What am I missing here??

[Anonymous]

We are in early stage of remodeling/refreshing work - you know the typical bathroom/kitchen and whatnot. One of the bids came in is significantly lower than others (230/250 vs 160k). The contractor has good Google review (4.9 stars over 100 reviews) but I am still uneasy about his bid.

- LVP in basement ($4/sq allowance)
- tile shower walls with 12x24 tiles ($4/sq)
- bathroom accessories ($300 allowance)
- kitchen cabinets ($8k allowance)
- countertop and backsplash (8k allowance)
- sink, faucet, and disposal ($400 allowance)

I asked him about the quality of materials he is using, and he said typical "oh, it's good stuff. something i'd use in my own home"

I should run from him, right?

[Anonymous]

How many bathrooms? How big is the kitchen? Are they pulling permits?

[Anonymous]

You can buy your own materials. We always chose our own tile, counters, fixtures and flooring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are in early stage of remodeling/refreshing work - you know the typical bathroom/kitchen and whatnot. One of the bids came in is significantly lower than others (230/250 vs 160k). The contractor has good Google review (4.9 stars over 100 reviews) but I am still uneasy about his bid.

- LVP in basement ($4/sq allowance)
- tile shower walls with 12x24 tiles ($4/sq)
- bathroom accessories ($300 allowance)
- kitchen cabinets ($8k allowance)
- countertop and backsplash (8k allowance)
- sink, faucet, and disposal ($400 allowance)

I asked him about the quality of materials he is using, and he said typical "oh, it's good stuff. something i'd use in my own home"

I should run from him, right?

12x24 tiles for $8? kitchen cabinets for 8k? For how many cabinets? sink/faucet/disposal of any quality would be minimum double that

[Anonymous]

Kitchen cabinets for $8k?? My totally regular sink was like $500 10 years ago. A good faucet is more too.
Look even at the higher end HD and IKEA lines and see what's up. I can't imagine finding anything for those prices.
He could be a one man show with a helper to save on labor and no insurance but the allowances do not seem realistic.
Also bought all my own materials and those just seem low.

[Anonymous]

Your folks are confirming my fear. I am scratching my head and wondering how is that even possible??

@ 16:02 - 2 and 1/2 remodeling and 1 new one in the basement. the kitchen area being renovated is somewhat small -- 10x13.

[Anonymous]

This is why it's helpful to get quotes broken out in a way that you can compare apples to apples since, as you've noticed, not all contractor allowances are created equally. Do you have labor broken out on the quotes, and can you compare that directly?

[Anonymous]

Not for this contractor. I asked him if he could provide separately but he said they don’t do that.

[Anonymous]

FWIW I just paid around $22K for cabinets in a 16x8 kitchen.

For your allowance items, go to Build.com and price out some things you like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not for this contractor. I asked him if he could provide separately but he said they don’t do that.

The total price of 160k is not crazy but the breakdown of the material type and brand is very important.
For example he has to say Home Depot Lifeproof LVP 22mil trial oak for basement floor.
Ask him for more detailed proposal.

[Anonymous]

Is the allowance the cost of the material?
If it is go to Home Depot or Lowe’s kitchen center and see if 8k can buy you the amount of cabinets you are looking for.
I will do same thing with countertops and the rest of the material.

[Anonymous]

I think he's buying builder grade stuff at best. And the allowances seem low. If they don't do that, lol, keep looking.
If they are not licensed they probably can't pull permit and then you are on the hook for it passing inspections not them. Always have contractor pull permits even if you pay more. Also you want them insured and paying workman's comp. Slip and fall abd sue you...