Three contractors look at the same bathroom and come back with $28,000, $41,000 and $55,000. Nobody lied — they bid three different projects, because the scope lived in each contractor’s head instead of on paper. Comparing remodeling bids is mostly the work of forcing those three imaginary projects to become the same project. As a contractor who’s been on the receiving end of “but the other guy was cheaper,” here’s how to read bids the way we’d read them.
Why the Numbers Are So Far Apart
Almost every wide spread comes from one of four places. Scope assumptions — one bid includes moving the plumbing, another assumes everything stays put. Allowances — the $28k bid carries $2,000 for tile and fixtures; the $55k bid carries $9,000; same labor, different project. What happens to surprises — one price quietly excludes rot repair and subfloor work, so the “savings” come back as change orders. And overhead that protects you — insurance, licensing, permit handling and a real schedule cost money, and their absence is cheapest right up until you need them (the verification list is in choosing a contractor).
Make Them Comparable: Five Moves
- Give every bidder the same written scope. Even one page — what’s moving, what’s staying, what finishes you have in mind — collapses most of the spread before it exists. The selections homework in preparing for a remodel pays for itself right here.
- Line up the allowances. Pull the allowance numbers out of each bid and compare them side by side. Then ask the only question that matters: “Is this allowance realistic for what I showed you?” A lowball allowance is a deferred price increase.
- Hunt the exclusions. The most expensive words in a cheap bid are the ones that aren’t there: permit fees, disposal, rot repair, paint, floor protection. Ask each bidder, “What is NOT in this price?” and write down the answers.
- Ask how surprises get priced. Hidden conditions are normal in Massachusetts housing stock — the question is whether change orders are written, priced and signed before the work happens. The answer tells you more about the next three months than the bid total does.
- Compare payment schedules. Massachusetts law caps the deposit at one-third (except special-order materials). Payments should track completed work all the way through — a contractor who needs half up front is financing something with your money.
The Middle Bid Isn’t Automatically Right Either
The folk wisdom says throw out the high and low and take the middle. The better rule: take the bid you can read — the one with line items, named allowances, stated exclusions and a change-order process — from the contractor whose references describe the same process the paper does. Detailed and mid-priced usually coincide, but it’s the detail doing the predicting, not the position. And if a number seems impossibly good, it is: the gap gets paid later in change orders, shortcuts or an abandoned job — the most expensive financing there is, worse than anything in how to pay for a remodel.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many bids should I get?
Three is the sweet spot for a major project — enough to see the spread, not so many that you’re running a procurement department. For small repair work, one trusted bid is fine; the sorting logic in handyman vs. contractor applies before the bidding does.
Is it fair to show one contractor another’s bid?
Sharing the number invites a race to match it — usually by cutting something you can’t see. Sharing the scope difference is fair and useful: “this bid includes the subfloor replacement, does yours?” gets you a better answer than “can you beat $28,000?”
Why do some contractors charge for estimates?
For complex projects, a paid design/scoping phase buys real drawings and firm numbers — legitimate and often worth it. For typical remodels, written free estimates are standard (ours are), and a fee mainly filters who’s serious. Either model is fine; vagueness in the output is what isn’t.
Get a Bid You Can Actually Compare
Our estimates are written, itemized, with named allowances and stated exclusions — bring us your other bids and we’ll happily walk the differences line by line. Request yours free, and see the finished results in the project gallery.
Ready to Talk About Your Project?
Tell us about your remodeling plans and we will follow up with a free, no-pressure estimate. Serving Clinton and surrounding Central Massachusetts communities.