|
|
|
Home Addition Contractor Estimates
Factors that Cause Home Addition Contractor
Cost Estimates to Vary Widely
By: Mark J. Donovan
|
|
Home addition contractor estimates
can vary widely for a variety of reasons. Local labor costs, and market
conditions on raw materials, for example, can dramatically cause home addition
cost estimates to vary between states and time periods for effectively the same
home addition project. For example during a housing boom both labor and
materials are in high demand, thus home addition contractor cost estimates are
higher than if during a housing bust.
Home addition contractor estimates can also vary widely between contractors,
even in the same time period and marketplace.
|
|
Contractor’s individual labor rates,
and the particular subcontractors they use, can dramatically impact home
addition cost estimates. In addition material costs can differ between home
remodeling contractors. In some cases the material costs differences can be due
to the amount of markup each contractor charges. In other cases it can be
related to the amount of discount a contractor is given by their building
material supplier. But most often it is the materials a contractor selects for
the home addition project that impacts the home addition contractor estimates
dramatically.
|
 |
|
|
This is why it is extremely important
to specify all of the materials to be used in your construction project when
putting your home addition project out for bid.
By providing home addition contractors with a comprehensive set of documentation
for your home addition plans, including a complete set of home addition drawings
and a bill of materials list, you can expect to receive more accurate quotes. In
addition, the variation between home addition contractor estimates should be
much smaller.
|
By spelling out specifically what
materials are to be used in your home addition project, including the vendor
names and part numbers, there is less apt to be wide variations in price quotes
for your project. If there are any outlier contractor estimates you can quickly
dismiss them or at least question why the large variance compared to other home
addition contractor estimates.
|
When reviewing and comparing home
addition contractor estimates make sure that their proposals do indeed include
your materials list and that no changes or substitutions have been made without
your complete understanding.
Besides labor and material costs, as well as housing market conditions, that can
affect your home addition contractor estimates, there are several other factors
that can impact the costs between similar home addition projects. Site
conditions for example can dramatically affect the cost of a home addition
project.
|
|
The amount of excavation work, and how the addition ties into the existing home,
are major factors in variations of home addition cost estimates between similar
home addition projects. In addition, local building permit and impact fees can
cause significant price variations between similar home addition projects.
Weather conditions can also dramatically impact the cost
of a home addition. Typically building a home addition in the winter will
cost more than building one in the summer time where weather is warmer and
drier.
Finally, how well a construction project is expected to be managed will
cause variations in home addition contractor estimates and actual
completed costs. A contractor bid that is extremely detailed in schedule
planning, and that leaves little for chance, will most likely be a better
managed project and thus a more accurate estimate. |
Photo by Mark Donovan |
On the flip side, a contractor bid
that is short on schedule and material details is leaving more to risk and will
most likely result in higher costs, even if not reflected in the original home
addition contractor estimate.
Want to Build Your Own Home Addition, see HomeAdditionPlus.com's
Home
Addition Bid Sheets.
Our
Home
Addition Bid Sheets
provide you with the knowledge and information on how to plan a home building
project, and what to look for when hiring contractors. They also include
detailed cost breakdown tables and spreadsheets for estimating your own new home
construction building costs.
How to Finance your Home Addition Building Project -
can help provide funds for your new home improvement project if financing is
required.
Related Information on Home Addition Building
Design Software for Developing your own Home
Addition Plans from Amazon.com
Free Home Addition
Price Quotes with No Obligation!
Fill out our 3-5 minute quick and easy form, and receive a free price quote
on a room addition from one of our prescreened and licensed home addition
contractors. This process is free and there is no obligation to continue once
you receive your home addition estimate.
|
|
|
