Patios, Arbors, Outdoor Kitchens - worth the $$?

[loves2read]

so what is the cedar for if not for a roof? that was what I thought they were making--a cover--
why do you want cedar on the sides--that would block air flow and not really do anything for shade...except maybe in the later afternoon/evening when sun is going down in summer

have you got link to anything on Internet that resembles what they are designing for you--not necessarily their site--just general idea of what it will look like when finished

are they using a LICENSED city-approved electrician for that wiring--will it be to city code--otherwise when you sell that house it will be "exposed" as work that is substandard...will really negatively affect the value of improvement
the electric is also pretty cheap if they are running wire and adding outlets for the outdoor kitchen facilities--
what about the breakbox--will it stand the extra outlets/power usage?
how long with that outdoor kitchen last if it is NOT under protection from the elements--that is a lot of money to spend in addition to patio construction and wind up getting it pitted/stained/trashed by being exposed to sun/rain during the year...
even stainless steel is not impervious over time to our harsh conditions....

a good site for your would be www.gardenweb.net
check out the links to home forum that involved remodeling/building a house/outdoor living
LOTS of really knowledgeable people involved in construction/remodeling in different areas of the country
there are contractors/builders than can give you pretty good idea if the cost is overpriced and what to be asking about the construction details--
you want your constract to be pretty specific for what they are supposed to actually do
like how deep the foundation for the patio should be dug out/what type of materials for the base/what the concret mix should consist of--
and by the way--what type of reenforcing materials are they using for this--
if they just pour a thin slab with no rebar in it--will crack within two years probably...
for outdoor kitchen, patio,

[5stones]

I believe the cedar is for an Arbor....slated roof not fully covered with 4 big posts as supports.

for covering I've seen shade pulls on Arbor that you can pull closed for complete shade and or rain. may be cheaper than a full roof.

Also check out to see if the company quote is charging a 10%-20% fee for subcontractors
we found that with our work we had done. If I had contacted the contactors indiv. we would have saved about 20%. We used a company called Paul Davis and while they did good work they had a ton of small charges built in that I had taken out. Like $250 cleaning charge...sorry I can clean up my self.

I would do as others have said get at least 3 estimates and see if one is way out of the ballpark etc...

Our wood floors has estimates ranging from 19k- 12k.

[bookworm2768]

I don't know if I'm allowed to mention other sites but if you are taking bids on work you are getting done I've found that being a member of Angies list has really helped. We got 2 new HVAC units, insulation in the attic, roof repairs, gutter installs, a bug control contract and everythign else that comes with buying an older home last year and I got multiple bids on things using the highest rated people on angies list.
Another thing I found is that if I liked one contractor better but another guy had a better price then letting the first guy know about the second bid would usually cause a drastic reduction in their bid.
Hope that helps

[loves2read]

I have found people though Angie's list--but you have to pay for that membership