House renovations - estimate help

[Marc Vaughan]

Hi,

Has anyone ever had minor house renovations done and could give me a rough ballpark estimate for simply putting in a wall with a door to screen off an open room (basically turning a dining room into an office area).

The wall to be 'built' is totally internal (ie. likely wood lattice with an overlay of some sort) and we've got the door already, there's no electrical wiring or anything clever to be done at all. The wall is approximately 12 foot in length.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Marc
PS - The estimate we've been given is $3,500 which seems a bit (well a lot) steep to me, but the person who gave the estimate is the father of one of my wife's friends ....so before I throw toys out of the pram and insist on other estimates I thought I'd ask for a sanity check.

[SteveMax58]

No expert here...so as always...a heavy grain of salt goes with this. I have not contracted something like this before, but I would honestly feel half-confident enough to do it myself (fully confident w/ my brother-in-law's help). :)

Also, it is hard to say without seeing where the wall is going and all that. But $3500 does seem high to me as well.

Did he come over to look at it and go over everything you need/don't need? If so...did he tell you what he thought was needed to blend it in with the house? I would either
(a)if he has nopt been to the house to evaluate it, I'd call him up and let him know you really don't believe it is going to be as involved as he might be worried about and that he should drop by to take a look and make sure "you" aren't missing anything. (i.e. inferring his price might be a bit high for what you need)
(b) get another contractor or 2 to quote a price (without telling him) and see how far off he is (and if he has not been to the house to see it...then option-a is a likely next step)
(c) similar to option-b...but sometimes I've had a ton of luck with just calling companies and just explaining everything to them and asking for a non-binding price swag over the phone. The key here is to write down (or remember if inclined) all the details to it when you get on the phone. If you sound like you have a slight clue, they tend to talk more openly and give a few extra variables that could throw the cost off dramatically. I tend to believe they also price things more appropriately (though this could be superstition).

My guess is (especially in Florida) you could likely get it done cheaper than that, but I would be hard pressed to recommend anybody. On sheer "gut feeling"...for a basic 12ft wall (assuming no taller than 10ft high celing) with a door opening...NO electric, cable, data, crown molding, relocating ac vents, etc...$900-$1400 would be my expectation. Of course, if you do get a fairly lowballed quote, I would expect your project is likely to be their "filler" work and they may quite possibly not plan to do it on the schedule you'd prefer.

Maybe somebody else on here with more firsthand knowledge can confirm or invalidate your concerns better than I.

[Marc Vaughan]

Thanks for the feedback - the chap came around and saw the area in question (so he knows exactly what needs doing).

I'm pretty sure I'm going to be heading out for plan 'b' ... just wanted a double check first to see if my 'gut instinct' was probably right.

[SteveMax58]

No problem...I made a few edits and added a "c" as well which is likely the path I would take at first.

[JonInMiddleGA]

For just an honest to goodness straight up simple wall -- some studs, some drywall work, some simple paint, etc -- that does tend to sound high ... but the thing that jumped out at me were questions like "are you sure this isn't somehow a new load-bearing wall & they're doing something else significant to another wall or the floor or the heating/air or the lighting or something that's complicating it"?

I got the idea that you're pretty sure about those questions but it almost sounded off by enough that maybe he's not sure about it, or is thinking of doing something well beyond the scope of what you expected.

Was the quote he gave you itemized?

[dwardzala]

You might also ask the wife's friend's father exactly what he is going to do. Is he going to re-drywall the ceiling and adjacent walls? Move HVAC vents? Re-lay carpet/flooring? Paint?

Also, you may want to reconsider whether or not you place electrical outlets on the wall as it may be code to have outlets every so many feet on the walls in a room (12 feet I think). And you can never have too many outlets. If he is doing electrical work, then obviously the price goes up (pulling wire to existing circuits is a pain in the ass).

$3500 seems very high. A 12' long wall with a door frame should take no more than 3 hours build and probably less. Drywall/finishing could be another 3 to 5 hours or so. Materials shouldn't be more than a couple hundred dollars (more if electrical work is being assumed). I'd say around $1000 bucks maybe a little more based on any "complicating" factors (mentioned above). I am basing this on my experience finishing my own basement (I did the work).

[lordscarlet]

I make it a policy to always get at least three estimates. It's not an insult to the friend of a friend of a friend's hairdresser's friend, it's just smart home ownership.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I make it a policy to always get at least three estimates. It's not an insult to the friend of a friend of a friend's hairdresser's friend, it's just smart home ownership.

+1

I'm doing a major renovation on a historic building right now. Just got finished with taking bids on a new roof. The range of bids went from $89,000 up to $149,000. That's a BIG difference.

[flere-imsaho]

$3,500 seems high. We did almost exactly the same thing as a part of a larger renovation, and IIRC, this work (the work was itemized) came to less than $1,000 for us, which included crown molding.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

One other thing......

When someone comes over to look at the area where you want the work done, be sure to ALWAYS mention that you've had 3-5 other bids already. You'd be surprised how much more reasonable your estimates get.

[SteveMax58]

One other thing......

When someone comes over to look at the area where you want the work done, be sure to ALWAYS mention that you've had 3-5 other bids already. You'd be surprised how much more reasonable your estimates get.

+1...or mention you WILL be getting a few other quotes when the 1st guy comes out.

[Mustang]

Just hang a curtain up.

