· by
Lena Sykes
How to read a bathroom remodel quote
Three quotes, three different totals, and none of them say the same thing. Here is the line-by-line way we read them, including our own.
A remodel quote is a list of promises. The good ones are boring: every item has a number, every number has a scope, and the total at the bottom is the total you will pay. Here is what to look for, and what to ask when it is not there.
Scope before price
Does it say how many days, or just a total? Does it name the fixtures, or say allowance? Does it include removal and disposal of the old bathroom? An $18,900 quote that includes debris hauling is cheaper than a $16,400 quote that does not, and you will only find that out on the day the tub comes out.
The four lines that move
Tiling per square foot, waterproofing per square foot, fixtures, and the electrical. Those four lines explain almost every difference between quotes. If two contractors are $4,000 apart, put the four lines side by side and the gap usually explains itself.
What fixed means
On our quotes, fixed means the total cannot change unless you approve a change in writing. Not weather, not a surprise behind the wall, not a supplier price. If we open a wall and find a problem we quote that separately, you say yes or no, and the original number stays where it was. Ask any contractor to say that sentence to you and watch how they answer.
One last tip: a walkthrough should be free, and the person who does the walkthrough should be the person who prices the job. If they are not, the number is a guess.
Need a hand with this one? A person answers, 24/7.
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