The Remodel Estimate Shot Up

[Music Lover]

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.

Sure, a lot (but not all) DIY is simple...if you know what you're doing. But, if you've never done it you can do a lot of damage that's expensive to repair or be left with an unsafe result. Or, it may be functionally safe but looks horrible.

I've fixed countless DIY projects done by friends and family who thought it was easy because they saw it on TV or YouTube.

Regarding inspectors...I built and wired my garage myself, but I had building and electrical permits and had it inspected.

 

[gooddog]

Sure, a lot (but not all) DIY is simple...if you know what you're doing. But, if you've never done it you can do a lot of damage that's expensive to repair or be left with an unsafe result. Or, it may be functionally safe but looks horrible.

I've fixed countless DIY projects done by friends and family who thought it was easy because they saw it on TV or YouTube.

Regarding inspectors...I built and wired my garage myself, but I had building and electrical permits and had it inspected.

Most DIY projects that turn out bad are due to two things: lack or research and cheap materials. Building a house isn't rocket science, I built my first one by myself about 28 years ago. Thought I was in over my head at first, but once I started on the foundation, I realized I was just building the foundation - not the rest of it. To look at as a whole, it is overwhelming, but broken down it is all extremely simple stuff. IMO

 

[Mulligan]

Most DIY projects that turn out bad are due to two things: lack or research and cheap materials. Building a house is rocket science, I built my first one by myself about 28 years ago. Thought I was in over my head at first, but once I started on the foundation, I realized I was just building the foundation - not the rest of it. To look at as a whole, it is overwhelming, but broken down it is all extremely simple stuff. IMO

My dad built 2 homes without any formal training. That handy man gene skipped me, unfortunately. I just this past summer had my bathroom gutted and redone. Today it was bringing him back to tackle the quartz, backsplash, and creating a fresh fireplace area design. I will stick to painting and clean up.
My brother is naturally handy and is single. He got on a bunch of you tube videos and has renovated some of the house. Part of it is still gutted and he just walks around it. Says he is tired of messing with it and will worry about it later...Later is now over a year and counting, lol.

 

[gooddog]

My dad built 2 homes without any formal training. That handy man gene skipped me, unfortunately. I just this past summer had my bathroom gutted and redone. Today it was bringing him back to tackle the quartz, backsplash, and creating a fresh fireplace area design. I will stick to painting and clean up.
My brother is naturally handy and is single. He got on a bunch of you tube videos and has renovated some of the house. Part of it is still gutted and he just walks around it. Says he is tired of messing with it and will worry about it later...Later is now over a year and counting, lol.

It can get tiring. Started about 23 months ago renovating my 84 year old house. Got done with all the planned renovations about 6 months ago, but with it being right up against the ocean - new stuff came up that needed to be addressed. Never ending battle. That said, it is kind of fun. If anyone on this forum wants a nice place to stay while seeing the Redwoods and Pacific Ocean, feel free to message.

 

[zippy2020]

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

With the devastation caused by Hurricane Michael, I sincerely doubt that demand for materials will "back off".

 

[Bamaman]

With the devastation caused by Hurricane Michael, I sincerely doubt that demand for materials will "back off".

One big problem in Florida is their anti-gouging laws. The price of future building supplies and labor will be the same as it was in Florida before the hurricane.

That means plywood companies, drywall manufacturers and roofing manufacturers do not make any upward shift in production since they have no monetary reason to do so. Houses that can be rebuilt and reroofed will have big blue tarps on their roofs a year or two from now because there are no building supplies to buy.

People that are building homes in other states will have to pay out the nose for plywood, drywall and shingles in the future. Contractors in other southern states will also be difficult to find the next year when they go to work in Florida temporarily. When the supply of labor goes down, the price goes up.

 

[AprM]

We just finished off our attached two car garage into what was supposed to be a family room and a laundry room. Our estimate came in at 40k. I had only allotted 30k to the entire project. We ended up keeping the washer/dryer in the basement and made the laundry room into a mudroom, which was the real reason we needed the space. We also skipped on the cabinets and pellet stove from the contractor because we knew we could add them ourselves after the fact. Do I regret it? Not one bit. We use that space every single day. We planned ahead and built a detached garage with loft storage to make up for losing the attached car space.
Now saying all this, we have no intention of moving in the next 15 years so I'm pretty certain that we will get our money back on the investment. If I were you, I'd evaluate how long you're planning to be there and see if you can DIY some of the work.

 

[meleana]

Have you gotten at least 2 other estimates for this project?

 

[Scuba]

I’m curious, Dr. Roy, what did you decide?

 

[DrRoy]

Have you gotten at least 2 other estimates for this project?

Yes we did. The contractor we chose was initially the low bidder, very good reputation, knew the local inspectors well, and was the best communicator.

 

[DrRoy]

I’m curious, Dr. Roy, what did you decide?

We are still deciding to some degree, as the project does not begin for another couple weeks anyway. The contractor has found a bit of savings and we have pared back a little from the list. Still at $75K. To cut more we would really have to start taking away elements that we want. We can afford it, so, even thought I feel like there was some bait and switch, the response to the post mostly said that such things are nearly inevitable, and that others have been very happy with the results they got in similar situations. My guess is that we will proceed at this point. I wonder what would have happened with our second choice builder, but I would also hate to switch now, delay everything to get on a new track, and wind up in the same place.

 

[davebarnes]

Just mentally budget for a 20% overrun.

 

[Scuba]

We are still deciding to some degree, as the project does not begin for another couple weeks anyway. The contractor has found a bit of savings and we have pared back a little from the list. Still at $75K. To cut more we would really have to start taking away elements that we want. We can afford it, so, even thought I feel like there was some bait and switch, the response to the post mostly said that such things are nearly inevitable, and that others have been very happy with the results they got in similar situations. My guess is that we will proceed at this point. I wonder what would have happened with our second choice builder, but I would also hate to switch now, delay everything to get on a new track, and wind up in the same place.

Good decision IMO. You’ll be happy later that you got what you really wanted.

 

[capjak]

we have pared back a little from the list. Still at $75K.

I would do what you want and forget about paring back the list, you will not miss the 5K over XX years, get what you want YOLO!