Renovation Price Change
I had my contractor start a bathroom reno. After the demo he presents me with an updated contract which puts me at 150% above where we started! He claims that the plumbing is a lot more than he estimated, and he didn’t know there was lead drains to the waste ( maybe 12 inches). He…
I had my contractor start a bathroom reno. After the demo he presents me with an updated contract which puts me at 150% above where we started! He claims that the plumbing is a lot more than he estimated, and he didn’t know there was lead drains to the waste ( maybe 12 inches). He says that the walls will be difficult to make straight. Then he tells me that he forgot to add the demo on the original contract, and it was even harder than he thought, so I am getting a great deal. This is an old brownstone, and we told him how our neighbors found weird stuff in their walls and floors, so he knew it was not a straight redo, but still just a spruce up. This is a liscenced contractor and we got good recommendations for him.
Is this normal. Is he just a bad estimator? He added a line added a line item to the update that repeated what was on the original contract. I feel like if the job was easier than he thought, would he give money back.
Yes we did.
Did you have a signed contract before he presented you with the updated version?
There are always surprises in old buildings when you demo: rotted joists, cracked cast iron drains, repointing…..
I would gladly pay a contractor extra to repair these problems, however the work he estimated is none of the above.
The items this guy is tacking on should have been included in the original estimate.
Walk away.
Either he is inexperienced or you’re getting fleeced. I am suspecting the latter. Either way, get rid of them and start new. You’ll regret it later. There are plenty of very good contractors that are getting recommended on here.
Fire him.
if you agree to this kind of upcharge from the beginning, imagine hat the final bill is going to be ..fire him
I agree you need to find someone else if at all possible.
Just wanted to mention: when I did my two bathrooms the contractor told me having the floor leveled wasn’t included. I skipped it for one of the bathrooms and regretted it.
150% up?! That’s just crazy. If he’s that far off on an estimate you should let him go. He’s clearly taking you for a ride.
Fire contractor.
Sloppy and incompetent at best to leave out demo, not suspect lead pipes (which are easier to remove from riser than galvy/CI so I don’t see the upcharge) and the walls not being straight is every bath in the borough.
Either contractor is not good @ his job, or a crook. Shitcan.
You do have a written contract with terms for parting ways, no?