The Remodel Estimate Shot Up

[Ronstar]

Doing a remodel now. 1057 sf hardwood, kitchen cabinets, sink, quartz countertops, master bath countertops and sinks and faucets, new lighting, paint. Around 45k for what DW has ordered so far. Would have been far less using my choice of materials. Doing the work myself. Trying to save some $ but DW is out of control. Now we are arguing over the $175/sf backsplash tile that she wants. My estimates don’t escalate due to contractors, mine escalate due to DW

 

[Teacher Terry]

We enjoy living in a nice house and have never regretted spending money on our house. We spend a lot of time there and enjoy having parties. Sounds like you can add afford it so go for it! Luckily my husband is very handy and he was retired so had the time to do all the work. Plus it is our forever home so we wanted it to be really nice.

 

[Scuba]

Doing a remodel now. 1057 sf hardwood, kitchen cabinets, sink, quartz countertops, master bath countertops and sinks and faucets, new lighting, paint. Around 45k for what DW has ordered so far. Would have been far less using my choice of materials. Doing the work myself. Trying to save some $ but DW is out of control. Now we are arguing over the $175/sf backsplash tile that she wants. My estimates don’t escalate due to contractors, mine escalate due to DW

Luckily a backsplash is typically not huge, so I suggest going with what DW wants. Happy wife, happy life. [emoji16]

 

[Scuba]

Bird, did you live in the residence while it was being renovated? I just had a master bedroom bathroom renovated and that dragged on for 2 months. Drove me crazy with all the dust and debris always everywhere...And having to use the small hallway bathroom for everything was a PIA, also. Dont want that problem again!..... One thing I learned too late... If dry wall and sanding are being done, tape top notch air filters to all house return air vents so the dust doesnt fly everywhere in the house....It never ends!

We moved out for our remodel, and moved everything we owned out too. Took many walls down to the studs, removed molding and baseboards, removed wall texture, and changed bullnose corners to straight lines. Far too much dust to consider leaving anything in there. Changed out all the lighting too so didn’t have to worry about light fixtures getting dusty.

 

[TwoByFour]

Remodels are notoriously hard to price accurately so it does surprise me that things changed. If the contractor is reputable (did you check references?) I would just ask yourself if it is worth the final estimate to you and not worry that the first estimate was a lot less. The devil is in the details, and when those details are vague (as it sounded to be with the 1st estimate), the estimate is going to be vague.

Note that most contractors charge an additional 15-20% management fee on top of all subs that they hire.

My advice: If you can afford it, I would try to stick with the plan. This is your home and you will enjoy the work for many years, more so if it is quality work. In 10 years you won't even remember how much it cost you for this project.

 

[Ronstar]

Luckily a backsplash is typically not huge, so I suggest going with what DW wants. Happy wife, happy life. [emoji16]

Luckily I scored a compromise. Expensive decorative tile above the cooktop. Less expensive mosaic tile for rest of the backsplash.

 

[aja8888]

Luckily I scored a compromise. Expensive decorative tile above the cooktop. Less expensive mosaic tile for rest of the backsplash.

I'll have to say that the layout in your photo is exactly like our kitchen right down to the number of cabinets and pull drawers. What a coincidence.

 

[REWahoo]

in 10 years you [-]won't even remember[/-] may not even remember your name, much less how much it cost you for this project.

fify

 

[tmm99]

Even areas that we did not make any changes to have gone up.

Doesn't this seem strange to anyone??

 

[RobbieB]

Not at all. He said they've been working on the plan for a year now. In a year everything is going to go up material and labor.

 

[tmm99]

Not at all. He said they've been working on the plan for a year now. In a year everything is going to go up material and labor.

Ah!

 

[Music Lover]

Some of the renovation numbers related in this thread are a good reminder why decent DIY skills can be a game changer for those with modest means.

 

[audreyh1]

Not at all. He said they've been working on the plan for a year now. In a year everything is going to go up material and labor.

Right, that’s what I was wondering. Building materials have shot up in price. Contractors are busy. Seems like remodeling projects would be particularly expensive right now.

 

[RobbieB]

But not as expensive as they will be next year.

Yeah, I DIY'ed a lot of stuff and I'm going to do more too. But not painting up high and flooring and stone. I even had the last toilet installed because the water saving rebate paid for the install.

