Any thoughts for Basement bathroom renovation- labour only

4/18/2020 at 4:11:20 PM

This job sounds great we offer labour only services all the time.

We could have a meeting to go over the materials needed and talk about pricing.

4/18/2020 at 4:52:48 PM

Hi there

The answer your question, short answer is "is a luck of the draw"

To understand why, you got to understand how the pricing model work for the industry.

1st most contractor have markup on the materials they buy, this isn't a scam but it usually included delivery, delivery, and especially potential delays due to multiple factors like (materials didn't arrive, materials is damaged, materials won't work, materials not up to standard and many other factors). If there are delays how quickly it could be resolved (as contractor will never want project to delay as it will interrupt their planned scheduling and resources)

2nd most job quotes is just an estimate of time vs what required to be done + + materials + markup (aka operation cost) + possible problem. A lot of this markup and possible problem is created based to experience the contractor for jobs they have done and material they have previously used. So if you removed the ability for the contractor to know how difficult the material will be and possibly what potential issue will be, the contractor will surely charge more just to take the risk.

3rd the contractor may able to get discount from supplier that you don't know of or have access to, which after markup could still be cheaper for same/similar materials. So you could just be adding to your own cost.

4th for GTA, construction are crazy busy (except for this covid19 time) so for some contractor to take the extra trouble, you will likely have to make it worth it or the contractor have to be not busy enough to want the job, so either way is just more risk for you.

Those are just 4 basic things I could think of right away, but the list continues.. With just those 4 things you should see why it is not an ideal situation.

The other way to do it is to do it with 2 separate contract or phases (either with same contractor or a contractor + separate handyman). First contract to finish everything that you don't care to provided materials for with all roughin prepare for the second contract, and second contract to install the materials you wanted to use. This way contractor know they would not have a delay or finishing the one contract and the price different will only be on the second contract. But as stated "it is a luck of the draw"

We only usually do this type of jobs if the customer are refered to us by highly regarded client or real estate agents that we have worked with.

Hope my answer could help you.

Good luck with your project.

4/19/2020 at 7:41:48 AM

Good morning Lovely,

Very well laid out and explained by Gene on one of the areas of consideration.

You need to also need to think about the warranties of the materials you supply.

Owners believe that they ll save money if they buy their own materials and just hire a contractor to install them.

I realize this is an attempt to save money. Home owner believes that if they furnish the materials for their job, they ll save big bucks. They ve shopped around and are convinced they know exactly what they want and where to get it. They found the store or warehouse with the best prices, and they know exactly where and how they want it installed.

If there are any problems with the materials the home owner purchased, they ll be responsible for not only replacing those materials, but also any surrounding or attached parts that might have been damaged or destroyed. Additionally, they will pay more than twice for the labor; they ll pay for the first install, for the removal of the first install, then for the second install. The home owner assumes all of the risk for the materials supplied.

A competent contractor will have it outlined in their contract to the homeowner that there is no warranty for homeowner supplied materials

Food for thought

Cheers

Dave

Some of the above was copied form Michael Stone Contracting

4/19/2020 at 12:44:18 PM

Hi !, yes for sure, you can buy all the material you like and the contractor enters with the labor and basic materials, such as cement, grout, drywall .... let's combine it.

Junior