I dunno -- maybe it's because I do all my own work, but I still haven't heard anything that comes close to $9,000 let alone $18,000, and certainly nothing that takes 2-3 months to complete. I completely tore out or bathroom and redid it from scratch -- floors, walls, and everything -- and didn't come close to those price tags.
Wow.
James
So don't sign that contract. The whole idea of the contract is to specify in details work to be done, materials to be used, timeframe, payment scheduler and responsibilities of parties if something goes wrong. No one should force you to sign the contract you don't like and agree to.
It probably wouldn't have taken that long. But he did it as a fill...and the OP agreed to that arrangement.
How much did you pay yourself for social security, workers' comp, depreciation on your truck and other equipment, advertising, office equipment and supplies, etc. Oh...and profit.
Have a nice week...
Trent
Follow Joan Rivers' example --- get pre-embalmed!
Exactly!
And in lieu of a written contract...if you give a contractor your word that you will pay him...and things change along the way...and you don't COMPLAIN or QUERY along the way...then you should stand behind your word and pay the man.
Your integrity and your reputation will be around long after you've made the final payment on the remodel.
PLUS...he did an excellent job! lol What the hell is there to bitch about?
It could be worse. There could be all those extras...and it could have turned out to be a LOUSY job. lol
And, yeah...if the OP wants to be a real prick...he should send in a
1099. THAT'LL teach the guy! lolHave a nice week...
Trent
Follow Joan Rivers' example --- get pre-embalmed!
I wasn't making that comparison, but absolutely I can -- especially when I obtain estimates prior to completing a job on my own and/or gain the assistance of contractors who are friends/associates. The only difference between the work I do and the work contractors do is the cost overhead. When I subcontract a job, I expect there to be a difference in the cost due to the overhead and of course a mark-up for materials. There is a point of reason however.
According to this poster, his contractor did not do a full rennovation of the bathroom -- " About 66% of the budget was for labor - we didn't replace many fixtures - only the shower and toilet. The cabinets, sinks, countertops, faucets, and tub all stayed in place." A custom tiled shower, a little wall work, and raising a drop ceiling is what was done. If that's $18,000 worth of work then I'm in the wrong business. Those tiles better be inlaid with gold.
Although in a different field, I have my own business and as such I too understand the difficulty in making a profit. It's not easy, especially with DIYers out there doing things that professionals have done in the past and with rackjobbers turning out products at costs so low they beat wholesale. But come on -- from this guy's description, he was rooked.
James
Let me word that a bit different.. comparing costs, if you undertake a total remodel of a bathroom and you do all of the work yourself as compared to hiring it all out using a licensed, bonded, insured contractor and his sub-contractors for the various trades involved, there will be a huge cost differential between you and the contractor(s) total price for the job. now you can argue that if you choose to pay yourself high wages, purchase liability ins., pay payroll taxes on yourself and a few imaginaery employess, etc, etc..
I don't think anyone can argue against that. I refuse to believe however that a bathroom remodel that a DIYer does for a few thousand dollars would legitimately go for $20,000 if done by a contractor regardless of the overhead costs involved in operating the business. A $20,000 bathroom remodel is a total remodel -- not just a paint job and new custom tiled shower. From the sounds of this fellow, most of this does not apply however -- this was a one-man moonlighter. The other key point to note here -- this was not a total remodel of a bathroom. That's what is so curious about the end figure. In the end we'll never really know what transpired -- only the consumer and contractor truly know.
James
Although I've tiled a few near $20K bath remodels and have done complete remodels on some that ran anywhwere from $2-7K, I pretty much agree with you.
I didn't pay much attention to the OP's mess, just jumped in the thread w/ my opinion on comparing apples and oranges..
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