As I age I will be doing less DIY, just the stuff I figure won't hurt me and that I enjoy. Like woodwork -

 

[DrRoy]

Not at all. He said they've been working on the plan for a year now. In a year everything is going to go up material and labor.

The year ago stuff was design and the search for a contractor. The initial estimate I referred to was from April, 2018.

 

[Scuba]

The year ago stuff was design and the search for a contractor. The initial estimate I referred to was from April, 2018.

Most contractors I’ve dealt with have a 60-day limit on estimates. A lot has happened in six months with tariffs, wages, etc.

 

[Scuba]

Luckily I scored a compromise. Expensive decorative tile above the cooktop. Less expensive mosaic tile for rest of the backsplash.

If you’re both happy, that’s great!

 

[DrRoy]

Most contractors I’ve dealt with have a 60-day limit on estimates. A lot has happened in six months with tariffs, wages, etc.

We have a meeting with the builder on Tuesday. We will go over everything and find out what he has to say. We were ready to go within 60 days. It was the builder that put it off due to his schedule.

 

[Just_Steve]

Some of the renovation numbers related in this thread are a good reminder why decent DIY skills can be a game changer for those with modest means.

This, for sure. I shaved off about 12k of a kitchen remodel by doing the complete gut job, insulation, electrical and plumbing.

 

[Music Lover]

This, for sure. I shaved off about 12k of a kitchen remodel by doing the complete gut job, insulation, electrical and plumbing.

I did everything in my kitchen remodel except build the cabinets...I designed the layout, gutted to studs, re-insulated, did the wiring, plumbing, flooring and replaced a window with a door to a sunroom that I built later. 2 walls of maple cabinets cost $6,600, $2000 to buy hardwood flooring (for kitchen, living room and hallway). The total cost was about $11,000.

 

[audreyh1]

But not as expensive as they will be next year.

Not so sure. If housing slows - and the higher mortgage rates are definitely having an impact - then some of this demand should back off.

 

[Scuba]

We have a meeting with the builder on Tuesday. We will go over everything and find out what he has to say. We were ready to go within 60 days. It was the builder that put it off due to his schedule.

Good luck. I hope it works out the way you want. One question I ask myself when faced with decisions like this is “will this be a problem/will I even remember this 5 years from now?” In my case, 3 years after completing our remodel, we are still enjoying the results very much, and the amount spent does not have any impact on us.

 

[ivinsfan]

Doing a remodel now. 1057 sf hardwood, kitchen cabinets, sink, quartz countertops, master bath countertops and sinks and faucets, new lighting, paint. Around 45k for what DW has ordered so far. Would have been far less using my choice of materials. Doing the work myself. Trying to save some $ but DW is out of control. Now we are arguing over the $175/sf backsplash tile that she wants. My estimates don’t escalate due to contractors, mine escalate due to DW

MY DH is excellent at remodel projects like this and we realized long ago we had to be conscious of the DIY mentally, IE we are saving so much on labor we should just buy what we like and not factor in cost or value...

 

[gooddog]

In the end you will be happier if you do it yourself for several reasons, not the least of which are: you know you are not getting ripped off, you know the job is being done right, you save a bunch of $$, you can make changes along the way easier. Anything and everything you need to do is simple. People get intimidated by remodels/house building. The truth is every last bit of it is simple, you just got to step in and do it. Once you start on it you will realize that you are only doing X (whatever X is), and the rest isn't on your mind anymore...once you break it down into the components of the remodel, it is not so overwhelming. Give it a try. Youtube videos are available for all aspects of the remodel. Also, doing it yourself keeps the inspector out of it.

 

[Morricol61]

Does anyone ever think about over capitalizing when remodeling?



We own a small house in a good area, walking distance to everything and 40 minute drive to kids. We'd like to extend the house, not quite doubling the total footprint but are cautious because the additional cost added to its current value will mean we'd be very unlikely to recover costs on resale for many years.


We are actually going to look at homes that are for sale in the area to see what we can buy for the same total investment, taking into account legal and realtor fees and stamp duty. That might help us to decide whether to renovate and extend, or buy elsewhere. We've owned the house for 5 years as a rental property so apart from the great location, we don't have an emotional investment in it.