Contractor needed for major renovation

[Belmont Resident]

Originally Posted by jmen24

Before starting anything I would recommend having Geddes Building Movers come out and give you a quote on what it will cost you to pick up your house and set it back down on a new foundation. Having the house already be 4 ft up on piers means nothing when you are talking about excavating the center of a dig under a 1400 sf home.

When you find out what that cost will be without a GC mark-up on sub labor, then you can have a conversation with your Architect about the best course of action for the home.

Having been an estimator for a high end residential contractor in the Sunapee area for over 10 years, I can hit many of my subs numbers within 2% of actual with an estimate on equal standing with the work completed (minus change orders). That being said, painting, HVAC and the moving cost of homes (3 pickups or moves in 10 years) have never produced any rhyme or reason with my estimating style. To many variables to determine unless you are the contractor performing the work.

Get a quote on your own for the building move, you will walk into the conversation with a solid idea of cost for the highest variable in this equation.

And not for nothing, don't take your Architects word on what this will likely cost you. They are Architect's, not builders or specialization contractors. Their input is fantastic, just don't take their word on numbers.

Do not necessarily believe your architect is going to steer you to the best contractor for the job. I have known more then one homeowner who fired the architects recommended contractor for another. One time it cost him a considerable amount to tear down and rebuild what the recommended contractor didn't do right.
On the other hand I know of someone building a home in Gilford who shunned the recommended contractors, at least two of them are known to be great builders of quality homes in the area. I had the job of painting the new house as I know the homeowner, but after I heard a lot of really bad things about that job and how things were being done from builders and suppliers alike I decided to stay away from it and wished them well on their project. Homeowner was GC on the project. Over the years I have learned that friends and family are the hardest people to work for and it is usually best to recommend they find someone else to do the work.