Last week we went to bid to several contractors for our renovation, and several of them were adamant we should buy the materials.

One in particular, even though we have thoroughly spec’d out exactly what we want for tiles, fixtures, etc., did not want to be responsible if he buys the wrong tiles, etc.

My fear are with things like lighting. Tiles I guess we could order, along with the fixtures, but with lighting, I don’t want to order the wrong housing if some housing has to be a certain type or another.

I suspect we would save $$ if we purchased rather than the contractor, but what are people’s experiences?

If you had a choice in balancing $$ versus convenience, where would you concentrate on purchasing directly and where would you insist the contractor do the purchases?

Again, being a newbie, my gut was to have contractors purchase the recessed lighting and items where there are special pieces that may depend on how they do the construction.

Thanks in advance.


Comments

  1. I’m an experienced kitchen and bath designer, but when it comes to lighting, I will only trust the ordering to my lighting designer. Please call her, it would be worth having her consult, not just to do your purchasing, but to make sure your lighting/electric plan is a good one and will serve your needs. This is not an aspect of renovation you want to get wrong, fixing mistakes is too expensive.

    Contact Staci Ruiz
    (917) 582-7822
    http://www.studio87.com/index.html

    her fees are very reasonable and no one beats her prices on materials!

    As far as ordering tiles, etc, at least make your contractor sign off on the quantities, and order at least 10-15% extra– if you run out mid-job it will hold up the job and cost you more in the long run.

  2. We purchased the materials for our reno. It wasn’t actually that bad. Agree w/Geekspice. It wasn’t that bad, and as long as you go to a reputable store, they will help you buy the right stuff.

  3. I agree that you should purchase everything yourself. I did it for our renovation, including tiles, bathroom fixtures, and lighting. It required zero expertise (which is good cause that’s how much I have). You just have to give the specs of what you buy to your contractor so he will know what he’s working with.

  4. I purchased nearly all the materials. I felt more comfortable that way because Im sure my contractor would have tried to find the cheapest options rather than the best (even if you spec out what you want, there are often lower/higher quality items of the same thing). The only exceptions to that were the materials I couldn’t carry myself like a bathtub or sheetrock, etc..

    As for the lighting, the plan was to supply all of it. I did that for most fixtures but when I tried to research the recessed lights, it was completely baffling to me. So I let my contractor get the lights. Im sure he found them at a good price so it sort of worked out but I wish I had picked them out myself because Im a little disatisfied with the light output of the ones he selected. Thats really my fault for not educating myself enough before giving up.

    So my advice is to buy everything you possibly can yourself.

  5. I’d much rather purchase the materials (finish items) than let the contractor do it.

    As far as lighting, just make sure that you show the electrician what you have bought ahead of time. This way any adaptations in ceiling hole size etc can be made. And make sure you check all the fixtures shortly after you buy them–don’t wait for the day when they go in–to make sure you don’t have broken shades or glass that needs to be replaced on short notice.

  6. Buying the right housing shouldn’t be so difficult – you will need to ask your electrician about each location where you want to install recessed lights. Basically you need to choose the trim size you’d like to look at. Other than that, you electrician should be able to tell you if you need IC/non-IC housings, new construction/remodel etc.
    You can indeed save a lot, first because you are more likely to ask for discounts shop around for better prices than your contractor. Also, you will save whichever amount you’d normally pay your contractor for his time if he were to coordinate and order all that stuff – I assume around 20%
    If you are interested in the potential savings, care a lot for details and have a bit of time, I’d say buy yourself everything you can handle. You may want to stick with retailers that have good return policies – in case.
    Good luck!

  7. I would insist the contractor do the purchasing. Your contractor should be giving you a specification sheet for you to sign-off (approve) which would ensure the correct product being ordered.
    These contractors have relieved themselves of any responsibility.
    You now have to be the one who needs to make sure that everything arrives ontime for each phase of your project. You also have to be there for all deliveries. When deliveries arrive you must inspect your items to make sure they are not damaged. And now that you have signed for the packages you must make sure they don’t get damaged on the job either.
    In the end the savings you get from ordering your own fixtures (which may not be that much) versus the time you spend for being there and overseeing all your purchases may not balance out.
    Good luck.