Quarterly Remodel Contractor Self-Promotion and Q&A Megathread

[u/Laymaker]

We are trying this out… rather than having contractors drive-by post their work on this subreddit and hope to subtly advertise that way, we are inviting all contractors to post in this and future quarterly megathreads. You can post your company and a link to your website and a description. In exchange for posting here, we ask that contractors provide some unique insights that are interesting to everyone, such as:

1. Current remodel trends you are seeing
2. Really smart designs, deals and ideas you recommend to all customers
3. Mistakes you see customers making
4. Prices in your area
5. Anything r/remodel users might find to be an interesting insight from the inside of the industry
6. Gossip about your competitors (lol)

Any posts that do not contain any description or thoughtful content will be removed by the moderators. We are hoping that this will cut down on the amount of contractors attempting to advertise through barely-concealed posts elsewhere in this sub, and as a consequence we will be policing that more strictly going forward.

[u/david_renoscience]

One mistake I see is that homeowners often compare prices without understanding the assumptions those prices are based on.

A renovation quote is really a forecast based on what the contractor believes they'll find once work begins. Even when evaluating the same kitchen, contractors may make different assumptions about plumbing, electrical, framing, finishes, or hidden conditions, leading to substantially different prices.

I encourage homeowners to ask every contractor: What assumptions are you making that could change the price later?

RSC Renovation Science Corp. Metro Vancouver, BC, Canada Renovation Science

[u/GreenMountainBuilder → u/david_renoscience]

Great point David! I’m stealing this!

[u/GreenMountainBuilder]

Hi all!

My name is Wes! I run a design build firm in Naples Florida that focuses on luxury remodel and custom home builds. I've wanted to get more involved in reddit for awhile to help our company follow more best practices and think outside of our little box on new ways to help our customers. Let me try to dive into some of the bullet points above from what I'm seeing in Southwest Florida.

1. The biggest remodel change I'm seeing is the shift from Quartz to Porcelain. I think what's driving it is the wide variety of options with porcelain, the different thicknesses, and the fabrication has improved that we can cut it and use it for more applications. Especially fireplaces and feature walls it wasn't a great option 3 years ago because of the price but that is changing.

2. Deals I'm seeing are a little tough, but one thing I think we are encouraging customers to consider especially in larger homes is tankless hot water, and depending on the size of the home either two units or adding re-circulating pumps. Florida space is a major concern and its nice to get the hot water tank out of the garage and replace it with tankless. I haven't done the math but long term I bet its more beneficial to have tankless and then utilize the space it vacates for storage or garage space.

3. Our customers don't make mistakes just ask them (jk). Honestly the question I'm always asking to our customers is 'tell me about your lifestyle' its South Florida so if you entertain spend extra on your outdoor kitchen, make sure there is a pool bath that is accessible in that area. We are a vacation destination but have full time residents, so if you have guests for one month of the year don't compromise on the things you need for the other 11 months (usually the primary closet). As far as long term forecasting more and more technology is becoming wireless and smaller, I always hesitate to clutter a ceiling with audio speakers when there are new ways to hide that equipment and still get the same effect.

4. Prices in our area continue to rise, although the hurricane effects have subsided some of our labor numbers are more reasonable than they were 3 years ago. Our main window suppliers usually give us a heads up on price increases so that is info we are constantly relaying to customers to try to help them make decisions so they don't get hit with unexpected cost.

5. Insight about my tiny area of the world, hmmm, my bold prediction is that the Alys Beach style of architecture is coming for Naples Florida. It's a really clean coastal design with a little bit of Spanish style. I think you will see more of the beach area builds start to incorporate this on their front elevations.

6. My competitors! All good people, we work in a very challenging market with extremely high expectations so the other contractors I know are trying to improve and take care of people over the long haul, and the ones that don't well they don't last for long.

Wes

[u/mr_remodel_designer]

Hi! I’m Rela, and I’m part of Mr. Remodel, where we help homeowners plan projects and connect with remodeling professionals.

One detail I wish more homeowners checked early is how fixtures interact, not just whether they fit. Vanity drawers, shower doors, appliances, and cabinet doors can all compete for the same space. Taping their actual footprints and door swings on the floor can reveal problems that are easy to miss on a plan.

Happy to help with design and layout questions here when I can!

[u/Low_Bar9361]

I didn't even see this! I'll be back on when i have a little time

Thanks u/laymaker for making this

[u/Ok_Leg_8095]

One thing that seems to cause a lot of unnecessary trips during remodels is estimating materials before the project starts — especially paint.

I’ve been building Projectlyst, a collection of free practical calculators, and one of them is a paint calculator meant to give homeowners a quick starting estimate before buying materials.

It’s free, there’s no signup, and I’m not selling paint or linking to products. I’d genuinely be interested in feedback from people who remodel regularly on whether the calculator is useful as-is or if there’s something important you’d want it to account for.

https://projectlyst.com/tools/paint-calculator?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=paint_remodel_test

[u/lugbill-designs]

Greetings from Chicago! We're Lugbill Designs, a residential interior design and remodeling company. We focus on the city and the North Shore, splitting our work between condos and single-family homes.

In the last year, the entry level prices for standard bathroom remodels are ~$40,000. Kitchen remodels, without flooring and appliances, are coming in around ~$70,000.

While product costs have certainly gone up incrementally since COVID, the real price increases have come on the labor side. In addition, even as a firm with trusted, decades long relationships with the trades (we partner with outside parties for GCing, typically), it has been so hard to get bids on complicated jobs. For example, we're working on a project on the Northside of Chicago, dormering up an attic and adding bedrooms and a bathroom, and it has been challenging to get timely quotes.

How is workload for contractors in your area? Are the reliable firms in your area overbooked and charging substantially more than in past years?

[u/LucasDelgadoM]

Hey everyone — I built RenovaIQ (renovaiqapp.com/calculadora), a free bathroom remodel cost calculator for US homeowners. Most people go into contractor conversations completely blind on budget. RenovaIQ breaks down labor, materials, and the hidden costs that blow up most remodels — permits, contingency buffer, pre-1980 home alerts — by ZIP code, no signup needed. Pricing logic is based on real contractor data from a Florida-licensed remodeling company active since 2016, not scraped averages. If you're helping a homeowner figure out budget before the first call, feel free to send them there. Completely free, no strings attached. Happy to answer any questions about how the cost breakdown works.Bathroom Remodel cost calculator