If the bid you receive is 50 percent less than the competition, you should question it. While you may receive a low bid, the contractor could then add materials that should have been included in your original bid. He could also begin marking up materials costs like a madman and take quality shortcuts whenever he can. The homeowner ends up with a homeremodeling project that cost him well above what was quoted in the bid. Worse yet, both the materials used and the workmanship are shoddy.
Most homeowners are at a disadvantage when it comes to home remodeling projects.
We don't understand the nuts and bolts, the lingo, the job requirements. So we trust contractors who tell us that some unanticipated extra work came up on our projects for which we'll have to pay extra. Unless, of course, we want a substandard project, in which case our homes might collapse. Watch out for contractors who tell you the job just can't be done right unless they add A, B, and C, which will cost you X, Y, and Z. Such contractors are supplying their crew with busy work which ups your costs. Contractors worth their salt will alert you before the project begins of the potential problems they could encounter, and how much those could cost you above the original bid.