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Getting Bids
When you first started to design your home, you got, or should have gotten, some "ballpark" figures on the cost of your whole project. Now that you have detailed plans and specifications you will want a firm and exact price. This will take some diligence on your part. Contractors often try to avoid firm and exact prices, preferring to "leave the door open". You should not allow this to happen.
If you would like for us to estimate the cost of building any plan found on this site, just fill out the form on the House Building Cost page
You may also find these links helpful.
http://www.remodelonline.com/ http://buildfind.com/ http://econtractor.net/ http://remodel.com
If possible, try to get at least 3 house building bids from every trade that you require. This can be difficult if you live in a rural area, but then you will probably know the potential tradesmen personally and already be comfortable with them. It is very important to have contractors that you feel at ease with.
This does not mean you should not get bids or accept verbal bids. For any bid to be valid, it must be in writing and it must include all specifications set by you and written into the construction documents!
If you have not provided detailed plans and specifications, different contractors will bid different items and you will not have any idea what was included. Some contractors will purposely not include certain things so they can have the low bid. In that case, you may find out too late that the lowest bid will turn out to be the highest.
This practice is especially common if the bid is not in writing, or is only an estimate. You should not accept a verbal contract or sign an estimate as a contract.
One way to get a start on bidding is to get some bids from general contractors for the entire project. From there you can get bids from subcontractors for each trade needed and compare them. Now you can consider your options.
You may find that it would be better for you to let the entire project to a general contractor rather than acting as your own general. You will need to decide this based on cost, time that you have available, and your own feelings on dealing with all the details of the project.
You may also want to consider a labor only contract with some of the trades. Here you will be responsible for providing all materials to the site when needed. This can be very difficult if you are inexperienced. Some trades like plumbers and electricians carry their own pipe, conduit, wire etc. and it is not practical for you to supply these items. It is reasonable, however, to provide your own fixtures if you so desire.
Contractors typically get discounts on the items they supply and this is treated as profit. Don't begrudge them this discount as they will also have to get the items at suppliers and deliver them to the site. Whatever you agree to provide to the sub yourself will have to be provided in a timely manner or the contractor may want to get paid extra for waiting on items that are late!
Perhaps worse than that, he may have to pull off the job temporarily and this could set your project back by weeks.
Be sure to check references. It is hard to imagine a contractor giving you a reference that will say anything negative, but check them anyway. Check with local suppliers, other contractors, friends and neighbors.
If you know of a project that a contractor worked on, but did not give as a reference, that may be your best source of information. Credit is also important. If a contractor has a habit of not paying suppliers or employees on time, you may be asking for trouble by getting involved with them.
It is also very important that you see samples of their work.
Base your decisions on price, comfort with the contractor, the quality of their work, their availability and their references.
This process may not be much fun, but this is probably the biggest investment you will ever make. Cutting corners can be very costly. If you do not feel that you have the mindset or the time to follow through, you may also want to consider hiring a construction manager. If you do, make sure you have the proper insurance for your "employee", or put him on contract for a set amount, like any other sub.
A professional construction manager will typically charge 15 to 20 percent of the entire project.
Consider hiring a retired contractor or tradesman that would like to take on your project between vacations!
