the Price of General Contractors

This was the cost of a 255 square foot first floor addition to an existing house. This price included the addition of 255 square feet of living space with an equally-sized addition to the existing basement. The general contractor was responsible for all construction, including the foundation (concrete), framing and building of the actual space, addition of basement stairs, roofing, insulation, doors and windows, all electrical work, moldings, and heating for this extension. This fee did not include building permits and variances, architectural drawings, painting, and carpeting of the new room. There was no plumbing work required.

For starters, my contractor's estimate was within $100 of two competitors that quoted me for the job, so I was very comfortable with his price. This was a huge undertaking and my contractor pretty much took on the entire project, so I really had very little to worry about once I obtained all of the appropriate permits. It was difficult living with the noise and mess of a major renovation, but my contractor kept the chaos to a minimum and worked as quickly as he could to make my house liveable again. The entire project took about three months from start to finish. I anticipated a whole lot of additional costs as I had heard that contractors give you an estimate and then start adding on extras when you are in the middle of the project. I had another $500 in expenses for re-roofing the existing house, but this was by choice, not because the contractor threw in an additional hidden charge. I love my new room!

Make sure you get at least three estimates for the project before choosing a contractor. Beware of offers that seem too good to be true -- there may be additional costs later on, so review the project thoroughly and find out exactly what the price includes before signing a contract. Your contractor should be licensed and insured.