ᐅ Everything from a single source – but still obtain additional quotes
Created on: 15 Sep 2019 07:39
L
legacy-man
Hi,
I am currently building a house and have everything coordinated through a general contractor who has a good reputation in our area. I have now received a quote from them that includes all the individual trades (plumbing, electrical, painting, etc.). The contractor always works with the same companies because they coordinate best with them and know and appreciate their work.
Since building a house involves a significant amount of money, I would still like to get competing offers from other plumbers, electricians, painters, and so on by sharing the existing quote with them, while blacking out the prices.
Ultimately, I want the existing companies to do the work, but I am hoping for a better price.
Is this approach considered inappropriate or unusual?
Best regards
I am currently building a house and have everything coordinated through a general contractor who has a good reputation in our area. I have now received a quote from them that includes all the individual trades (plumbing, electrical, painting, etc.). The contractor always works with the same companies because they coordinate best with them and know and appreciate their work.
Since building a house involves a significant amount of money, I would still like to get competing offers from other plumbers, electricians, painters, and so on by sharing the existing quote with them, while blacking out the prices.
Ultimately, I want the existing companies to do the work, but I am hoping for a better price.
Is this approach considered inappropriate or unusual?
Best regards
L
legacy-man15 Sep 2019 16:07Thank you for your honest opinion
N
nordanney15 Sep 2019 16:47Sometimes buying "cheap" is so tempting that you end up buying twice. You should think carefully about this, as well-known companies deliver a consistent quality. With possibly cheaper suppliers, you simply don't know.
L
legacy-man15 Sep 2019 18:27Of course, I understand the objection that "some people go through the effort to prepare the quote while others just need to fill in the numbers."
But don’t you compare quotes from contractors at all?
For a planned curb lowering, I asked 6 companies for a quote. In the end, I received 3 quotes. The other 3 companies did not respond at all. Of the 3 companies that responded, I chose the quote with the best conditions.
The company had a very good reputation, could carry out the work promptly, and happened to be the cheapest as well.
But don’t you compare quotes from contractors at all?
For a planned curb lowering, I asked 6 companies for a quote. In the end, I received 3 quotes. The other 3 companies did not respond at all. Of the 3 companies that responded, I chose the quote with the best conditions.
The company had a very good reputation, could carry out the work promptly, and happened to be the cheapest as well.
Yes, sometimes. Sometimes quality is more important than price.
You just need to talk to the companies and let them carry out the work.
Then it also becomes clear if someone has forgotten something. The customer is interested in the best value for money, finding the right option for themselves, not the cheapest option.
Blackening has a negative connotation.
You just need to talk to the companies and let them carry out the work.
Then it also becomes clear if someone has forgotten something. The customer is interested in the best value for money, finding the right option for themselves, not the cheapest option.
Blackening has a negative connotation.
This is about offers made to a general contractor, where every involved craftsman knows which colleagues from other trades they will be working with as a team. This is not the same as craftsmen submitting their bids to some random person who happened to find their fax number in the Yellow Pages. These offers are already lower than they would have been for an unknown new customer—even with the consequence that "cheaper than this is no longer fair."
Considering the intended method at all is not only unfair to the craftsmen but also falls under the category of "only fools cut sums" for the organizer trying to save money that way.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Considering the intended method at all is not only unfair to the craftsmen but also falls under the category of "only fools cut sums" for the organizer trying to save money that way.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
legacy-man schrieb:
But don’t you compare quotes from different tradespeople?For me, a general contractor means someone who carries out (more or less) everything. Whether they subcontract or have all trades integrated within their own company is, in my opinion, not relevant.
Do you really think that such a contractor would change their offer for trade A or B just because you bring in a cheaper quote for that specific trade?
If anything, I believe you would need to get quotes from other general contractors and compare the overall scope, which could ultimately mean, looking at the price alone, you might have to choose a completely different general contractor.
Also: what if the general contractor said, “I’ll work with the company you suggested for trade A, but you handle coordinating that company with the other trades and ensure they’re always on time”?