Ouch.

Just got our first preliminary bid. I got all excited because (a) it's from the contractor we like best and (b) Andrew sent it over with a note saying it was "within shouting range". I actually began fantisizing about calling his references...

But then we popped open the Excel spreadsheet, and the magic number is: $106,085.71

Unless I am reading something wrong, we're not really at all "within shouting range" unless you've got some sort of superhero amplification and/or hearing. $106K is more than 30% over our $80K budget ($100K minus 20% for contingencies), and that's without any appliances ($8K?), cabinets ($10K), or... (ta-dah!) architect fees ($15K, easy).

Then I notice this sweet little footnote: "Leveling of floors and ceilings is not included and will be considered a change order and will be billed as such". I thought we were clear about the bathroom floor being part of the scope of work... And his costs for some items are obviously low, like $157 for a bathroom sink. I'd like to see the piece of junk you get for $157, even wholesale.

Shaving $30-40K off this bid isn't do-able and we're going to have to hope that other bids come in lower. Or go back to the drawing board. I'm pretty clear that I don't want or need a $150K kitchen.