How much should a small remodel cost?

I have a small bathroom remodel, probably about 10 hours, certainly no more then 20 hours of work for one person. How much should I be looking to pay a contractor? What is the labor rate, not counting hardware?

Reply to
John
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$1500 +/-

cm

Reply to
CM

I'd say you'll pay him between 10 and 20 hours of labor. Rates vary from about $15 to $100 depending on where you live. Depends on whether or not plumbing and electrical has to be done by the respective trades people. Not much to go of from you (lack of) description.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

How the hell are we supposerd to know prices? But to give you some figures, any where from one dollar to 980 Euros to hundreds of thousands of english pounds. Or about the same amount of money your stupid question is worth. People that ask for prices on worldwide public newsgroups are idiots. You just proved that....... Call your local contractors, ask at your local big box store, and ask other locals..... NOT US !!!!

Reply to
Gerry Atrick

a bathroom remodel is not a 1 man job for starters. so expect to pay between 3k to 60k.

Reply to
3G

I generally won't quote if the customer is providing the material, so I would probably bid $8000.00 if there isn't a bathtub or toilet involved.

Bill

Reply to
Berkshire Bill

On Mar 4, 8:13=EF=BF=BDam, "Berkshire Bill" wro= te:

how does the OP to its 8 to 10 hours.

whats being done? all new fixtures or paper and paint?

replacing any plumbing can expand job as lines ion bad condition are found.

so whats being done?

Reply to
hallerb

When I was in the remodel business and the customer would know all the answers labor time, material cost, how to do the job I would triple the bid because I knew what I was up against.

Reply to
Sacramento Dave

yeah i repair machines too much customer mucking about I raise estimate, too many hassles.

again what needs done?

changing a toilet appears easy till you find a cracked flange, the floor not level, the sewer line detoriating, the shut off valve to the toilet bad, the line the valve connects too snaps off:(

Dont laugh it happened here, and the fellow reploacing the ceramic tile floor managed to put a hole in a water line but it wasnt really his fault. bad original install 50 years ago.

might as well can kill any budget.......

Reply to
hallerb

In your 10 to 20 hour time frame that says nothing. What exactly dose the job entail ? How many subs? Labor rate is wide open a handy man cheap I would say $20 Hr. A licensed contractor insured $100 plus. I also don't see any bathroom remodel taking only 10 to 20 hours how are you coming with your hours?

Reply to
Sacramento Dave

how does the OP to its 8 to 10 hours.

whats being done? all new fixtures or paper and paint?

replacing any plumbing can expand job as lines ion bad condition are found.

so whats being done?

That's the reason for the high quote. We don't know if he wants velvet wallpaper applied, 12"x12" deep shag carpet tile, plastic as opposed to ceramic tile or a vinyl tub surround. Maybe a popcorn ceiling?

Bill

Reply to
Berkshire Bill

I'll do the job for $500,000 plus travel costs, labor and materials.

Reply to
millerbeer

If you pay him more than $200 for everything including materials, you are being taken for a ride.

Reply to
Deke

come on people be serious. I have a handy friend that says that he replaced a fiberglass or whatever tub with something similar, but with 4 pieces in like 10 hours. He says that it is kind of a pain and didn't really want to do it again.

So should I expect a rate of something like $100 a hour...so something like $1000-$2000. Does the $100 include overhead?

Would I be quoted a flat rate, or something like a normal cost with everything broken down? Would I be likely to see line item fees that list semi-likely events(cracked pipes) with the amounts and how much I would have discounted if those problems aren't encountered.

yeah i repair machines too much customer mucking about I raise estimate, too many hassles.

again what needs done?

changing a toilet appears easy till you find a cracked flange, the floor not level, the sewer line detoriating, the shut off valve to the toilet bad, the line the valve connects too snaps off:(

Dont laugh it happened here, and the fellow reploacing the ceramic tile floor managed to put a hole in a water line but it wasnt really his fault. bad original install 50 years ago.

might as well can kill any budget.......

Reply to
John

With that attitude, I'd never use a contractor such as yourself.

I generally know about how many labor hours something takes due to 20 years of property management experience.

A fair estimate is such an agreed upon number of hours plus a reasonable factor for the unexpected. If I get an estimate and the job comes back 20-30% over budget, I'm fine. If it comes back 200% over, we got problems...

Too often I've had contractors try to blow smoke up my u-know-what by telling me all the bad things that COULD happen. Yeah the sky can fall too...

If bad stuff happens then we talk, otherwise I don't expect an estimate that allows a contractor to buy his retirement home with every job.

I never accept high flat rate jobs especially if I start dividing the number of probable hours into the quoted rate and the hourly rates total more than what my local brain surgeon would make.

