Best Bathroom Estimate

You decided to remodel your bathroom and cannot wait to see that old, tired, worn out bathroom replaced by a beautiful new bathroom!  You want the best bathroom estimate.  So, you jump on the internet and find several contractors who specialize in bathroom remodeling.  All are researched.  They are licensed by the Contractors State License Board (CSLB), insured, bonded, local, and have good reviews.  You call and make appointments with all of them.  After meeting with all the bathroom remodeling contractors, you receive rough estimates for your bathroom remodel.  Now what?

How Do I Find the Best Bathroom Estimate?

It would be great if we were all experts on everything.  However, we are not.  So, you may be a great engineer, teacher, manager, programmer, or homemaker, but what do you really know about construction and bathroom remodeling?  Today, many people look to YouTube and TV home improvement shows for information.  Entertainment venues such as YouTube videos and home improvement shows are just that – entertainment.  The owners of the videos and TV shows make tons of money off you.  These are some of the worst places to get realistic information and ideas on bathroom remodeling and their costs.

How to Compare Bathroom Estimates?

It starts immediately after you completed all your preliminary work.  Before you met with anyone, you made sure all were licensed, insured, bonded, had good reviews and were local to your community.

To find the best bathroom estimate, look at these important characteristics.

• Who is the contractor? The best contractors live within a 15-mile radius of your home, have a stable family environment, and have been continuously in business at least 20 years.  They own and operate their own family business.  They do not have a showroom or a salesforce.
• Their web site is updated regularly. It has a robust Blog with lots of well written and informative articles.
• When you call and make an appointment, the person answering the phone or email is pleasant, helpful, and friendly. After the conversation, you feel the person listened to your needs and you are looking forward to meeting the Contractor personally in your home.
• The Contractor visits your home personally. A salesperson is there to make a commission, not help you.  If the contractor is not the person coming to your home, cancel the appointment.
• During the appointment, the conversation is warm and fluid. The contractor listens to your needs, offers suggestions, and answers all your questions completely and truthfully.
• Your remodeling project is about what works best for you and your family. If a contractor simply wants to sell you what they want vs. what you need, it is not a good relationship.  Don’t confuse a contractor offering lots of ideas and suggestions with not listening.  You want lots of ideas and suggestions.

I Met with 3 Contractors and Received 3 Rough Estimates.  How Do I Find the Best Bathroom Estimate?

If anyone comes out to your home and provides you with a firm cost to perform your work, or within 10%, toss them out!  That’s impossible to do!  The best you can hope for during the first meeting is a rough estimate.  These rough estimates can be all over the map.  As humans, we all see and hear things differently.  Common sense tells you that nobody can provide you with a good estimate until they know exactly what you want!  That can’t be done by looking up at the sky and tossing out a number!

Success requires careful planning.  Remodeling is a service business.  It is not a commodity.  No remodeling project can be correctly and confidently estimated without first doing all the hard time-consuming work.  For the best bathroom estimate that you can be confident in, this includes design elements, plans, and a very thorough, detailed by line-item estimate taken from the plans and specifications.  To see how this works, see:

• Bathroom Remodel
• How Much Does a Bathroom Remodel Cost?
• Best Contractor
• Find a Good Contractor
• 7 Truths About Remodeling

Finding the Best Bathroom Estimate Looking at the Numbers.

Okay – now you are looking at 3 rough estimates.  The first is for $15,000.  The second illustrates $22,500.  The third estimate is for $27,523.

Can you tell which of the 3 estimates is the lowest?  How about the highest?  Me either.  I have no idea looking at these numbers which one is the best bathroom estimate.  No joking around.  I am being very serious.  Have you ever heard the cliché “Liar’s figure and figures lie”?  Either of these numbers can be the lowest or the highest.  Without going through the entire design process:

• Design elements
• Plans and specifications
• Detailed by line-item estimate

There is absolutely no way you will ever figure it out.  I’m certain you have heard the cliché “There are no short cuts in life”.  You are not going to be the person that finally cracks the code and knows exactly what every number represents.  I will say it again.  The time-consuming hard work must be performed first.  Remember, anything properly prepared, carefully executed, will be a success!

The entire design process for a typical Orange County master bathroom is 30-40 hours.  For a guest bathroom, it is about 25-30 hours.

Okay smarty pants, how do I figure this all out?

First, read the above 5 articles.  Second, talk to DAD’s Construction.  Third, make sure you are totally committed to your project before calling anyone.  Do not waste the contractors time because you are “interested”, “looking for ideas”, or “just want the lowest price”.  A contractor’s time is valuable – just like yours.  Coming to your home is time consuming and costly.  Forth, go through the entire design process.  Fifth, nothing in life is free.  If you expect professional results and quality service from a highly experienced and competent bathroom remodeling contractor, expect to pay for that level of service.  Just remember, you get what you pay for.  There are no shortcuts to success.

I can promise you will not be disappointed if you follow the entire design process.  That is the only way you will ever get the most reliable and best bathroom estimate.  After more than 45 years in the remodeling business I know what works.  Most importantly, recognize and value the worth of a professional remodeling contractor and be respectful of it.  You will never save money hiring anything less.  Don’t be bamboozled into thinking you can get your dream bathroom at a discount. 

How Can I Receive More Information?

If you would like more information on enjoying the best bathroom, kitchen, and interior remodeling experience in Orange County, call Dan at (949) 380-0177 or at dan@dadsconstruction.com for a free in home consultation.  DAD’s serves all of South Orange County California.  This includes Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Foothill Ranch, Portola Hills, Ladera Ranch, Irvine, San Clemente, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Rancho Santa Margarita, Coto de Caza, Dove Canyon, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and Aliso Viejo.

“Taking Care of Your Home . . . The Way We Would Our Own”

Daniel A. Derkum is the owner of DAD’s Construction.  DAD’s is a leading South Orange County, California design-and-build remodeling and renovation Contractor.  See https://www.dadsconstruction.com.  © DAD’s Home Services & Construction, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.