually non-load bearing, you could remove the framing yourself too.

[Rakin]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

That sounds a little high to me for non-load bearing, but there may be some electrical or hvac issues I'm not aware of.

All contractors are swamped right now and not working cheaply. He's lucky he can get someone to quote a small job.

[LeagleEagleDFW]

My wife didn't care much for the guy, and we have another one coming out tomorrow to provide an estimate. The $4500 includes everything from destruction to hauling away to sealing off electrical connections to patching and painting and installing new carpet. I thought it seemed OK for essentially making it as though there was never a wall to begin with.

[prasen]

what is the typical cost for a bathroom remodel. there are wallpapers in the wall. need to strip them out and paint them in neutral colors. replace the floor tiles, change the toilet and add a double wash basin i.e. .

so what will be the typical labor cost to break it and smoothen it out and how much time are we looking at for this?

[aggieplaya]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

That sounds a little high to me for non-load bearing, but there may be some electrical or hvac issues I'm not aware of. It just seems high because removing a load-bearing wall is only a $1500 premium, which involves an engineering sign-off, city permits, purchasing a beam (can be inexpensive or can be hundreds of dollars for the cost of the beam alone) and a few hours of attic work if the beam is hidden.

Drywall patching work is done by barely skilled labor in 2015, so even though 20 feet is a pretty big span, that seems like a big premium. At that rate, it might make sense to remove the drywall (not the framing) yourself, as it is just a hour or two of work with a hammer and a dumpster. Did the contractor break it out? How much was flooring vs carpentry?

Heck, if it's actually non-load bearing, you could remove the framing yourself too.

If you do everything yourself, then sure that sounds high. Contractors have to pay their labor, insurance, tools, and all kinds of stuff so they aren't going to just do it for $100 profit here. There is the DIY price, and then there is the Contractor/market price and those are two very different things.

[octo]

Originally Posted by aggieplaya

If you do everything yourself, then sure that sounds high. Contractors have to pay their labor, insurance, tools, and all kinds of stuff so they aren't going to just do it for $100 profit here. There is the DIY price, and then there is the Contractor/market price and those are two very different things.

That's reasonable if it is a union shop.

If it is the typical Texas pimp/illegal labor combo then the quote is hilarious. Reminds me of the ~$5000 quote I got for grading half an acre.

[aggieplaya]

Originally Posted by octo

That's reasonable if it is a union shop.

If it is the typical Texas pimp/illegal labor combo then the quote is hilarious. Reminds me of the ~$5000 quote I got for grading half an acre.

Welcome to capitalism in America :-)

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by LeagleEagleDFW

Had a contractor out today, and for those of you that are curious, he said around $4500 if it's not load bearing, $6,000 if it is. That includes everything from removing the wall to patching and painting and carpeting.

Tell him you'll be a buyer at $500 off each quote. He may say no but it's worth an ask. Maybe start at $1,000 off.

I'd disregard all of the posts about the quote being way high or union shop wages etc.. Most people are utterly clueless about construction in general and especially small scale construction/demo jobs in DFW now. Or they are OK with poor-boy level work.

The problem with your job is that one time in five or six jobs like yours go way wrong and any sane contractor will charge a bit of a premium for doing taking the job.


There is no way I'd recommend that the average homeowner try to DYI something like this.