Do you know if the painting was done by your contractor or was it subbed out? We’ve done several remodeling jobs in our home over the last 25 years and paint was never included in a bid. We either painted ourselves or sub-contracted the job out to a licensed painter.

I did a gut remodel and my contract with the GC included every item that was being done as well as specifications and what was being supplied by me and what was being supplied by GC as part of the contract.

Painting was included as part of my contract but it was spelled out in the contract including that I would be supplying the paint. The GC hired whatever tradespeople he normally would for each aspect of the job.

A contract includes those items specifically agreed upon in the contract so both you and the GC seem to have gotten yourself in a mess. The GC seems to have proceeded to do something that wasn't contracted for and you seem to have been aware that he was painting and not questioned why he was performing things not spelled out in the contract.

What exactly did your contract with the GC state - didn't it specify the scope of the work and all of the specifications? I don't understand how the job started without the parties signing an agreement which specified everything that was to be done and the cost of each element.

What Helen said. I also spelled out everything that the contractor was going to do, and what I was going to furnish. I did specify "paint ready" for the walls, trim and ceiling, but the scope of work said nothing about him doing the painting - I always intended to do that.

There seems to be confusion over the difference between an "estimate" and a "bid" or "fixed-contract-price proposal." I find that sort of confusion to be widespread.

An estimate is just that--a good faith inference of what a particular job is going to cost. Actual cost to perform the scope of work may vary. A bid price or fixed-contract-price proposal is just that--a firm price to perform a defined scope of work.

In your case, it may be that the scope of work may not have been well defined or the contract may allow the contractor to bill more than his/her good-faith "estimated" price.

Our contract with our GC during our full gut basement included painting, but it was part of the budget conversation. They would've left the basement paint ready if that's what we preferred - we preferred to just have everything done. Our final contract went line by line through each room and indicated if items were GC supplied or homeowner supplied - right down to the doorstops.

I don't understand how one would start a major remodel without signing a contract which indicated the scope of the services as well as specifications and who was supplying which elements.

Of course a contract - especially for a major remodel - will often have allowances to provide for unexpected costs but that is still spelled out in the contract so that both parties are aware of what the allowance contractually covers and why additional amounts are due. For example, as it turned out I needed a new electrical panel which was not contemplated so the cost of the electrical panel was an additional cost. But before work started, I was told why it was necessary and given an additional invoice spelling out details and both parties signed it.

A contract is just a vehicle to enable a third party to know what the parties originally agreed to.

It the service is not written into the contract, then it isn’t being done.

OP, if your estimate is all you had, and it didn't spell out exactly what work would be performed, you unfortunately left yourself open to price gouging. If you asked him to do the painting mid job and still got nothing in writing, same result. So sorry!

It would be very nice for you to come back and clarify your situation for the education of others.