Which General Contractor to Go With?

[Hoang Bui]

So I recently acquired a triplex on an FHA loan, and I am planning to remodel the unit where I will be occupying. I received three quotes for my remodeling project, but I am having a bit of a tough time trying to decide which one to go with. I was hoping someone on Biggerpockets could give me some pointer.

----

Scope of work:

A 3-bd apartment, 1200 sqft. Main tasks: 

1. Painting - repainting everything (trim, wall, ceiling). Three colors: White trim, neutral paint color for the wall.

2. Flooring - new flooring throughout. House is old, and the floor is a bit uneven. ~1320 sqft.

3. Remodeling kitchen. New cabinet throughout. 

4. Repaint bathroom + repaint bathtub + change out the toilet.

----

GC #1: 

Reference: Was referred to me by my previous landlord who also owned a few rental properties. 

Experience: This guy had done several projects for my previous landlord. She was happy with his work. I think her apartments were nice. He also worked on a number of bigger projects. 

Quote: Gave me a quote of ~$13k.  

Pros: He seems to be genuine. Willing to work with me on a number of things. Even told me that if I wanted to save, he could tell me where I could do the work myself to save on costs. Did ask me upfront where my budget lies. 

Cons: Timeline is a bit later than expected, and also takes about 3 weeks to get everything done. He seems to be a bit disorganized, and could be a bit wishy washy. I wasn't able to get a good breakdown of the estimates between labor and costs. 

GC #2:

Reference: Found this guy through my meetings with local real estate investors. 

Experience: Remodeling his own owner-occupied apartment. Has been running his own business for the last few years. 

Quotes: He gave me the most inexpensive quote at~$12.5k,

Pros: Very professional. Good communicator - seems to be easy to work with. He does have a website online where he showcased his past work, and his rating online is 5/5 (although they are all for small handyman projects). Was able to give me the specific breakdown for costs and labor. He promised that he could get things done in two weeks, and can start fairly early.

Cons: The guy is young compared to the other guys. A feedback that I got from another local investor is that this guy gives the best price, does the work really fast, but can be a bit sloppy. However, I was told that he's willing to work with you, and you will need to be vocal about it.


GC #3: 

Reference: Was referred by my current landlord. 

Experience: This guy owns some real estate investments locally, and has his own crew. He also does a few flip a year. 

Quote: He gave me the priciest quote at ~16.5k (albeit the flooring option is a bit more expensive, so all in all, it might be the same). 

Pros: He and his guy seem to be knowledgeable. Was able to give me a lot of advice during the visit. Can start right away. Seems to have a lot of connections and resources (told me that he will introduce me personally to his sales guys at the local appliances store for better discounts)

Cons: He wasn't able to give me the specific breakdown either, just a big quote number. Feel like they were not as thorough in terms of scope of work when visiting the apartment.