Refusal to do an itemized bid by contractors (Columbus, GA)

[Ken M Middleton]

Hey BP family,

My wife and I identified a potential home that we are interested in rehabbing. We got an initial ballpark bid from a contractor of around 20k worth of work but after the inspection, there were a few items that looked like they would cost significantly more (i.e. complete plumbing installed and perhaps replacing ALL the windows because they wouldn't open).

We asked a few contractors to give us an itemized bid (ala J. Scott's advice) with labor and materials separate, so we can ensure we are not getting over-charged and to make sure the total price is taking into account all the work we need done, but most of the GC's pushed back to say either they don't do that or this would make the price much more expensive if we asked for it this way.

Is anyone else experiencing this (reluctance of GC's to provide itemized bids) and what are my options in this situation, as there are not a lot of contractors in the area in which we are looking since it is such a small area (Columbus, GA)?

Thanks for any advice in advance!

KMM