Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the defin. is an architect who wins awards then we used one ... we got three bids, 2 of them within 2% of architect's estimate (~600k), the 3rd bid was near 750k (!) on very detailed specs. WTF?

We asked the architect and he said that bid included some very high prices from a couple of subcontractors that drove it up. The other line items were comparable.

So it could be a lowball by the other (lower) bidder, that can sure happen. Or could be something else (sounds more like the former in your case).

How close were the bids to the architect's estimate? You DID have one, right? A good estimate based on detailed specs should be right in the ballpark, ours was.

We had no change orders that resulted from any builder related items, we had about 4% increase in change orders for a few things we changed along the way.

Your addition was $600k? Wow -- sounds very high end. Starting to plan a renovation now; this thread has been very helpful. Thanks.

For significantly more work than the OP described, though ...

Anonymous wrote:If the defin. is an architect who wins awards then we used one ... we got three bids, 2 of them within 2% of architect's estimate (~600k), the 3rd bid was near 750k (!) on very detailed specs. WTF?

We asked the architect and he said that bid included some very high prices from a couple of subcontractors that drove it up. The other line items were comparable.

So it could be a lowball by the other (lower) bidder, that can sure happen. Or could be something else (sounds more like the former in your case).

How close were the bids to the architect's estimate? You DID have one, right? A good estimate based on detailed specs should be right in the ballpark, ours was.

We had no change orders that resulted from any builder related items, we had about 4% increase in change orders for a few things we changed along the way.

Your addition was $600k? Wow -- sounds very high end. Starting to plan a renovation now; this thread has been very helpful. Thanks.

If you used an architect and they have plans and specs drawn up, the contractor can not switch materials or change the way something is built without the architect's sign off. They will build it the same way with the materials as per the plans. This is why you use an architect. If you like the other contractor see if he will match the other guy's price. Just don't expect a lot of free work.

p.s. (from 17:07), that DOES sound awfully high either way for the scope of work described...

If the defin. is an architect who wins awards then we used one ... we got three bids, 2 of them within 2% of architect's estimate (~600k), the 3rd bid was near 750k (!) on very detailed specs. WTF?

We asked the architect and he said that bid included some very high prices from a couple of subcontractors that drove it up. The other line items were comparable.

So it could be a lowball by the other (lower) bidder, that can sure happen. Or could be something else (sounds more like the former in your case).

How close were the bids to the architect's estimate? You DID have one, right? A good estimate based on detailed specs should be right in the ballpark, ours was.

We had no change orders that resulted from any builder related items, we had about 4% increase in change orders for a few things we changed along the way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP - I was the one who specified using the foam insulation...we have it in our basement and it makes a world of difference. I also specified expensive tile in the bathrooms because I like the look of glass tile and, well, that costs more money (the tile I've picked for the master is $25 per square foot). I also wanted a huge soaking tub in the master bath - the one I picked out was about $6,000, so that is in the bid. I also wanted a steam shower in the master bath, real hardwood in the attic, radiant heat flooring, marble countertops, repainting the entire house, etc. Maybe I'm answering my own question by admitting I just like expensive things and found a contractor who put them all in the original bid rather than upcharging me at every turn in the contract.

Even so, unless you are going with solid gold faucets, $400k is VERY expensive for a renovation.

And also, foam insulation isn't incredibly expensive. It's also not going to be any more effective than fiberglass if you have the right insulation value. The point of using foam is where it's not possible to use fiberglass because of access. If you're opening up the ceilings anyway there's no reason to do foam. Why didn't the contractor or architect tell you this?

Anonymous wrote:This is OP - I was the one who specified using the foam insulation...we have it in our basement and it makes a world of difference. I also specified expensive tile in the bathrooms because I like the look of glass tile and, well, that costs more money (the tile I've picked for the master is $25 per square foot). I also wanted a huge soaking tub in the master bath - the one I picked out was about $6,000, so that is in the bid. I also wanted a steam shower in the master bath, real hardwood in the attic, radiant heat flooring, marble countertops, repainting the entire house, etc. Maybe I'm answering my own question by admitting I just like expensive things and found a contractor who put them all in the original bid rather than upcharging me at every turn in the contract.

