Remodeling price check
Own a ~1700 sq. ft condo in Los Gatos. Well rated design/build firm offering the following services for ~$150k (labor + materials included) tl;dr - Full kitchen with some wall & door moving, new floors, light and paint in whole place. Looking for anecdotal responses to check if this seems reasonable to those with similar experiences. Kitchen ~200 sq ft: New kitchen cabinets (mid-range materials, prefab) 6' Island Expanding 2 doorways Removing an exterior door + sealing Removing 8' non-structural wall Quartz counters (3 slabs) Stainless sink + faucet Other approx 800 sq. ft. SPC vinyl flooring + baseboards (whole downstairs living, dining, hall, powder room, kitchen) New recessed lighting all rooms (new electrical) ~30 lights Painting whole house interior Re-tile LR fireplace CAD design, high-fidelity renders
You should be able to do this under $100k. Message me 1:1 and I'll connect you with people I've used in the past so you can get estimates
That is high although it's a high cost area and you are using a one stop shop for everything. This could be done for like 20k-50k if you are the project manager and have a lot of time. Nothing really stands out as a high cost other than quartz countertops. Also getting CAD renderings = unnecessary engineering work = $$$$$$$
It’s high but also what I would expect you to get on a quote. People are booked out and can charge what they want. here’s my general estimate of what this looks like without an in demand firm and managing the project yourself: New cabinets probably around 5k-8k, island would likely be factored in with cabinets and counter tops except the added electrical you may require there, the two doorways may require some good carpentry to match current trim so 1k, the exterior stuff can get pricey depending on the siding material and availability 1-2k, wall demo and cleanup 1k, counters around 5k, sink + faucet depend on brand etc 200-500, flooring (3k) including demo (1k) and new baseboards (500), new electrical - like new wiring and not just lights? 3-5k, interior paint 2-3k, tile 1k That comes to about 33k. Your choice on materials could drive this up, limitations on access, deadlines, permit costs, if you need to upgrade your electrical panel etc. I think the only way you could do this with 20k would be to do all the labor yourself and get second hand materials. I’ve heard some firms run an estimate based on your sqft rather than your work. I’ve heard some as low as $200 per sqft to $425. Kinda nuts.
That's a more realistic amount. My 20k is buying cabinets from Home Depot, buying flooring and paint and hiring general laborers.
You can do all of these well below 100k if you do it on your own (like working directly with the contractors, choosing your own design, etc) but it needs some trial and error in choosing the right people, materials, color, etc. The upside is you will end up saving money and the downside is it may not be perfect.
Also get more bids, this could be a "I'm too busy but if you pay this much I'll drop other stuff to do your work" type of bid.
Get at least 3 bids. Preferably 6-7. You will be surprised by the differences.
Do a breakdown of material and services for each item. I can’t see more than $25k in materials. Tile - 1k Cabinets - 6K Sink + faucet - 1k Flooring - 2k Baseboard - 1k Lights - 1k Quartz - 10k Creep - 3k Which means you’re paying $125k in labor. If you shop Home Depot yourself, it cuts your material cost to $15k.
Sounds moderately high to me for prefab cabinetry in a modest sized kitchen, even given some demo and minor wall/door moving and additional work. I guess that's the premium you pay for a well known design/build firm.