Contractor Bids $50K Apart? Why Lowest Bid Isn't Cheapest Project

Podcast: Your Home Building Coach with Bill Reid · William W. Reid

Opublikowano: 2026-10-24

Contractor bids arrive $30K to $50K apart and you're staring at three different numbers with no idea what's inside them. One includes upgraded fixtures. Another caps everything at allowances. The third excludes half the work you assumed was included. You're comparing prices but you're actually comparing three different projects. David Esses spent 28 years in construction—managing 200-home subdivisions for Richmond Homes, developing superintendent systems, running commercial projects and insurance scopes. When a 2015 hail storm damaged his Colorado home, he applied his checklist mentality: verified the contractor's license, confirmed insurance coverage, checked the Better Business Bureau. The permit hu...