Comparing Contractor Bids

Written Estimates

Comparative shopping is easy when you're dealing with shoes or cars or fruit. But when the item up for bid is a remodeling project, well ... let's just say it's apples and oranges.

It takes a dozen hours or more for remodelers to create a design, draw up a building plan, and extrapolate a fair price for the project—all with no guarantee that they'll actually get the job. That's why most remodelers won't provide written quotes until you have paid an up-front design fee. This usually ranges from $1,000 to $2,500, but it may be lower if you already have a set of architectural blueprints.

In some cases, contractors may be willing to offer verbal estimates, but these may be less accurate than a written quote.