DEAR TIM: My wife got an estimate from a small contractor to
replace seven windows at our home. The new windows are a major name-brand with
wood interior and aluminum cladding on the exterior. He was also going to
install new interior trim and restore the exterior trim. The price of the quote
was $5,725.00. It seems outrageous to me, but my wife loves the quote and thinks
this man is the greatest. I tried to get other quotes but my wife says I scare
contractors as they never return my calls. What should I do? What is a fair
price? Gary K., Trenton, NJ
DEAR GARY: I'll bet this exchange between husband and wife
happens tens of thousands of times each day in the USA. I am constantly flooded
with phone calls and emails from people who have all sorts of trouble analyzing
quotes from contractors. In many cases, some people would be ecstatic even
getting a bid. Believe it or not many people each day wait for the elusive
contractor to show up, and even when they do show up to look at the job, some
never call back with a quote. Consider yourself lucky that you even got a
bid.
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| Window replacement is not always as easy as it looks. Taking an old window out and installing a new one is just one part of the overall job |
There are many reasons why some people think a contractor's
price might be high. One of these reasons, I believe, is the proliferation of
do-it-yourself information that is flooding consumers on television, on the
radio, in magazines, on the Internet and even other newspaper columns such as
this. All too often difficult jobs are depicted as being no problem or easy. I
know what happens before, during and after each installed window replacement
job.
First of all let's think about this small contractor's business. He needs to
have all sorts of tools, a truck and a place to house his business. Saw blades,
tools and his truck need maintenance and parts and they eventually wear out.
These costs must be apportioned to each of the jobs he completes. If he is a
contractor that offers free estimates, the time spent doing this work activity
must be applied to those jobs he eventually gets under contract. After all, you
don't go to your job and work for free, do you?
There are many other soft business costs he must pass on to the final
consumer. For example, he has insurance premiums (Worker's Compensation,
Liability, Disability, Health, etc.), permit fees, association dues, assorted
taxes to pay, and all of these are invisible to you the paying customer.
How would you like me to build your new home? It's probably impossible for me to
fit your job into my schedule, but I will gladly share hundreds of my tricks and
building secrets with you and your builder. Check out my
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Finally, he has to buy the replacement windows. You may be shocked to
discover the actual cost of high-quality aluminum clad wood windows. If you want
quality, and it sounds like you are getting it, it comes with a price tag. You
can get a feel for the cost as nothing is stopping you from going to the window
distributor to get a price as if you are going to buy the windows yourself.
Granted, the contractor may get a small professional discount while you pay full
retail price, but you will get a good idea of what the windows cost.
My guess is that you want this small contractor to be around in six months if
you have a problem. That is a very reasonable expectation. For this to happen
his business needs to be profitable. Yes, it is not sinful to make a profit. The
marketplace usually culls out contractors who charge excessive profits.
To find out what the average price is for your job, you do indeed need to get
quotes from different contractors who are going to install the same exact
windows. You must compare apples with apples. The local distributor for this
brand of window may have a list of other small contractors who buy and install
these same windows on a regular basis. I would ask the distributor for a list of
qualified contractors that you can call.
Bids are complicated. To get tight
bids that you can really compare, you must have clear directions and a goal so
each contractor is bidding on the same thing. To get contractors to show up,
offer to pay them $50 or even $100 if they produce a good written estimate. Show
them that you value their time!
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