It can be tempting to just say ‘yes’ to the first offer that you get for any major home project. You took the time to find a contractor that has good references, and he seems to know what he’s doing, and the price seems to be right. But, if you want to save money, you should get multiple estimates on pretty much every home project you intend on completing.
For significant roofing jobs, major landscaping, any home addition, or detailed room renovations, the more estimates you get, the better. This variety of assessments will increase the chance you will know what the range of quality can be for these projects, and pick the right one to figure timeline and budget.
Major Roofing Jobs
Every home should have a solid roof on top of it. However, over time there are all sorts of damages that can occur from the weather. If you need roofing repairs, be sure to get multiple estimates from the residential roofing contractors in your area. There is typically a pretty distinct difference between cost and value when it comes to hiring a residential roofing contractor associated with a larger company, and hiring local or independent roofing contractors.
Landscapers
If you’re planning on doing a landscaping overhaul, be sure to get multiple estimates as well. Landscaping companies approach their projects differently, have a wide array of different techniques and equipment that they use, and their prices are all over the map as well. Be sure to get detailed plans about the length of a project, how much money needs to go down initially, if there are any other follow-up costs, and what kind of maintenance you will need to do on the landscape that they are putting in. The more details you have about their budgets, the more you’ll know how much money you can expect to pay.
Home Additions
Anytime you plan on adding a room to your house, it’s going to be expensive. But just how expensive? And what would the cost be for one company doing it versus another? Those are entirely legitimate questions, and to get them answered, you’ll have to make phone calls, get visits from multiple people, and get estimates from all of them.
Room Renovations
And finally, when you’re doing room renovations that take some serious effort, equipment, talent, or time, be sure to talk to as many people as you can about what kind of costs the project would involve. Renovating a bedroom, for instance, might get you estimates anywhere from a few hundred dollars up to tens of thousands. That’s a huge difference depending on who you contract the work to, and you can potentially do some of the renovation work yourself, adjusting your timeline and budget.
