Angie's List Tips > January 2009 > Save money on remodeling projects

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Save money on remodeling projects

Posted: 1/16/2009 2:41:55 PM | 14 comments
The daily reminder that now is not the time to sell your house is prompting many homeowners to take a fresh look at their surroundings and remodel instead. According to a nationwide, commissioned poll of Angie's List members, 50 percent say now is a good time to invest in their current home.

And in a recent poll of 150 highly rated service providers on Angie’s List, three out of four said they’re lowering prices, some as much as 30 percent to 40 percent.

A little negotiation can go a long way in getting the best price possible for your remodel. And while the current market is great for bargain hunters, it's critical that your focus be on more than just cost. Finding the right remodeling contractor for your particular job is still the most important decision you’ll make as a homeowner.

5 repairs you can’t afford to put off
Hiring tips to weed out bad contractors
How to survive a remodel


Comments
john
As a contractor, i agree with the other comments made by guys like me. With the exception of a few items, there is no discount for us. Everything has gone up, and its hard to pass on savings to customers, however i do try.
1/18/2010 2:22:46 PM
G Struble
Discounts of 30-40% are impossible for any business to offer.Unless you don't have any overhead. No insurance, no workmans comp, No payroll witholdings, no fixed address, no licenses, no liability insurancs. All these are potential liabilities the homeowner can be sued for or fined. What would it cost for an injured worker who worked for some fly by night company with no insurance, working on your home? Profit margins of these amounts are not realistic in todays market. I feel it is irresponsible of Angies list or any reporting agency to make these broad statements. They are misleading, and hurt ligitimate contractors in an already tight ecconomy. I think your research is flawed, or based on a poll results that were not honestly given.
1/5/2010 7:16:16 AM
Mike
I’ve been in this business over 20 years. Most of my potential clients are looking for a “deal”. As others have stated most of our materials have gone up as well as medical insurance, taxes and all the various business expenses a legitimate company has.
What’s happening now is the illegals have taken over with the low ball bid and that is where Angies List is getting the 30%-40% off. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been underbid by illegals this year in Houston. They can take off as much as they like because they don’t pay taxes or have numerous expenses. It must be nice.
“You get what you pay for” is an understatement with home repair and improvements. Good luck if you go that route…
10/27/2009 10:23:48 AM
Owen Sechrist
The fact that Angie's List would even publish such a statement regarding 30 to 40% discounts is absolutely absurd and simply reinforces the very poor opinion I already have of your organization.
9/15/2009 7:40:24 PM
JOSIE WADE
I WILL LIKE TO KNOW IF ANY CONTRACTOR WILL HELP YOU WITH A DECK WITH A FIX INCOME
5/20/2009 7:56:44 PM
Harley man
I have never seen as much ripoff in the remodeling field as I have in the last year and some have (good standing with Angis list and BBB) I'v been doing this kind of work for over 20 years and at lest every week this year I have had call's of home owners being ripped off and asking us to fix the damage the crack heads have done IF they are lowering the price to get work TAKE that as a clue that they are not one of the better ones to deal with be smart pay the price get it done right the first time
4/8/2009 5:26:17 PM
chris
Roshelle makes an excellent point. Most contractors who are
30-40% below are not offering the same quality, creaftmanship,
or application process.
4/6/2009 10:57:31 PM
CAPS
Be careful of "laid-off" contractors now presenting themselves as Remodelers. Being a good employee of a large builder is not at all the same as managing a remodeling project in your home.
3/3/2009 4:01:44 PM
Lynne
It is apparent that if a contractor can give discounts of 30-40%, they inflated the asking price. There is very little profit in remodeling or building. Therefore, it is impossible to give that great of a discount with true pricing.
3/2/2009 1:24:08 PM
Angie's List Staff
Roshele and Puttingonthefix make a good point – not every service provider in every industry is able to offer discounts of 30 – 40%. But a survey we did in December 2008 revealed that 76 percent of respondents would cut labor and design costs to win bids. Of that group, 70 percent said they’d offer discounts of up to 10 percent, and 30 percent said they’d cut even more. As a consumer, you should feel free to inquire about discounts but you should never hire based on price alone.
2/24/2009 4:10:15 PM
puttingonthefix
I want echo Roshele's comments. A contractor's expense has overall slightly increased. We have seen some decreases in supplies such as lumber but overall, many supplies have slightly increased in cost. I am sure there might some contractors who "offer deep discounts" but usually you get the quality of work that you pay for!
2/18/2009 9:36:08 PM
Roshele
Regarding "good deals" on remodeling...sadly we contractors are seeing NO deals or discounts from our vendors/subcontractors/suppliers. On the contrary appliances, plumbing fixures and windows (just to name a few) have all RAISED their prices at the start of the year. In order for contractors to stay in business for now and the years to come we need to keep our costs where they are so that we CAN be here to service our client's. If we were getting discounts I/we would be happy to forward that onto our client's so that they get the benefit too, I'm just not seeing that happen. I just hope our client's understand that we want to stay in business and not just barely get by. We would like to be here for another 30+ years helping people get the quality remodel they deserve.
2/17/2009 6:27:34 PM
Angie's List Staff
Alex:
We fixed the links. Thanks for honest feedback.
2/16/2009 3:32:54 PM
Alex
I only gave one star because only one of the links worked.
2/16/2009 3:10:14 PM
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