Even so, unless you are going with solid gold faucets, $400k is VERY expensive for a renovation.

This is OP - I was the one who specified using the foam insulation...we have it in our basement and it makes a world of difference. I also specified expensive tile in the bathrooms because I like the look of glass tile and, well, that costs more money (the tile I've picked for the master is $25 per square foot). I also wanted a huge soaking tub in the master bath - the one I picked out was about $6,000, so that is in the bid. I also wanted a steam shower in the master bath, real hardwood in the attic, radiant heat flooring, marble countertops, repainting the entire house, etc. Maybe I'm answering my own question by admitting I just like expensive things and found a contractor who put them all in the original bid rather than upcharging me at every turn in the contract.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are DEFINITELY getting ripped off if you -- or your architect -- thinks that $400k is reasonable for the scope of work that you've outlined. I say this as someone who has done a major renovation/addition on her own home and who grew up in the industry with an architect father.

Ask the architect to justify why $500k is reasonable. Sure, you have a lot of money in the windows, but using higher spec insulation (which the architect should have spec-ed if it goes beyond what is code) for example, would at most add $1-2k to your price not $100k. Something there is very fishy. It's hard to believe that so many homeowners are so clueless and just write blank checks.

Thanks PP. This is very interesting and good to know.

For example, we just added insulation between floors to the scope for our project. We were charged $400 for about 250 sq feet of insulation installed. I think this was high. The actual cost of the insulation was about $160. Code dictates the appropriate R-value (how effective the insulation is) beyond that brands shouldn't make any difference.

Did your architect provide the full specs? If they did you should be comparing apples with apples. If not it will be difficult to compare accurately. Likewise replacing more of the pipes for the plumbing should be a few thousand max - and that much only because there could be access issues. Look at whether they really need to be replaced. If you already have copper pipes and they don't need to be moved, for example, you may not need to replace them all. BTW if one has spec'd copper and another PVC there is a big price difference there.

OP, how are you handling, for example, the flooring, the tile and plumbing fixtures? Have you already picked out what you want specifically and those are included in the bids, or are you getting allowances?

Anonymous wrote:You are DEFINITELY getting ripped off if you -- or your architect -- thinks that $400k is reasonable for the scope of work that you've outlined. I say this as someone who has done a major renovation/addition on her own home and who grew up in the industry with an architect father.

Ask the architect to justify why $500k is reasonable. Sure, you have a lot of money in the windows, but using higher spec insulation (which the architect should have spec-ed if it goes beyond what is code) for example, would at most add $1-2k to your price not $100k. Something there is very fishy. It's hard to believe that so many homeowners are so clueless and just write blank checks.

Thanks PP. This is very interesting and good to know.

You are DEFINITELY getting ripped off if you -- or your architect -- thinks that $400k is reasonable for the scope of work that you've outlined. I say this as someone who has done a major renovation/addition on her own home and who grew up in the industry with an architect father.

Ask the architect to justify why $500k is reasonable. Sure, you have a lot of money in the windows, but using higher spec insulation (which the architect should have spec-ed if it goes beyond what is code) for example, would at most add $1-2k to your price not $100k. Something there is very fishy. It's hard to believe that so many homeowners are so clueless and just write blank checks.

Anonymous wrote:High end = someone like Mark McInturff. In my mind it is an architect who wins awards. This is OP.

From what I've seen and read, I think he's an amazing architect but very contemporary. Who is considered a really good architect locally to design a high end brick addition to work with an existing 1930's Colonial?

Knock down a 1.5M house? The rebuild would cost way more than 500K...

Anonymous wrote:
You knew it was coming, but why not knock the sh*tter down, for that price?!? Seriously.

Go threadcrap somewhere else. Seriously