Contractors and Estimates

[Michael A Rytina]

Hello-

Getting ready to do my first rehab project and have a few questions

I am not a licensed contractor, but will be doing the majority of the reno myself (I have the time and some knowledge to be deadly ! ) Getting my feet wet and no need to quickly get it relisted within a month 

Is it best to pay a licensed contractor to at least come in and give an estimate, as opposed to me just winging it ?

Also, does anyone know the average cost to get an estimate for a SFR less than 2000 square feet?

I imagine a good contractor will charge a small fee but then deduct this is he does the work

Thanks for any input !

Mike

[Mike Wood]

@Michael A Rytina Alot of people on BP talk very highly of the J. Scott Book on Estimating Rehab Costs, available on BP.  I dont like the idea of asking a GC to quote the job with the thought of not giving him the job.  I just dont think its fair.  Even if he charges you, he might have subs bidding for free wasting their time.  Most GC's will not charge for an estimate if they believe there is a chance to get the job.

I think if you are going to do it yourself, spend the time to research the materials you will need to complete the job, and come up with a cost.  You labor will not cost you any cash, so you can ignore labor.  

Also, without a defined scope of work, any $/ft2 number is totally garbage.  Some people can rehab a house for $15/ft2, while other houses might cost $60/ft2.  It all depends.

Most of your materials can be priced our with the big box stores, you just have to figure out what you need.