Posted on 01/19/2022 9:15:23 AM PST by MAGA2017
My GF had a contractor replace all of the polyethylene plumbing in her house. He bought all the materials and then charged her $75/hr to drive back and forth to Home Depot to get items he “forgot” .
NOT polyethylene. It was Polybutylene that was replaced.
My experience in life is whenever someone says, "It's easy" - it means they know what they're doing. I'm guessing you know what your doing...
When I have to remodel rental property I hire the best designer I can find, pay their 'per hour' rate and get the blueprints and sizes of all cabinets, fixtures, styles and colors that are 'in' and then I hand the work over to a handyman... I tell the designer up front that I'm not going to be buying materials from them so they know to charge based on design time. Designers often work and get a cut of what you buy from them. To be fair put the truth on the table and then ask their hourly rate. Most contractors are not designers...and it's the design that gives the 'wow' to a room. Also contractors know how to follow a blueprint... solve the 'who buys materials' issue too.
Home remodeling/repair is mostly about having the right tool.
Each time I did a job, I bought a new tool. For example, I have plaster ceilings in my current house. Not drywall. Skim coat plaster.
The previous owner primed them with latex primer. This ceiling was pealing in various places. The Benjamin Moore guy said the only way to fix them is to scrape off the paint and primer down to the plaster. SO, I bought two foot long 4” wide razor scrapers. You buy 4” carbide replacement blades in packs of four. I scraped the ceilings of three rooms. Then you have to go back a fill the gouges with drywall mud. Then sand. Then prime with OIL BASED primer. Then paint with latex paint. It was not difficult. It was a lot of labor to do correctly.
I still have a den with a popcorn ceiling. I still need to do that at some point. It makes a big mess.
take the lowest bid, offer that amount as a seller’s concession (once they show up to look at the property). Tell the buyer they can remodel to their tastes (they pick color, etc).
In my quest to find someone to help me do that, I've seen that prospective contractors, if they are uninterested in a job that may be too small for their tastes, seem to take one of two tacks: either they quote me a ridiculously high price or they don't return calls or emails.
I finally found one willing to install tile in my bathroom (no problem finding excellent plumber, electrician, painter and glass company, and they all did superlative work) and remove the old kitchen cabinets/install the new ones I bought, replace kitchen tile, and do some miscellaneous small installations of stuff I already bought. BTW, MAGA, in a damp environment like a bathroom, you use Durock, a cement board, not sheet rock. I bought EVERYTHING myself, as I know how to shop. New locks, kitchen cabinets, gas range, ceiling fans, tile--everything. The contractor need only consult with me as to design possibilities and install what I bought. He has told me I am a pleasure to work with, as I have come up with some good ideas and know what I want. Other clients, he said, just leave most stuff up to him to figure out.
I am anxious to finish with the bathroom tile and the kitchen. Then I can move in. The stuff in the yard (removing a swing set, etc.) can go on after I am moved. Can hardly wait til spring, when I start landscaping the yard. Meanwhile, I will keep all my plants (I dug up and brought my whole NYC garden with me in fabric pots!) in a corral for the rest of winter, so they don't become deer snax for the whitetails roaming the neighborhood.
Depends on how you write your contract.
Yes, put what you want in writing, and both of you must sign it.
Any changes to the scope of work must be in writing also.
if he has to drive to the store and buy and transport your stuff, he will charge you.
it’s cheaper because you buy and transport it yourself.
You can do it the way you described, but get references
I once owned 14 rental units. out of dozens of contractors there was only 2 I would call back on a regular basis.
PS. If they say “You can trust me” you can’t trust them.
Bingo. I have just completed several big projects, I always meet the contractor at Home Depo the lumber yard or where ever.
He tells me what how much material he needs, I tell him witch materials I like. Then we head to the check out and I pay load up and go.
