Should You Get a Second Opinion on a Contractor’s Estimate?

You’ve done your homework. You got three estimates for your renovation project. Now you’re staring at three very different numbers — and you have no idea which one to trust.

This is one of the most common situations homeowners face, and it’s more stressful than people expect. A $20,000 gap between bids isn’t unusual. But which contractor is right? Is the low bid leaving things out? Is the high bid padding their margin? Or are you just dealing with contractors who measured things differently?

Here’s the truth: most homeowners have no way to know. You’re not a contractor. You haven’t spent 25 years building additions and remodeling kitchens in Connecticut. You’re making a $50,000, $100,000, or $200,000 decision based on gut feeling and Google searches.

Why Estimates Vary So Much

Contractor estimates vary for a lot of legitimate reasons — and a few illegitimate ones.

Legitimate reasons:

• Different assumptions about scope (one contractor included a vapor barrier; another didn’t)
• Different labor rates (a one-man shop vs. a crew)
• Different material specs (builder-grade vs. mid-grade vs. premium)
• Different subcontractor relationships (one has a plumber he’s worked with for 10 years; another is guessing)

Red flag reasons:

• Missing line items that will come back as change orders
• Unrealistically low to win the job (the “lowball and change order” game)
• Padded overhead on a simple job
• No allowances listed — meaning the number will change when you pick materials

An experienced contractor can spot the difference in about five minutes. Most homeowners can’t — and that’s not an insult, it’s just not your trade.

What a Second Opinion Actually Looks Like

A second opinion on a contractor’s estimate isn’t about getting another contractor to bid the job. It’s about having someone with no financial stake review what you’ve already been given.

When I review an estimate with a homeowner, here’s what I’m looking at:

• Is the scope complete? Does it include permits, dumpster, cleanup, temporary protection? Or are those surprises waiting to happen?
• Are the quantities right? A bathroom remodel that lists “tile labor” without specifying square footage is a blank check.
• Is the markup reasonable? Contractor overhead and profit is normal and expected — but there’s a range.
• What’s missing from the contract? Payment schedule, lien waiver language, what happens if there are unforeseen conditions?
• Does this number make sense for the project? After 25 years, I have a feel for what things cost. A $35,000 bathroom remodel in Connecticut is reasonable. A $12,000 one should make you nervous.

The Cost of Not Getting a Second Opinion

I’ve talked to homeowners who signed a contract without understanding what was in it, paid a lowball contractor who disappeared mid-project, or got hit with $30,000 in change orders on a job that was quoted at $60,000.

A 45-minute conversation before signing would have caught every one of those situations.

The cost of that conversation: $175.

The cost of signing the wrong contract: potentially tens of thousands of dollars, months of delays, and a construction project that turns into a nightmare.

When You Don’t Need a Second Opinion

To be fair — not every project needs this. If you’re getting a deck built by a contractor you’ve used before and trust, you probably don’t need to pay someone to review the estimate. If the scope is simple and the contract is straightforward, it may not be worth your time.

But if any of these apply to you, a second opinion is worth every penny:

• The project is over $30,000
• You’ve never worked with this contractor before
• There’s a significant gap between your bids and you can’t figure out why
• The contract is vague or confusing
• Something just feels off

Trust that feeling. And before you sign anything, talk to someone who’s been on the other side of that table for 25 years.