How to manage window companies and bids?
Montana Build
3 years ago
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How much was your "painting" bid?
Comments (36)Caben, You would be correct if we were talking about any place near silicon valley. The home prices support that kind of fleecing. :) But the price per square foot where we are building is about 300 per square foot vs. the 5-600+ per square foot you see an hour north. This area is quite humble (I like that), and prices are less for everything from eggs to antiques to service for you car. That's why I'm surprised. People were building houses in my location with painting bids a fraction of my current estimate, not 10 months ago - so I don't think it's the greenbuild requirements (no voc) or licensing requirements or the recycling charge. Those have been there for a while. And I've had interior whole house bids for under 10k in other parts of CA. Hmmmm. I'm happy to be giving the contractor honest pay for honest work, but I also don't want to be funding his 4 month vacation in Bermuda. The cost of living is much less south of SV, and north of Santa Barbara- California has some hidden gems! Maybe it's my hayloft? ;) I may be looking at alot of DIY... and that's okay. It's just another excuse to be at the build site.... I'm going to be such a pest as things go up. It's just so interesting to me! If I were building in Atherton, I wouldn't be sweating things like painting bids, I'm sure....See MoreHow can bids from builders differ?
Comments (8)Great points above. Sensing a trend that its mostly about Overhead and Profit which might be true sometimes but certainly not always. If I had to bid on some plans right now, it would be a higher than typical price as I currently have enough clients who will work in my preferred Cost Plus arrangement. My overhead is extremely low but I also use preferred contractors who cost more. Building a good home is a combination of the right products, right labor, and right knowledge. There are increasingly stringent building codes which are creating an ever widening gulf between builders as I see it. Minimum building codes are pretty easy to achieve but it will cost more money. Many of the things that make a better home cost more money and its impossible to specify all the materials, labor and knowledge in a set of bid documents. Does your detailed specs and plans include how to protect your freshly poured slab on a hot day or cold day? Type and # of anchor bolts. 3" washers? Does the Radon pipe just stub under the slab somewhere or is it tied to a sub slab drainage to daylight? Very cheap insurance that I would not install if it wasnt in the plans or specs. Do the plans call out the type of sill sealer? I would never use an off the shelf version with what I know. How about sheathing fastener schedule? Its pretty cheap to use the newer APA recommendations but might have my carpenters skip it on a bid job. Just how detailed is that wall section of yours? Ive never had one to bid on that I would feel comfortable following to a tee in the field. How about sloping window pans for the rough sill? What type of flashing tapes? I find its best to mix brands depending on application but wouldnt want to waste my money or time on something I wasnt getting paid for. A 12 SEER unit could easily outperform a 16 SEER unit depending on what HVAC sub you go with or how much you babysit them. Surely you have the Manual J in the specs and blower door test goals? Its surprising the difference you might see between houses in this area in terms of comfort, energy efficiency and durability. Do the plans spell out how to meet ASHRAE 62.2? I dont think I could build a house without meeting this minimum ventilation standard but I know I would use a drastically different way to achieve it on a bid job. It wouldnt cost me as much and would not work as well as the slightly more expensive system I would recommend for most clients. Fixed bids are very likely to omit some important details that take place below the finished surfaces. In addition to what others have mentioned (and many more) the difference in prices will surely reflect a bit of this discrepancy between builders too....See MoreHELP with Replacement windows - Save me from the high bid!
Comments (9)These windows are made of "Fibrex" which is Andersen's PVC and sawdust composite material that is also used in synthetic deck materials like Trex and for the sash cladding and applied muntins of Andersen's 400 Series Woodwright double-hung windows. The most annoying thing about these windows is that they won't tell you if they are the "full frame" or the "insert" type of replacement windows and how they are installed. Insert windows are installed inside the existing frame and can be unsightly. Full frame windows require replacing the trim so they are more expensive. Andersen also offers both types in their 400 series PVC clad wood windows. Make them give you details of how the windows will be installed. I believe they play it close to the vest because Andersen expects these windows to be sold by the installers directly to homeowners without a design professional involved and they therefore want to leave the details to the retailer installer. I believe this process gives the installer too much control over the design and installation detailing and I have never trusted any contractor to put the homeowner's interests over that of their own much less actually know how to properly install a window without oversight. Call me a cynic. I don't have to tell you that the replacement window industry has been frought with fraud and misrepresentation for many decades. Marvin makes an Infinity fiberglass version and but they too keep the details to themselves. I would prefer fiberglass to PVC is the features are the same, especially the applied muntins and spacer bars. I'll look at my Andersen and Marvin catalogs and see if the details of these replacement windows are included....See MoreLowe's windows vs. window company?
Comments (12)Buying windows from the big box stores is a real gamble. Most of these stores have a tough time getting good installers to work for them. Some locations have burned so many bridges in their states that the word is out to steer clear of working for them. What happens most of the time is exactly what's been stated above. They lack the staff that has any real knowledge of what their selling. In most cases they have no clue what they're doing at all. The other downfall to us installers working for the big box stores is their "The Customer Is Always Right" attitude. Most of the upper end installers take great pride in their Professionalism & Craftsmanship. They would go out and do a job for a customer that would be acceptable by all standards any where in the Nation. But these customers have heard through the grapevine that if you complain enough you can get your money back. So even if it's the greatest job in the world, these people will find something wrong. They then complain until management gets so tired of hearing from them everyday, they get their money back. Now the credibility of the installer is in question for no reason. The installer is then offended by these accusations and jumps ship because his integrity in the business gets jeopardized. It's mainly all about the relationship the installer has with their stores and their management. Because believe it or not, those idiots that can't answer your questions about windows work their way up into running the whole program! This is failure at it's greatest! Now in defense of Lowes I have to say personally here in the newly established market in MN, they are running a good program. Being in the door & window business since 1974 I have worked for all the big names as an installer. My business at one time was running 22 crews just installing doors & windows. My integrity was challenged so many times I couldn't handle it anymore. So we stepped back and just did our own thing. But when Lowes came to town around two years ago I thought I'd give it another shot. They had knowledgeable people setting things up that were fair and understanding. They let us professionals work with the newly hired staff and help train them in. I've spent many hours teaching their staff how to sell and treat the customers. They also let us really sell the job when we show up to measure the windows for each customer. This really helps in making the customer more confident they are getting the right people to do the job. I also have an open door policy with all the staff at each store to contact me anytime if they have a question they can't answer. They can call me on my cell phone at any time or day. Sometimes it's frustrating but it really helps them in a pinch. I know that there aren't many other installers who do what I do for the stores here. But we do have good installers here that are treated and payed fairly. So in the long run we have great success here in MN. There are only three stores here in the Twin Cities as of today. They have three more opening at the end of this month and three more by the end of the year. So we'll see how things keep moving. As for their products, they aren't the best on the market. They have good middle of the line products that sell very well. I have set Lowes up with my local window manufacturer to sell their product line. This has really been a great help for them. Remember one thing about your windows, it's all about the installation that makes it shine. If they're installed right they'll work great for many years to come. If they're not put in right, you've just wasted a lot of money. Hope this makes some kind of sense from our side of the river....See MoreJoseph Corlett, LLC
3 years agoMontana Build
3 years agotoddinmn
3 years ago
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