Cost of Services

by Michelle C. in Markham about 2 years ago

Hi,

I came upon Homestars just recently and I’ve been very impressed with what I see so far. The only question I have is in regards to the ‘cost of services’ section of each review. I have taken a look at your previous answer to this question in this thread:

http://homestars.com/forums/i-have-a-question/…

But I’m wondering what ‘whatever it takes’ from the contractor actually entails? I realize the last team member who replied mentioned that if the homeowner purchases materials through the contractor, which a lot of times will be cheaper than any homeowner running into their local hardware store, could be included in their approximation of their ‘cost of services’.

After browsing through numerous reviews, I find the ‘cost of services’ to be a little confusing due to certain homeowners providing only labour, and others the entire project costs. Maybe a new option could be implemented to clarify whether it is strictly the cost of labour or if the materials are included as well.

I understand that sometimes these costs are personal and confidential at times, but being new to the home renovations world, I really appreciate reviewers divulging this information and it would really help with budgeting, for both materials and labour.

Thanks!

by Zoe S in Hamilton about 2 years ago

Hi Michelle
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You are right, because it’s the homeowner’s input, the input can vary. Also, it can vary if the homeowner is not willing to put the full cost up there.
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However, if you take a look at the review tool (just click to start writing a review) you’ll see that it specifies the money that changes hands. This means, whatever you paid the contractor to do the job is what the “cost” is. Since we’re writing reviews on contractors (and not on projects) this is what that number should entail.
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An additional note: If you want to put a link in, there are formatting tips for it to work correctly. Above the white box where you type your message reads “Formatting tips”. Click on that and the instructions will pop up. For now, I’ll repost your link: Click here
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thanks for sharing your ideas with us!
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^zs
community manager
@HomeStars

by Lakeshore Home Maintenance - Oakville about 2 years ago

Michelle,

Great question!
If you are new to the renovation world, there are tons of questions, and needless to say, now with the internet, more answers than you need!

I would say that when you are interviewing contractors, you can usually find someone who will budget for/ or include in their estimate an approximate materials cost or allowance. That way, if you are (for example) doing a bathroom reno, you can have an allowance for fixtures, tiles, finishings etc. that allows for basic, midgrade or upscale (whatever you choose) and if you go above or below that in the final project, you make the adjustment at the time of the final invoice. That way, you have a full estimate that gives you a good idea of what your final amount will be, and if you decide to go with a very high end tile say, that will come in as an overage on final bill. Conversely, if you have a $7000 budget and only spend $5000, you will only be invoiced for $5000, and your final invoice will be $2000 less.

Understand, there is ALWAYS a contingency price in there, rarely do larger projects come in to the penny.

Hope this helps. It is tricky to see from homeowner reviews just what their “price” includes. Another option that has been raised, is the possibility to contact the reviewer to ask them a question, but then you get into a whole new can of worms!

Sarah

by ooooo ooooo about 2 years ago

Hi Michelle

It should be spelled out for you
If you are not satisfied demand your request
Some contractors will not do this because
They are not capable of providing a brake down
They know their profit margins and provide only the bottom line
When it comes to the home owner supplying materials
I shy away from this type of client
Because confusion uncertainty and shopping on the cheep
Makes lost time / costs more and creates animosity

I personally gust went through this scenario with a client for a bathroom Reno
He asked me what kind of bath foist and shower head should he pick up
I went with him to make sure it would be one trip no fuss
He chose a product that was in stock but the box was opened last one
I explained to him if it is out of stock and the only one is an opened box you should not go with it
He insisted called the manager had the contents of the box checked toke it home
Make a long story short
I spent at least 6 hrs shopping with him for this one item
In all shopping for fixtures for the new bath
With out exaggerating 4 days shopping
Returning this one product he chose 3 times before he got it right
He never headed a word of advice
After 35 years in the same trench you would think you know some thing about where the savings are

Here is my advice to home owners on this topic

Demand what you want to see on the quotation
If they do not get the quotation right do you think the will satisfy you

If you insist on labor only you supplying all materials
Be ware the contractor can charge you for lost time on your fumbling

Daniel

by Lakeshore Home Maintenance - Oakville about 2 years ago

Daniel,

Good post! We are the same way, as helpful as they want to be with purchasing the items themselves, it often makes more sense to allow your contractor to purchase. They know what products work and dont work, they know what to buy, and if the wrong item is purchased…it’s the contractors issue.

When homeowners purchase the wrong item, who pays for lost time? Always good to point that out to potential clients.

Cheers,
Sarah Taylor

by Michelle C. in Markham about 2 years ago

Thank you all for your replies! You all nailed the questions that I have been meaning to ask.

I had a contractor come in and had asked myself to do most of the sourcing of the materials/fixtures/equipment. I am in fact doing a an entire master bath reno, which would have included a custom vanity, the seamless glass surround, all the tiles (floor, shower, etc.) and of course all the fixtures and equipment (lighting, faucets, toilet, sink etc). This was rather concerning considering I wasn’t sure what I should be looking for and whether or not they would be suitable for usage in a bathroom (Okay, not impossible, but a rather daunting task). This is why I was looking through Homestars in the first place, hoping for some pointers in regards to how much I should budget the labour and materials. Then I started thinking that all of this sourcing was really going to eat up my time that I may just take a week off to tackle this job by myself with some friends and an informative DIY book!

In addition to that, when I had got the quote for how much the project would cost, there was no cost breakdown and it has been almost a week for them since I had requested the breakdown, and now advice from Daniel, I may not get it in the end!

I think it may be time to shop for a contractor who can actually provide me with some guidance and confidence with this project. I really was starting to pull my hair out thinking about all that I had to do with no prior knowledge of what to look for.

Thank you again for all the replies, this is really going to help me in my search for a contractor!

by Lakeshore Home Maintenance - Oakville about 2 years ago

Michelle,

I would say you are on the right track. Renovations take planning, and if you have any “spidey sense” telling you that you are not comfortable with someone, I would trust it!

Remember a couple of things : You get what you pay for. I will look for the link after this post, but there is a great post here about hiring the right contractor, understanding that you will pay more for skilled, insured workers with experience.
Patience – You will need lots, and the best reno’s are the result of careful planning and time, and as you have realized, there is a lot of “behind the scenes” time involved that your contractor uses to ensure that the proper materials are purchased for the job.
DIY is fine if you understand that the end result will be as good as the time you have put into planning and teaching yourself, but you need to know where to hire out (ie. plumbing and electrical for most people) and realize that there will be trial and error involved. Some people think installing a sink is simple, and with some sinks/vanities they are pretty basic. Go with a fancy model with undermount sink and low profile drawers and you might find yourself in for a world of hurt trying to get everything to fit. Sometimes, the money you might “save” will end up going to pay someone to fix it to have it done right.
It’s nice to save money, we all love to do it, but the reason the contractors do what they do, is (for the most part) because they have done it for years and know what to look for and they can do it more efficiently than most DIY’ers..

Hope the reno goes great, we would love to hear about it! (well, at least I would :)

Sarah