[Marc Vaughan]

I make it a policy to always get at least three estimates. It's not an insult to the friend of a friend of a friend's hairdresser's friend, it's just smart home ownership.

Yeah I agree - thats my normal approach also, its just this is the father of one of my wife's friends so I'm trying to be tactful and ensure I have reason to nudge in those additional quotes before I do so ....

[Marc Vaughan]

You might also ask the wife's friend's father exactly what he is going to do. Is he going to re-drywall the ceiling and adjacent walls? Move HVAC vents? Re-lay carpet/flooring? Paint?
I was present when he measured things up and he knows its just a basic wall, no electrics or AC required.

Also, you may want to reconsider whether or not you place electrical outlets on the wall as it may be code to have outlets every so many feet on the walls in a room (12 feet I think). And you can never have too many outlets. If he is doing electrical work, then obviously the price goes up (pulling wire to existing circuits is a pain in the ass).
I've found found out from Lowes (their little 'project' area has some helpful people in it) that it'll probably require a socket in the wall - but the same chap suggested just running it through from one of the other ones which is already present on an existing wall which keeps things (relatively) simple.

$3500 seems very high. A 12' long wall with a door frame should take no more than 3 hours build and probably less. Drywall/finishing could be another 3 to 5 hours or so. Materials shouldn't be more than a couple hundred dollars (more if electrical work is being assumed). I'd say around $1000 bucks maybe a little more based on any "complicating" factors (mentioned above). I am basing this on my experience finishing my own basement (I did the work).
All the prices I'm hearing both from here and locally seem to be in the region of $1000-1500 so this has been very useful and hopefully will save me a bundle in the long run (presuming I can find someone who will actually do the work for that price ;) ).

[CU Tiger]

I was present when he measured things up and he knows its just a basic wall, no electrics or AC required.


I've found found out from Lowes (their little 'project' area has some helpful people in it) that it'll probably require a socket in the wall - but the same chap suggested just running it through from one of the other ones which is already present on an existing wall which keeps things (relatively) simple.


All the prices I'm hearing both from here and locally seem to be in the region of $1000-1500 so this has been very useful and hopefully will save me a bundle in the long run (presuming I can find someone who will actually do the work for that price ;) ).


1) Code requires no place on a wall to be more than 6' from an outlet. If the wall is less than 6' you are good otherwise outlets are required. Doors do not break the 6'

2) Is friend's father pulling permits? He should be, IMHO...We will not do any projects without a permit. I have literally seen horror stories (one of which was in Florida) where a homeowner was doing renovations, that should have been permitted an inspector sees it, and condemns the property and leaves you legally locked out of your house for months.

3) Yes, $3500 seems high. Can you tell me the length of the wall and the ceiling height? If so I can give you a material list in 5 minut and you can price it yourself?

Edit....OOPS went back and re read.
Lets assume 8' ceilings

You will need
(4) 12' 2x4 (double top and double bottom plate...could probably get by without doubling, but cheap, safe and sturdy)
(11) 93" 2x4 studs (double plating each end)
+
~ (3) 96" 2x4s for door framing these are cheap...thats more than enough
Nails

That will cover framing

Next you will need
(6) 4'x8' sheets of drywall (3 each side)
(1) roll of drywall tape
(1) quart of drywall mud
(1) Small amount of spake paste
Sand paper and blocks
Drywall screws

Add in 50' 12/2 ROMEX wire
(2) back boxes
(2) receptacles
(2) cover plates
small container of wire nuts

Covers electrical

(1) Pre hung Interior Door
Hardware for said door

24' of 1/4 round
24' of floor molding

Paint

Viola...material list

Now if he was getting fancy and fishing in light switches etc...

And a few random thoughts..

Will you have light on both sides of wall? if not need to add
What is access (bottom floor? crawl space? slab below? attic or another floor above etc?)

[fantom1979]

Just did a quick estimate using CU Tiger's materials list. It was slightly less than $400 in materials (using Michigan pricing, YMMV). I overestimated when I wasn't exactly sure, so you may be able to get it for less. I used to run the contractor services desk at Home Depot, so I have a little bit of experience with the pricing side. I don't see any way that this comes out to $3500 with labor.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Here's what I think should happen.....

1. Cut and paste list of materials onto a word document and print it out.
2. Invite original bid contractor back to your home.
3. Give him a list of the materials that you think is needed for this job and note that they should cost around $400.
4. Ask for a breakdown of the other $3,100 in costs and snap photo of his reaction.
5. Post photo on FOFC for our entertainment.

Thanks in advance for doing this. :D

[CU Tiger]

Here's what I think should happen.....

1. Cut and paste list of materials onto a word document and print it out.
2. Invite original bid contractor back to your home.
3. Give him a list of the materials that you think is needed for this job and note that they should cost around $400.
4. Ask for a breakdown of the other $3,100 in costs and snap photo of his reaction.
5. Post photo on FOFC for our entertainment.

Thanks in advance for doing this. :D


In fairness, a contractor should charge ~$100/hour for labor. I would say this is a 2 day job at best ( if for no other reason than because drywall mud has to dry)
If he is pulling permits he could eat up another $500 real quick. (Our permit fee is $250 for elec only but these vary wildly by state)
SO....1600 + 400 + 500...maybe 2500.
If he is making a 100% markup on materials (not unheard of) maybe $2900

Note I am going off the cost numbers given above.