Doug

Reply to
Doug

"Free Estimates"

Those guys really mean free, so pick 3 names from your greensheet or craigslist.org and invite them over for an estimate. They come is all colors and sizes and some will quote flat prices and others will quote hours/materials.

Reply to
Deke

We could be more serious if you would be also. You asked about a bathroom remodel. Changing out a tub is not really a remodel, but merely a replacement of one fixture. Far different than moving fixtures, re-doing walls, adding marble tiles, and all the other work that can add up to a week or more for at least two people.

The $100 an hour is probably a bit on the high side where I am and yes, it would include overhead.

Most quotes would be fairly simple. Material plus labor for a normal job. A disclaimer for some unusual events. They can't price that stuff until it happens or a wall is opened up to see potential problems.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Be serious? Everyone is being serious. Some people are pointing out that you're not asking questions that can be given a serious answer - even if you think you are.

Your guess as to how long the project will take, based on a handy friend's experience, isn't exactly something to hang your hat on. In your original post you gave no information about where you are, what is involved, type of construction, nothing at all.

You're approaching this the wrong way. Say you get _the_ definitive answer on this newsgroup. Mighty Zeus hurls some thunderbolts and carves the _exact_ number in stone. What does that do for you? Nothing. If the contractor pool in your area happens to think that _the_ definitive answer you got here is full of crap, guess what? It is full of crap.

The only number that will approach "real" is one gotten locally. Just pick up the phone and call someone, preferably more than one, to eyeball the job and give you a real number.

You're also asking about how the estimate will be given to you. Depends entirely on the contractor. You might get a verbal quote or an itemized printout. I'd guess a verbal quote or one of those carbon paper proposal forms on such a small job. Of course the contract should be in writing and have everything spelled out.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

Man,

these people are a bunch of jokers. Don't listen to them. I wouldn't trust a contractor any more then a used car salesman...the only exceptions are friends or people that have already proven themselves trustworthy. Contractors will charge a number on the high side. If the job is easy and cheap, they get to keep some extra dough. If the job is more difficult/costly, they stick it to you. They show up for a few hours every few days. They hire ILLEGAL aliens and pay them dirt wages, but still charge you full price. I have known contractors that said something would take a week to demo...I did it in a few hours. Real trustworthy people out there. Find a friend and buy him a keg of beer :) Other then that, ask lots of people if they know anyone that is trustworthy.

You know, I make it a point to upgrade the valves whenever they are exposed. It only costs a few bucks and you just increased the reliability of the system. The old valves are usually full of crud and about 1/4 of the time they don't even work very well. If you already have the walls exposed, just spend the extra $200 to get the new anti-scald valve for the shower. If you want to be real cheap, you could probably find something for $100.

Contractors and handymen should be federally regulated and they should have standardized forms that list anything that is remotely possible. Gees, they could put a spreadsheet or a database on a laptop and input the requirements, it could print out like 20 pages with all the possibilities and likely cost. As they do the work they could update the data every night and you could log into a webpage and see exactly where things stand. Once the job is done, you would have a printout of everything that was done and all the parts and labor would be itemized. If the job was cheaper, you would get your discount, if the job cost more you would pay the extra amount. Some auto mechanics and home inspectors have something similar. It is pretty nice to see something like that.

Reply to
Kevin

To summarize your post.

- You believe contractors should be socialists so they won't profit beyond what you think is reasonable nor take risks and earn the rewards.

- You'd like all construction to be performed by accountant/ contractors at the same price as it is now being done and have them fill out another couple or three hours of paperwork every night.

- You believe risking your friends on your construction projects makes good financial sense for you.

- You'd like to have another layer of bureaucracy added to contractor licensing.

- You believe it's possible to even create a comprehensive form covering all of the possibilities in remodeling.

- You believe it's beneficial to micromanage.

An observation.

- You have no clue what you are talking about.

The stuff you propose has to get paid by someone. Who exactly? You're so cheap you'd rather risk your friends and pay them with beer then locate a licensed and insured contractor that could deal with your micromanaging, so I'm sure that you don't feel that _you_ should pay for all of these "improvements". Since you presumably work and pay taxes, you are the one supporting the government and paying the contractor (theoretically), so those extra contractor hours, and government supervision will be coming out of your pocket. But since you don't hire contractors, you might as well sew your wallet shut. Make sure to remind your neighbors to thank you for fixing your shortcomings with their money.

The OP is asking about a remodel that will take a couple or three days

- and you want nightly updates on the internet. Sheesh. Newsflash: when you get home, look what was done - if you have questions call the contractor.

Your whole scenario smacks of a person that avoids personal interaction, is insecure about their ability to protect their own interests, has their head in the clouds (I'm guessing you read a lot of science fiction and you work in the computer field), and you have a tenuous, at best, grasp of how anything actually gets priced.

Other than that - excellent post!

R
Reply to
RicodJour

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