Bidding, Part III
I’m almost at the end of the bidding process. It hasn’t exactly ended the way I’d hoped, but then the last two years have changed my expectations pretty considerably.
The contract still isn’t quite ready to sign, but I’m very close.
The one big outstanding question has been resolved: I’m going to have to replace the feeder wire to my electrical panel at a cost of around $5,000. Reading between the lines, the city wasn’t able to grandfather me in with 75 amp service. It’s unfortunate from a cost perspective, though on the other hand, gives me lots of headroom for my menagerie of electrical appliances.
My architects have also consulted with the prospective contractor to trim out any unnecessary expenses. It hasn’t amounted to much relative to the total bill. They’ve cut out expenses like a few hundred dollars to run a water line to my fridge-freezer, which doesn’t need one, as it doesn’t have an ice maker.
On the other hand, I think this goes to show the value of having experts combing through the details. The small amount of time spent scrutinizing the plans has saved far more than the cost of those professional services. Of course, I’m very aware that hiring an architect (or, let’s be honest, my aesthetic aspirations) probably increased the cost of the project in making it less straightforward.
Next week I’ll coordinate scheduling and dates. My architects have also said they’ll draw up a standard AIA (American Institute of Architects) owner-contractor agreement, rather than the document provided by my prospective contractor. I’ll probably have more to say about that once I’ve seen it.
As it stands now, the quote breaks down like this:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Permitting | $810 |
| General conditions | $7,400 |
| Preparation and demolition | $3,600 |
| Carpentry (including flooring material) | $17,300 |
| Electrical | $14,800 |
| Plumbing | $7,800 |
| Patching and painting | $4,300 |
| Countertops | $11,900 |
Adding that up (and rounding slightly) brings the whole cost of the kitchen construction and materials to a cool $67,900. Adding the bathroom would pull that up another $22,400 in the itemized bid.
Nor is that going to be the total cost. I’ve already spent almost $17,000 on the cabinets and professional fees. (Though some of that is pre-paying for construction administration.) And I’ll need to add another $11,000 for appliances.
That will bring this whole project in at close to $90,000. A staggering sum of money, if I’m honest. And almost exactly double the original budget.
I’ll be back next week with more on the actual execution, scheduling, and taking the plunge.