Contractor for an addition in East End (Pittsburgh, Coraopolis: appointed, how much)

[Bong477]

We are looking to add a small(ish) two story addition to the back of our house in Squirrel Hill to add a mudroom adjoining to the kitchen (and basically replacing a small deck that is there currently) and a master closet above the mudroom. This would be tied into a kitchen renovation (although possibly not done all at once due to cost issues). Was working with a design/build firm, but after coming up with the layout and basic plans (not architect drawn yet) the estimate they give us for construction was 50% more than what we had initially discussed and I thought that was a pretty healthy budget to start with. It's still potentially doable as it would make the house much more livable and after accounting for transfer taxes and agent fees probably still makes more sense than moving but I wanted to see if this is really how much this kind of project should cost.

I've used angieslist with pretty good success before for smaller stuff, but it hasn't been a great resource for this project.

Anyone have some suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[guy2073]

I am not out of the East end so I don't have anyone that I can recommend but the best way to start is have your plans done ahead of time with your selections made. That way everyone is bidding the same project with the same grade of finishes. A lot of contractors bid using allowances, you can pick someone on price but they could be using low allowances and you end up paying more than a high bidder.

[Bong477]

The itemized allowances I got for cabinets/counters/floors/closet organizer/windows/etc in the estimate looked in the right ballpark of what I expected... it was the construction costs for the structure (and to a lesser extent the work needed in the kitchen) that were *way* more than I expected so basically wondering if they are overcharging me or I just had unrealistic expectations.

[guy2073]

There are so many variables to consider, just the access to the back yard can add thousands to the cost of an addition. Foundation type, roof tie ins access to the existing house can swing a price wildly. A good architect should be able to give you a price range that is close to accurate. There are also private estimators and project managers that can be hired. Getting other bids are critical so is asking to come out to a current job and see how they run their work.

[corpgypsy]

Diggins Builders. Absolutely reliable, creative, NICE, trustworthy and on and on. Go to their website and you will see excellent examples of their work. And the testimonials are authentic. www.digginsbuilders.com


BRIAN DIGGINS
110 Wyngate Road
Coraopolis, PA - 15108
Cell: (412) 303-1682
brian@digginsbuilders.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

CHUCK GIANAKAS
369 South Graham Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Cell: (412) 721-8153
chuck@digginsbuilders.com

[selltheburgh]

Originally Posted by corpgypsy

Diggins Builders. Absolutely reliable, creative, NICE, trustworthy and on and on. Go to their website and you will see excellent examples of their work. And the testimonials are authentic. www.digginsbuilders.com


BRIAN DIGGINS
110 Wyngate Road
Coraopolis, PA - 15108
Cell: (412) 303-1682
brian@digginsbuilders.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

CHUCK GIANAKAS
369 South Graham Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Cell: (412) 721-8153
chuck@digginsbuilders.com

I can verify that they do high quality work and are very reliable.

[Bong477]

Thanks to you both. I called Diggins this morning, they seem solid but they are also booked about a year out. Not entirely a deal breaker, but hardly ideal. Chuck said will look at my plans and tell me if the price I've gotten (which works out to be like $400/sq ft for the addition portion) is reasonable or ridiculous.

[guy2073]

Depending on the scope of work $400 a foot can happen. Without knowing your specific situation it would be hard for me to guess if you are being over charged. If it was me I would not discuss what your previous bid was with the new contractor, you could still not received a competitive bid.

Most quality contractors are booked in advance, i would be very concerned with a company who could start within a few months.

[corpgypsy]

If waiting a year for them is indeed an option, you will not be disappointed by making that choice. I once lived in a completed total home renovation they created, and I can attest to their work and character as I mentioned in my previous post's recommendation.

[Bong477]

Yeah we could wait a year if we had too, I mean sooner is better but this is more of a want than a need and we probably weren't going to be able to start for 4-6 months regardless of who we go to do the work and then possibly having to delay the kitchen, so I guess its not that bad. And we could do it all at once a year from now.


I do appreciate the input greatly, guy2073 I understand these jobs are complicated and that $400sq/ft may actually be a fair price but I was expecting more in the ballpark of $250'ish/sq ft. This ballpark seemed to be confirmed in my initial meetings with the current contractor. This house was something of a fixer so I have some experience working with contractors (we've probably spent 150k so far on bathrooms, floors, garage, new electrical, landscaping, finishing the attic, etc) but haven't tackled something of this magnitude before and probably never will again. The quote was high enough that I thought I needed to step back and get some additional trustworthy opinions before investing any more time/money in my current people.