Any stories of construction costs far exceeding original estimates?

[Anonymous]

Name the good GC please. I'm looking for someone to redo my kitchen. Thanks

Unfortunately, this contractor was coming down from PA and I can't even get them to come back and do additional work for me. My project was during covid and because there was little traffic they did it. Now with normal traffic it would be 2.5+ hour drive for them. They are very good and thus they don't have a problem getting business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd be more interested in stories of a construction project that stayed on schedule and under/within budget. You should always expect (and plan for) projects to go over. It happens all the time

Ours did, because we GC’d. We hired an experienced and knowledgeable person to be on site all day. We were there everyday as well. PM knew what our standards were and didn’t let any BS happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you explain how this is happening? With our renovations, we have a contract with the contractor for a set price. We were purchasing a few items ourselves but that was spelled out in the contract. The only time we get charged over the cost in the contract is when we ask for changes. And we know not to ask for changes.

What exactly is happening in your situation?

Not the previous poster, but some years back, our $300,000 renovation turned into a $350,000 renovation for 2 reasons. The first being the allowances didn't cover the finishes we wanted. For example, there's enough allowance for cultured marble countertops in the 3 bathrooms being redone. Lol. No way we were doing things like that, although surprisingly, the kitchen allowances were fine. Second, we kept adding things (new front door, new portico and walkway, as long as you have that wall down, please add...).