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Does this estimate sound reasonable?

sarschlos_remodeler

15 years ago

We have this hideous fireplace:

The blanket is covering a giant hole in the drywall that I bashed after removing 8' of glued-on mirrors in hopes of finding something nicer underneath (no such luck). We're planning to reface the fireplace for obvious reasons. To do this, we need to remove the giant monolithic drywall framing and that asymmetrical piece of travertine in order to take everything back to the actual wall. We will then need to rebuild part of the firebox (which extends out further than the wall) so that it is flush with the wall, drywall, tile and add a mantle.

The estimate I received today was as follows:

$1,195 for demo

$880 for brick rebuild

$900 to install new tiles around firebox and hearth (price is labor only; not including hearth)

$995 for drywall

$1895 for mantle & legs

for a total of $5895. We live in So. Cal. Does this sound reasonable? (We also need to repair/replace the flashing on the chimney, but the roofer is providing a separate estimate for that part.)

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Comments (5)

Jon1270
15 years ago
If I were playing The Price is Right, I'd say that the brickwork sounds about right, and the price for the mantel is certainly conceivable if it's a nice one, but most everything else sounds awfully high. But, then, I live in Ohio, where we shake our heads in disbelief at Southern Californian housing prices...
texasredhead
15 years ago
Southern Calfornia reasonable is an oxymoron. To me, the demo price and the Mantle cost seem pretty high. I built a mantle with corbels and the material costs were around $150.
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Does this sound reasonable?
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Just for a basis of comparison -- My bathroom is 5x8 and I had my contractor do everything -- demo and gut to studs, dump all old stuff, sheetrock, lay new tile floor, install new tub and set tile bath on 3 walls, tub to ceiling, install new glass tub doors, set tile vanity/sink wall half-way, install new vanity, sink and granite counter, install toilet, install all plumbing fixtures, new lighting, install new door and door knob, hang towel bar and hooks, hang mirror and paint ceiling and untiled section of wall. His labor feel for all of the above was $6,500. I purchased all materials/fixtures/finishes except for sheetrock, sub floor and tub alcove wall boards and exhaust fan/light. Oh, and he's also mounting a 15" TV on a far-from-tub wall by the bathroom door with a nice articulating arm so I can watch whatever while soaking in my new tub :) It will be flush to the wall out of the way when not in use... when he comes back to paint the hall, which is extra :) And... I can't do so much as hang a painting. Really, I'd so hurt my silly self. So I paid for every thing, right down to screwing in the light bulbs! (OK, maybe that was free.) I hope this helps!
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You need to tell us where in the country you are, since prices are much higher in NYC, CT, and California than in most parts of Texas, Nebraska and Iowa, for example. Also, not giving a list of what the materials are, it still is very difficult to say. Custom, Semi custom or stock cabinets? A lot of crown molding? Off the top, the only things that seem high are the plumming and electrical for the size of the space and relatively little movement of plumbing. Do you need to upgrade the elctrical box or add a second one to accommodate the increased outlets and lights in the kitchen? If the Plumbing estimate of 1150 includes t he first time dishwasher intallation, what is included in the "finish plumbing"? Just hooking up the sink, faucet, GD and maybe refrig? If so, that seems high to me. However, please note that my prices are in CT, which is high, but from people I contacted myself. To have a GC provide the plumber DOUBLED the cost. But after I went with my own plumber, the GC kept trying to cut costs to increase his profit elsewhere, so beware of trying that. If you want to GC yourself you will probably save a lot, but don't then call a GC for the small stuff. Most won't appreciate it. Sue
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Comments (18)
I would love it if I was charged that for my two very very tiny foyer areas as I was charged over $1200 for just labor as I bought my own tiles and supplies. I am in Northern NJ where everything is so expensive. Thanks for sharing this thread. Also beware of tile installers who do not know what they are doing as the first one was so bad, I had to pay someone to remove his tiles before I was able to find someone to do the tile job right. I had to buy many more tiles. Then I had to live with the floor looking terrible until I could find someone to do the job. Prices from Tile people that knew what they were doing ranged from $1200 to $1800 just for the labor.
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My DH really wants an open timber frame entry. Our drawings have it, but the builder says it's going to be 5k more to do this style of entry. (Combination of Matroska cost for the beams and labor because it's not trussed and had to be built on site). Are there less expensive alternatives to get this look? I'm thinking instead of solid cedar beams we could do 4x4s, then wrap in cedar. And maybe T&G pine scissor truss ousted of open rafters? So, a few questions. .. does this estimate sound reasonable? It's not something we can easily fix down the road like adding built ins or other millwork so I'm tempted to bite the bullet and do it now but the price tag is killing me.
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User
15 years ago
Wow, that sounds high to me, but like jon, we just shake our heads about the cost of housing in CA. I don't know what's involved in the demo, so maybe it's more reasonable than it sounds. Any way you would want to go back with a vented gas fireplace? Sure would cut the cost of installation & puts out a lot of heat.
kbuild
15 years ago
I am a remodeling contractor in Florida. My honest opinion is the price really does not seem to be that out of range. The Demo maybe. But with container which is $350.00 with dump fees my cost. The prep for the area would be costly creating a barrier. Three men maybe demo. These variables add up. Now add permit and or Workers Comp. And overhead variables. This reflects prices.

Here is a link that might be useful: KB Remodeling and Construction LLC
annzgw
15 years ago
Sounds about right........except demo fee. Labor for the tile also seems high, but I don't know how large an area you're doing.

If you have a way to get the stuff to the dump you could always offer to demo it yourself.......as long as you don't cause more damage! :)

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