Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I asked a quote from a small contractor to install two exhaust bathroom fans in my attached rowhouse. They wanted to charge me 100+ by the hour. I asked "give me a fixed amount". The came back with a quote of... $4,500.

Not in your area - builder here - just did this for a client plus re-sheetrocked one of the ceilings and painted them both for 3400.00. I thought I priced it too low...sometimes pricing works both ways - some you win and some you lose...

I then asked for a quote from another small contractor who did it for $300 and the fans have been working great.

Anonymous wrote:

I was told today that it will cost $20-25K to remodel my tiny (3-1/2 x 7 foot) bathroom.

In the spirit of "when you want to cry, laugh", anyone else have stories to tell? I just can't get over the prices in this area.

If you have an old bathroom like we do, it can be in that range. Ours row house built in the 1920s, the cast iron pipes were placed in concert. They have to jackhammer it out. I have got many quotes over the years. The low ones have no idea what they are getting into and would be a nightmare if they did the job.

Builder here - not from your area - this is very true. Alot of jobs get bid tight and it is either change order to death or the guy just cant finish...I have had pressure put on me to lower bids for architects so that it looks like the job is worth the price they will award it for...did it once to help out the architect - never again. It happens alot more than people think....I also found that the folks that complain about their experiences usually went for the low bid...and speaking of cast iron pipes....I remember walking into a house being built next to one I was building and they were running PVC drain pipes right next to the kitchen sink. I could not believe it - I asked the builder, how can you do that - they are going to hate you - whenever they use the toilets upstairs they are going to here it right in the kitchen - he didn't care, the realtors didn't care. Me, I put cast iron drops in because it is the right thing to do...but tough industry.

Anonymous wrote:I asked a quote from a small contractor to install two exhaust bathroom fans in my attached rowhouse. They wanted to charge me 100+ by the hour. I asked "give me a fixed amount". The came back with a quote of... $4,500.

Not in your area - builder here - just did this for a client plus re-sheetrocked one of the ceilings and painted them both for 3400.00. I thought I priced it too low...sometimes pricing works both ways - some you win and some you lose...

16:10-are you in Takoma Park or close in Silver Spring? If so, I totally know who you are talking about. Same thing happened to us when we needed help getting ice dams out of our gutters. I'm still pissed.

Guy whose wife is constantly talking him up on a local listserv. They go on and on about being family owned, honest, etc.

After a bad ice/snowstorm a couple of years ago when DH had just had surgery, I got desperate about getting extra snow off the roof. He and his buddy charged me $250 for whaat was literally 15 minutes' work. I always felt like a chump but it was a hard time and i didn't argue with them. I figure they made thousands that day, taking advantage of people in our neighborhood. Every time I see his wife post on the listserv I feel irritated.

A plumber wanted to charge me $450 to change a $25 heating element.

I was told today that it will cost $20-25K to remodel my tiny (3-1/2 x 7 foot) bathroom.

In the spirit of "when you want to cry, laugh", anyone else have stories to tell? I just can't get over the prices in this area.

If you have an old bathroom like we do, it can be in that range. Ours row house built in the 1920s, the cast iron pipes were placed in concert. They have to jackhammer it out. I have got many quotes over the years. The low ones have no idea what they are getting into and would be a nightmare if they did the job.

What about the appliance repair guys and plumbers that charge $50 for an item you can order online for $2.50. I realize the it is not a ton of money but proportionately it is a crazy profit ratio.....

OP here, 20:57 I think you are right.

And I think unfortunately the contractors on Angie's List/ Consumer's Checkbook do get super busy fast. Sadly all word of mouth recommendations have been for contractors who are unlicensed.

Oh well, this is no worse than the $1500 I paid to have a fence removed by a landscaping company who said extensive regrading would be needed and that the work would take an entire day. I happened to be home when they did the job, which took 45 mins. Hoping to learn from that experience!

Most contractors are outrages on estimates. Regardless they want to get your money, and especially they take forever to get the job finish

I used to be a contractor and will let you in on a little secret - when we were super busy and didn't really need or want your job, we used to bid REALLY high. If we got it, what the hell, we did the work.

Get more bids!

The derecho last year brought a neighbor's tree down on my house. The company my insurance company recommended sent a small crew early that morning, and they worked to remove the tree from the house and chopped it up. Several weeks later, another crew came to remove the tree. (about half of which I'd already piled up for firewood so they didn't have to touch it.)

A couple weeks later they sent a bill... for over $9,000. for what was maybe 40 man hours, total, plus some equipment. I almost threw up. Called my insurer and she laughed, told me that the bill SHE had seen was over $10K, and not to pay it because they were probably trying to collect the money twice. Same company also kept me waiting for WEEKS for an estimate to do the renovations work, till I finally fired them.

I asked a quote from a small contractor to install two exhaust bathroom fans in my attached rowhouse. They wanted to charge me 100+ by the hour. I asked "give me a fixed amount". The came back with a quote of... $4,500.

What company did you get the estimate from?

I was told today that it will cost $20-25K to remodel my tiny (3-1/2 x 7 foot) bathroom.

In the spirit of "when you want to cry, laugh", anyone else have stories to tell? I just can't get over the prices in this area.