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| We just got a quote for $12,450 for our 1500 sf crawl space that includes 20 mil Clean Space liner over dirt and up block walls, 175 linear ft perimeter drainage piping, 2 sump pumps, and one dehumidifier...all installed in about 12 hours (1 1/2 day job). Does this seem like a fair/realistic quote? We know we need something done...our crawl space holds water even when it hasn't rained, and there's already small amounts of mold growing, but our home is only 3 years old. We just can't see spending that much money. Help please! We're supposed to let the company know this week if we want to sign the contract in order to get a 10% discount before the end of the year. |
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| That sound expensive to me. In addition, whenever a bidder tries to pressure me into signing a contract with some artificial deadline, I generally see that as a sign to walk the other way. I don't know what this should cost, but saving 10% on a $12K bid doesn't sound like a deal to me if you can get the same work done by someone else for half that or less. Do you even have a detailed breakdown from this bidder that shows how many work hours at what rates, and what the materials and equipment costs are. An honest contractor would share that with you. Let's say that 25% of the bid is overhead and profit ($3100). And if it involves a crew of 4 people working a day and a half at $25 per hour, that's $1200 for labor. So that leaves about $8100 for two sump pumps, a dehumidifier and some plastic piping and vapor barrier. Even if those things were gold-plated, they wouldn't cost nearly that much. This smells like a rip-off to me. Please get yourself a couple of other bids, and then decide. |
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| Good grief! I had my crawl space done last December (1260sf) and it cost me $2300. They encapsulated the entire crawl space (yes, now i will go down there) dug a pit at the lowest spot, installed a sump pump and hose. Come late summer I called and mentioned to them that I was getting an odor of mold up in the house, could they come and check. They were here in a couple weeks and ended up digging a trench around the perimeter of the space. No charge. Should have been done to begin with. They told me if I was smart, I would put a dehumidifier down there to get out excess moisture and I did. Worked great during the latter part of summer and most of the fall. I did turn it off a month ago, because I noticed that it was getting 'too' dry in the house. I was sparking and so were the cats! lol... If I were you, I would call local HVAC places and see what they can do. That company is flat out ripping you off... mooie |
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| "We're supposed to let the company know this week if we want to sign the contract in order to get a 10% discount before the end of the year." Reputable companies do not need to use this type of high pressure tactic. Unless they are going to have to dig out to gain working room, the whole thing sounds excessive. |
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| Thanks for the advice...I guess I just needed to hear that $12,450 was not realistic, and found that out quick when I looked up the material costs. My husband and I did some research online and found the closest equivalents possible to the materials they quoted. We found 2 high-quality sump pump systems (with the same sump pump this company uses), the exact dehumidifier they use, 200' of similar drainage pipe, and more than enough 20 mil vapor barrier to complete the job, all for about $3,200 total. So, that tells me they're charging over $9,000 for labor!! Even with the 10% off, we're not getting anywhere close to a deal. We're going to call some other contractors...or if we can find some willing friends, we may try to tackle the job ourselves. Thanks again! |
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- Posted by royalacresrod (My Page) on Tue, Dec 22, 09 at 6:07
| FWIW, I converted my crawl space to a closed system. I used Stego Wrap (got it from hvacquick.com) as the vapor barrier. It's an wonderful product...a true vapor barrier, not a retarder(I have no financial interest in the above company or product). I also dug a sump pit under the house, and channels leading to the sump sit, with drain tile pipe, gravel and filter fabric. Dont know how much headroom you have (I have but 16 inches..ugh) but please dont underestimate how much work it is and how awkward is it to work down there. |
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| catmbw- That's great. And now it sounds like you are armed with the facts so you can scrutinize the other bids. Good luck. |
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