Basic jobs get expensive invoices from pros because they'd rather be out there working a more substantial job. They don't want to drive out to your house, maybe

Basic jobs get expensive invoices from pros because they'd rather be out there working a more substantial job. They don't want to drive out to your house, maybe need to make a trip to the store, and then be out of a job for the rest of the day since they couldn't schedule in anything else afterwards. I don't bother calling a pro for something unless I know it's something that will either take the whole day or isn't something I can finish before it must be done by. I can take my time redoing a spare bathroom or painting the exterior but a kitchen renovation would need to be finished quickly. You could apply your logic to home building though. Builders get volume discounts on materials and labor. When someone is working the same repetitive job for months on dozens of homes, they can afford to charge their base hourly rate because they know their schedule will be full. If I built the exact same home the builder cranked out, it's going to cost me more despite using the same materials and people. When people build their own homes, they are usually going for something custom so a builder-grade starter home is not the goal.