How final should plans be when sent to bid?

11 years ago

Hi all -- new to the forum with the first of what I am sure will be many postings. We are preparing for a (hopefully) large addition on the back of our house. Currently, we have a small kitchen that we would like to convert to a butler's pantry, with a new kitchen/family room space to be added on the back. The second floor now has what are being called four bedrooms but are effectively three, because one is captive. We want to add a new master suite and guest room above the kitchen/FR to get up to five bedrooms (the current small, walk-through fourth bedroom will become an upstairs laundry room). Here's my question: how complete should floor plans be when sent out for bidding? We're still finalizing some structural decisions -- indoor stairs to the basement or bulkhead doors, french doors with steps off the back or fixed windows, shape of the roofline, materials for the exterior. It seems to me that these are fairly significant questions that will impact the bidding process enough to be worth delaying. However, my architect has some builders he likes working with, so he's trying to get the floor plan out this week in order to stay on their radar. (Or maybe he's just tired of me waffling, which would be understandable.) I suspect he may also be concerned that the project scope exceeds our budget, and this is more of a broad strokes "reality check" to see if we're in the ballpark. That's not a bad idea either, but even still, I'm wondering how useful the exercise will be if we haven't yet decided whether we're using vinyl/cement fiber/stone, or how the roof will have to tie into the existing slate. We also haven't really given much consideration to the site plan at all yet. Thoughts? I am completely new to this; we remodeled the first floor of our last house ten years ago, but that was very small potatoes compared to this addition. Any advice about the usual bidding process is really appreciated.

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Comments (5)

virgilcarter
11 years ago
Your construction drawings and specification should include everything that you want the contractor to build, provide and/or install, so as to eliminate allowances and to know what you are actually getting and what it will cost before proceeding with construction.

Far too many people think that "it's too much work; too many decisions" and let the builder provide them with a long list of allowances in the initial construction bid and in the contract for construction. Unfortunately, too many builders follow a practice of low-balling the allowances in order to be competitive (in competitive bid situations) and to keep the initial construction cost low (in negotiated contracts). Only later does an owner find out that the allowances may often be insufficient for what the owners later decide they actually want. This forum and the homebuilding forum are full of threads on this subject. Search for them.

The only way to know what your true construction cost will be is to do your due diligence and ensure that everything you want in your project, the way you want it, is included in the drawings and specifications used for bidding.

Most builders will only look closely at a set of construction drawings and specifications once. Their time is money. So if you want a complete and realistic price, wait until things are fully complete before bidding.

If you (or your architect) think you are already over budget, work it out now in the design stage. Reach mutual agreement during the design phase and before commencing construction documents, not after!

With many builders, you only get one shot! After that, their attention goes elsewhere to "serious" owners who know what they want and match their budget to that.

Good luck with your project.
renovator8
11 years ago
You should ask your architect for a better explanation. If the drawings are incomplete the bids will be high and tell you very little.

You might consider paying one of the builders to act as a cost estimator and advisor and then bid the project with complete drawings.

When architects act strangely or contrary to their client's interests it is a good idea to check their registration online.
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live_wire_oak
11 years ago
It's the difference between a 100K bid and a 300K bid.

Be specific. If you can't be specific, at least be realistic in any allowances. That's what gets people every time.
scullery
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks so much for the followup. This is what my gut was telling me.
brickeyee
11 years ago
The less precise the plans are the higher the cost.

Anyone bidding to them will make pessimistic assumptions to cover the job and up goes the cost.

You can also go to far in specifications though.
At some point they become so detailed few will even bother to review them, leaving you with few bids often at high cost.