Quotation Checklist
Asking a general contractor to bid on a large job is a daunting task. Add to the fact that you haven’t the faintest idea what’s involved can make you feel not only vulnerable, but also like you might be taken for a ride - a very expensive ride - and I don’t mean in a car.
When it comes to remediating your entire house, it’s especially difficult. That’s one of the reasons you want to get more than one quotation. I think that if you stick with three quotations, you should be in a good position to choose the contractor with whom you want to work.
Don’t forget that you will be working WITH the person and his people. You want to make certain that your personalities mesh and that the general contractor is responsive to not only your questions, but also to your suggestions.
Here’s a list of some things to consider when asking a general contractor to bid on your home remediation project:
1. Will you take down my window treatments, store them away from the house, clean them and then reattach them after the job is completed?
2. Will you take down items on the wall and cover and move furniture when necessary?
3. Will you be reusing the inside window/door frames or installing new ones?
4. How much will I save if I buy my new construction windows/doors through you instead of directly through an Andersen, Pella, Marvin, etc. representative?
5. What happens if my bushes/trees/deck/walkway/driveway gets damaged through the course of the remediation? The same is true for any damage that occurs within my home. Who pays for this?
6. Are you licensed and bonded?
7. Do you have a current Reference List?
8. Will you file a Waiver of Liens in the County Courthouse so that none of your subcontractors can come after us and put a lien on our home in case you don’t pay them on time or at all?
9. Will you quote us for the entire job or only 30% of the job and then charge us time and materials for the rest?
NOTE: After removal of the stucco and stone, some homes are damaged more than others. If the quote is based on 30% of the home being damaged and 65% of the home is actually damaged, your cost for this project just went dramatically up.
10. Will you repaint the walls that were damaged where the windows/doors were taken out? What about the ceilings?
11. What about mold. Do you do your own remediation or should I hire a specialist to do this separately?
NOTE: It’s important that there exists no bias regarding mold and moisture trails. If there is a separate company performing mold remediation, this specialist will dictate to the contractor what work has to be done. After all, you don’t want any mold to reappear.
12. What materials will you use in all phases of the job?
13. Will you use stucco wrap and stucco tape?
14. What Building Codes will you follow and from what year?
15. If you intend on getting a lawyer, hiring a good Forensic Consultant is a very good idea. This person should have court experience and closely watch the work being done.
16. If you don’t hire a forensic consultant who also has been a building inspector, find out who will be obtaining the building permit for the remediation.
17. If the carpet gets damaged, who pays for its replacement? Also, what if the tile below the kitchen windows gets damaged. Who is responsible for fixing this?
NOTE: Typically, if the workers damage the carpet, then the contractor pays however, if the damage is due to mold infiltration, then that cost is absorbed by the homeowner.
18. This is also the perfect time to you decide if you want anything else done to your home while the "walls are down". For example, while the stucco was off, we wanted to have insulation blown into the floor of one of our upstairs bedrooms. This cost was built into the quote. We also wanted to have our deck flashed as it hadn’t been done by the original deck contractor. This also was negotiated and included.
19. Make sure that daily cleanup is part of your contract. This can make a huge difference if you will be living in your home during this construction.
20. Because expansion and control joints are now part of the 2006 code, discuss with your contractor where he suggests putting them so that they are minimally noticeable and don’t detract from the beauty of your home.
These are just a few things to consider. I’ll add more as I think of them. In the meantime, if other neighbors in your community are going through the same thing, then by all means ask them for references. If someone has an exceptionally good experience, ask for the name and phone number of their contractor. And by all means, get a quote from them!
Good Luck!
When it comes to remediating your entire house, it’s especially difficult. That’s one of the reasons you want to get more than one quotation. I think that if you stick with three quotations, you should be in a good position to choose the contractor with whom you want to work.
Don’t forget that you will be working WITH the person and his people. You want to make certain that your personalities mesh and that the general contractor is responsive to not only your questions, but also to your suggestions.
Here’s a list of some things to consider when asking a general contractor to bid on your home remediation project:
1. Will you take down my window treatments, store them away from the house, clean them and then reattach them after the job is completed?
2. Will you take down items on the wall and cover and move furniture when necessary?
3. Will you be reusing the inside window/door frames or installing new ones?
4. How much will I save if I buy my new construction windows/doors through you instead of directly through an Andersen, Pella, Marvin, etc. representative?
5. What happens if my bushes/trees/deck/walkway/driveway gets damaged through the course of the remediation? The same is true for any damage that occurs within my home. Who pays for this?
6. Are you licensed and bonded?
7. Do you have a current Reference List?
8. Will you file a Waiver of Liens in the County Courthouse so that none of your subcontractors can come after us and put a lien on our home in case you don’t pay them on time or at all?
9. Will you quote us for the entire job or only 30% of the job and then charge us time and materials for the rest?
NOTE: After removal of the stucco and stone, some homes are damaged more than others. If the quote is based on 30% of the home being damaged and 65% of the home is actually damaged, your cost for this project just went dramatically up.
10. Will you repaint the walls that were damaged where the windows/doors were taken out? What about the ceilings?
11. What about mold. Do you do your own remediation or should I hire a specialist to do this separately?
NOTE: It’s important that there exists no bias regarding mold and moisture trails. If there is a separate company performing mold remediation, this specialist will dictate to the contractor what work has to be done. After all, you don’t want any mold to reappear.
12. What materials will you use in all phases of the job?
13. Will you use stucco wrap and stucco tape?
14. What Building Codes will you follow and from what year?
15. If you intend on getting a lawyer, hiring a good Forensic Consultant is a very good idea. This person should have court experience and closely watch the work being done.
16. If you don’t hire a forensic consultant who also has been a building inspector, find out who will be obtaining the building permit for the remediation.
17. If the carpet gets damaged, who pays for its replacement? Also, what if the tile below the kitchen windows gets damaged. Who is responsible for fixing this?
NOTE: Typically, if the workers damage the carpet, then the contractor pays however, if the damage is due to mold infiltration, then that cost is absorbed by the homeowner.
18. This is also the perfect time to you decide if you want anything else done to your home while the "walls are down". For example, while the stucco was off, we wanted to have insulation blown into the floor of one of our upstairs bedrooms. This cost was built into the quote. We also wanted to have our deck flashed as it hadn’t been done by the original deck contractor. This also was negotiated and included.
19. Make sure that daily cleanup is part of your contract. This can make a huge difference if you will be living in your home during this construction.
20. Because expansion and control joints are now part of the 2006 code, discuss with your contractor where he suggests putting them so that they are minimally noticeable and don’t detract from the beauty of your home.
These are just a few things to consider. I’ll add more as I think of them. In the meantime, if other neighbors in your community are going through the same thing, then by all means ask them for references. If someone has an exceptionally good experience, ask for the name and phone number of their contractor. And by all means, get a quote from them!
Good Luck!