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A lot of contractors don't include the actual doors, windows, fixtures, tile material, etc in their quotes for this reason. They include the labor and supportin

A lot of contractors don't include the actual doors, windows, fixtures, tile material, etc in their quotes for this reason. They include the labor and supporting structures but there's a huge difference between installing a crappy vinyl window VS a Marvin signature or a wood door VS a printed door filled with styrofoam.

bluGill 4y ago
The contractors I know include everything in their bid. They build both custom homes and spec homes. The later are built and then turned over to a realtor to sell, and they need to know the cost of everything on the spec home to ensure they can make a profit in the market. Since they know the full costs they will give that to everyone and then point out how the upgrades are bringing the total cost up. Of course their price is for the doors/windows they use which are on the cheaper end. Not cheapest - warranty callbacks and installation costs often make something just above the cheapest the best deal. If the difference isn't very much they will install the big brand that everyone knows is good as well as the reputation of putting in the "the best" is worth the few dollars profit lost. Good contractors know all of this and how to find the best balance.
- nemo44x 4y ago
  The ones I work with are doing renovations for customers that aren't looking to sell a final product. Some things are based on a standard that can be upgraded (for instance, a deck is being quoted with pressure treated wood, but you can upgrade to Ipe for $x for example. Otherwise all of this would have to be selected before a quote is generated. So a ballpark/estimate is given that assumed certain things (like an Andersen 400 series window) but ultimately it's up to the customer to figure out if they want doors that cost $200 or $2000 inside, etc. and the quote is exclusive of them. This is usually detailed in the SoW as "customer supplied".

bluGill 4y ago

The contractors I know include everything in their bid. They build both custom homes and spec homes. The later are built and then turned over to a realtor to sell, and they need to know the cost of everything on the spec home to ensure they can make a profit in the market. Since they know the full costs they will give that to everyone and then point out how the upgrades are bringing the total cost up. Of course their price is for the doors/windows they use which are on the cheaper end. Not cheapest - warranty callbacks and installation costs often make something just above the cheapest the best deal. If the difference isn't very much they will install the big brand that everyone knows is good as well as the reputation of putting in the "the best" is worth the few dollars profit lost. Good contractors know all of this and how to find the best balance.

nemo44x 4y ago
The ones I work with are doing renovations for customers that aren't looking to sell a final product. Some things are based on a standard that can be upgraded (for instance, a deck is being quoted with pressure treated wood, but you can upgrade to Ipe for $x for example. Otherwise all of this would have to be selected before a quote is generated. So a ballpark/estimate is given that assumed certain things (like an Andersen 400 series window) but ultimately it's up to the customer to figure out if they want doors that cost $200 or $2000 inside, etc. and the quote is exclusive of them. This is usually detailed in the SoW as "customer supplied".