I can’t stress this enough be very wary of contractors that do not give thorough estimates.
Estimates that are missing line items or don’t give full explanations of materials that will be installed, or manner in which they will be installed cannot be compared accurately. This is the reason you should always require a detailed proposal when considering a contractor’s competitive bid!
Comparing a line by line detailed proposal to a summary estimate which only shows you total cost could be like comparing apples to oranges in the end.
Contractors that use this type of estimating and present proposals like this could be trying to hide the real costs of the project. Although you might be enticed to accept a proposal that is done in this manner you could be surprised by unforeseen issues that could arise and would drive costs through the roof.
There’s nothing worse than getting halfway through a project and having your contractor begin to submit change orders for things that you might have expected to be included in a project. Because of the nature of the proposal there are no real expectations of the work to be completed, materials to be used or the manner the work will be completed. The feeling of being held hostage in your own home can be outright unbearable.
Once we go over your scope of work we can then estimate your project giving you an idea of overall cost. If you agree that our estimate meets your budget we then can take a 1% deposit down so we can go further and collect bids for the work. At the end of the bid process we then provide a detailed proposal. If in that detailed proposal we exceed estimated costs by 10% you have the right to a full refund of your 1% deposit. This is just further proof that when you do business with us you know what to expect.