I used HomeAdvisor recently for a concrete pour. I chose one company because of high reviews and work they’d done at a neighbor’s down the street. The company did a decent job on the new garage floor, a medium job on the driveway...and a horrible job on the stamped concrete walkway. Took me 5 months to get them back out here to correct the walkway mess, but only after going to the BBB (plus spreading complaints far and wide across the internet). Funny thing is...HomeAdvisor called me a week after the initial job completion asking me to give a review. They’d had a request by the company to call me. I burned them bad, but also sent in a written review. I’ve lost my trust for most contractors. That being said...I’ve used an electrician in the past that I would adopt, he’s so good.
Good luck on getting this done by fall. Most contractors are running way behind. Just talked to one who told me that it takes six months to get windows.
BTW, contractors get a 10% discount at Home Deport or Lowes. You probably can’t get that.
Good luck on getting this done by fall. Most contractors are running way behind. Just talked to one who told me that it takes six months to get windows.
BTW, contractors get a 10% discount at Home Deport or Lowes. You probably can’t get that.
So do veterans.
eastforker wrote: “So do veterans.”
I usually pick out the product, pay the price, get my veterans discount, and then have the contractor pick up the product.
If it’s not broken or truly in bad shape, clean and repair the bathroom to the best of YOUR ability. New paint and maybe a new vanity/sink might really spruce it up. If you get a lower sale price it just means you didn’t put out $8000 or more, and saved yourself a major headache.
Save your cash for your new place.
Don’t bother. It won’t make a difference. A run down dump in my mother’s neighborhood sold over 200k above asking. Probably Blackrock, Other houses are selling for 10s of thousands above list.
Being a plumbing and heating contractor for many years I can tell you that we mostly provided ALL materials on renovation jobs or new construction.
If you bought yourself a faucet we would install it. If WE provided the faucet, we would guarantee the faucet (or anything we provided) for one year including the labor and materials to repair or replace it.
Materials like pipe, fittings, valves etc., we would not ALLOW the customer to provide those things.
We know what is good and what is CRAP, the customer doesn’t.
Sure we make a profit/percentage mark up on things we provide. CAPITALISM.
Would you buy a steak at Piggly Wiggly and take it to Texas Roadhouse and ask them to cook it for you?
So many variables! I will say that when I need a bath remodeled, in my neck of the woods, the contractor gets the materials if it’s mutually convenient, and he’ll have a contractor discount and he’ll pass the savings on. (If he’s honest. Some actually are.) Everyone’s different and you need to work this out with them before you sign.
You’re selling so you don’t have to be too selective on the materials, you just want to get the job done and have something appealing to buyers.
Get at least three estimates and check the reviews — or ask someone who has rental properties if they can recommend a few contractors. (A few, not “one.” If it’s one it could end badly and no one wants to be blamed for recommending the guy who made you unhappy.) You could also ask a realtor or two, they know a lot of people.
That said, make sure the place you buy already has a satisfactory bathroom, or two. Then you’ll never have this problem again.
The pitfalls are many. No guarantees.
Back to your original question...simply ask if he can get it cheaper, but do your shopping anyway so you know what’s out there. If you’re not into bath remodeling you may not be aware of all options and what buyers are looking for these days.
And rather than Home Depot, you might want to check out facebook’s marketplace. Local people are often ready to sell brand new stuff at dirt cheap prices. Fixtures, cabinetry, faucets going for pennies on the dollar. Pick it up yourself.
I use Home Depot sparingly. Retail is a last resort.
Buyers like: fixtures easy to clean (tub with walls and no grouting needed); heated floors; safety bars; towel warming racks; integral sinks; exhaust fans; toilets with larger tanks (currently most new toilets are pitifully low volume). And people still want shutoffs in access panels, but if you don’t mention it, your contractor might not either.
Be careful that the drywall is for bathrooms.
Have the outlets upgraded. GFCI is essential.
Ask the realtor (if you’re not going FSBO) how much of the remodel expenses you can realistically factor into the price. It varies.
Finally — cynically but with some experience* — expect to spend a lot more than the estimate comes to. It’s going to cost more. It just does :(
Full disclosure: I flip houses. Sometimes they’re too good to resist (under $10k and basically sound) and then the plumbing gods must be invoked. You can’t do it yourself without risking the wrath of the code gods.
Buy the material yourself and just pay for labor.
Use greenboard sheetrock in the shower area.
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