Shortlister

Tips on Bid and Quotation Comparison

The key to obtaining professional bids and quotations is to provide the contractors with as much data as possible. The fuzzier your thoughts, plans and specifications, the more ambiguous your bids will be. In fact, the bids may be higher than they should be, because each contractor is trying to protect themselves from delays you may create while trying to make up your mind. This fact is often overlooked by many homeowners. Remember, contractors are not mind readers!

How many should I get?

I have been asked in the past to bid jobs against five to seven other contractors. In these instances, I refuse to prepare a quotation. Generally speaking, I have determined that a wide majority of these people are merely shopping for price. My suggestion to you is to try to find three contractors who are about the same size and who perform similar levels of quality. Getting prices from three similar individuals will give you an excellent range of pricing. Never, never obtain just one bid!

Exposing yourself

Never tell a contractor what you are prepared to spend on a project. If, by chance, you are dealing with a dishonest contractor, his/her price may be just under your ceiling. However, you may be asked by a contractor what you are willing to spend. I have done this in the past so as not to waste time in preparing an estimate. I have successfully overcome this dilemma. Experienced contractors can generally compute a square foot cost estimate quickly when looking at a job. Ask the contractors to do just that and present these prices to you. Each party realizes that these are tentative numbers. However, they allow you to determine if the project is out of reach early in the bidding process.

Itemized Quotations

Always demand an itemized quotation. These quotations are invaluable. They allow you to see just how each contractor arrived at his/her price. These quotations enable you and the contractors to determine if anything has been overlooked in the bidding process. This eliminates any financial surprises after a project begins.

Itemized quotations also enable you to set up a fair and equitable payment schedule with your contractor. Because you can see what each aspect of the job costs, you can be sure that you only pay for items which have been installed or are on site. This method will afford you great peace of mind.

Insurance Documentation

Be sure that your bids include copies of all insurance documentation. Professionals have readily available copies of their Worker’s Compensation certificates and General Liability policies. Demand that copies of these be included in your bid envelope. Often low bids are low because insurance premiums are not really being paid. Remember, anybody can say that they are insured. Don’t rely on hope. Get copies of these valuable certificates!

There was a time when almost every two-story house that was built utilized dormers to increase the available living space on the second floor. Some builders continue to use dormers to provide additional light and space to second floor living areas. If you are planning to create living space in your attic, you will almost certainly want to at least consider the value of building dormers to maximize the amount of usable space in your attic.
If you have decided to build dormers, there are a number of very important considerations in terms of style and construction materials. The dormer will change not only the interior configuration of the attic; it will also change the exterior appearance of your home. Adding a dormer that will enhance the external appearance of your house while providing the additional space you need is a matter of good construction and correct style.
A hipped dormer is defined by its particular roof style. It will have a roof with four sloped sides. This style can be found in homes built in a number of styles, including Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, Neoclassical, Italianate, Federal, Greek Revival, Arts and Crafts, Georgian Revival, Renaissance Revival and Prairie styles.
A gable roof is a pitched roof with a gable at each end. The gable is the part of the wall just below the end of the pitched roof that is cut into a triangular shape by the sloping line of the room.
An arched dormer can vary in shape from the horizontal flat arch to a sharply pointed arch. Round arches are particularly suited for Italianate, Italian Renaissance Revival and Richadrsonian Romanesque architecture. Pointed, or Gothic, arches are particularly appropriate in Gothic Revival architecture. Baskethandle or elliptical arches are best suited to Italianate and Beaux Arts styles. Tudor arches (flattened Gothic) are appropriate for Tudor Revival and Gothic Revival styles. Finally, Syrian arches are found in the Richardsonian Romanesque and Shingle styles of architecture.
The pedimented dormer is a triangular gable over a portico, door or window. The eyebrow dormer is a low dormer on the slope of the roof that has no sides. Adding a dormer requires several processes. It is ordinarily not the ideal project for a weekend do-it-yourself task. In deciding whether this is a project you can handle yourself, it will be important to consider several impacts of dormer construction. First, you are altering the line of your roof, which will affect the flow of rain water and the position in which the roof will hold the weight of accumulated snow. Essentially, you will be cutting a hone in your roof and inserting a window. This would obviously require a good understanding of roofing and proper sealing of the construction, shingles, windows, etc. Poor construction could result in leaks and water damage inside the home.
There are, however, a number of tasks most people who are fairly skilled can handle, such as adding insulation, hanging drywall, finishing the roofing, installing windows, painting, etc. Depending upon local regulations and building codes, you may need to obtain approval from a local homeowner s association, city planning council or other group before you build. You may need to obtain building permits from your local government and arrange for inspections. You will also need to check on required materials for construction of the frame.
The first step in building dormers id determining the precise location in the roof and cutting the necessary holes. The next step will be building the dormer frame. This is a complex process that requires a number of precise framing cuts.
Next, the siding
and roofing must be installed. Depending upon the style of your home and the materials of which it is built, the siding may be wood, hardy plank, vinyl siding, stone or brick. Installing all components of the roofing felt paper, flashing, and shingles and ensuring that everything is properly sealed will be the next step. Then the appropriate windows will be installed.
Finally, the interior work can begin. You will need to install insulation
, walls, ceiling and flooring. If you plan to build-in any interior components such as a window seat or a storage area, built-in desk or bookcases, etc., this will be the next step. Then you will be able to paint, wallpaper, lay carpet, etc. and give the room the finishing touches that will make it the functional extra space you need.
The end result of building dormers will be a living space in your home that is lighter, brighter, bigger, and more functional. Whether you do all the work yourself, or engage a professional to build the frame and install the roof, careful work and attention to building codes and details will produce a new room that will enhance your family s lifestyle.

Leaking water pipes:
Call your water company to check it! Is your basement leaking or sump pump running in rain or sunshine? Suspecting a spring under your basement? The water main to your curb box or the pipe to your house may be leaking, particularly if made of plastic. Usually, you could hear slight hissing in the pipe entering your basement.
Clean the footer drains:
Footer drains, which are crucial to relieving the water pressure on your foundation, may get clogged by silt or tree roots. Hire a drain cleaning contractor to clean them with an auger snake or by high-pressure water jetting. Old clay tiles may have collapsed and just a small section needs replacement.
Clean the floor drains:
Make sure the floor drain is not clogged. Some experts recommend getting the whole drain cleaned by a drain cleaning company on an annual basis. Make sure that the drain has a U-trap, so that it does not let in soil gas saturated with water vapor and radon gas.