George asks…
Landscaper charged way more than estimate – is that standard?
I had my landscaper give me an estimate for tearing down original landscaping, removing rocks and adding a low retaining border and pavers. His original estimate was too high, I said I couldn’t pay that much and we re-worked the size of the wall and walled in a smaller area, so that the price was in my range. His company came out to do the work and after it was done he said he made a mistake estimating and had to add one more row of bricks or it wouldn’t have worked so it should cost a bit more. He downplayed it and said it would be just a bit more. It ended up being 45% more than the estimate and actually came in higher than the 1st estimate. Is that normal in the landscaping busines to be so far off on estimates? I’m happy with the work and luckily CAN pay it, but I can’t plant trees right now because that was my tree budget. But I’m mad and wondering if I should put up a fight or just let it go. I know nothing about landscaping estimates, etc.
Suntan answers:
An estimate is just that, an estimated cost. It should be within 10% of the actual cost and, had a contract been written using that estimate, it would be the total he was due unless there was a written order to change one or more things on the project. It sounds like this guy took advantage of you simply because you wanted to negotiate the original estimate and he saw an opening he could exploit. If you have already paid him the only thing you can do is tell everyone else what a rip-off the guy is. You could take him to small-claims court but you would probably lose since you did pay him. If you had disputed the additional charges and forced him to take you to court to collect the judge would probably allow a small change in the price but, unless there was only one row of brick to begin with, it would not be 45% additional. Then, again, the judge may have told the guy any additional work he did without your approval was donated out of the goodness of his heart, since he didn’t ask you about increasing the price before doing the work.
Let this be a lesson and learn well. Never let any contractor do any work without a written contract. I would also not use his contract; I would have my own written up by an attorney that worked for me. So many times contractors only use the first part of the word ‘contractor’, when they work for individuals; they stop at the ‘n’. Reputable contractors will insist on a written contract and will not object to its being from you, as long as it is fair.
Good luck and enjoy!
Steven asks…
How do I dispute charges from a contractor for unwanted work?
I recently had a contractor complete some landscape. He had left out some additional work from the original bid. I need some rock placed in a ditch to prevent erosion. He quoted me a couple of hundred dollars, with no official bid sent as he had done with the original project. I got a bill in the mail for $2500! He says that he can reduce it to $2000. I would have never agreed on a project with such a price tag. How do I dispute this?
Suntan answers:
Dispute it thru non-payment of the bill.
Then, if necessary, in small claims court.
Susan asks…
How to negotiate a price on a new build home?
My husband and I are looking int buying a bigger home because we just had our second child. We currently own a 3bdrm 1bath ranch with 962sq ft. The house we are looking at is a new build, not yet completed due to the home builder waiting for someone to buy it to customize the home (counter tops, flooring, etc.) This home consists of 4bdrm 2.5 bath 1856 sq ft. They are asking for a price of $229,900 which we think is outrageous. The taxes on this property will run about $5000-$6000. The home builder does not include any landscaping, meaning no topsoil, no seeding, no grating of the rocks on the property and the backyard slopes the last 10-15 ft which we would not be able to use really. We are meeting with the contractor this week to discuss lowering the price. So my question is, how do I go about lowering the price on a new build and do you think offering a bid at $200,000 is too low? Give me all your feedback from anyone who went through this before. We are willing to sign papers tomorrow pretty much if we can get a lower price. We are 2nd time home buyers.
Suntan answers:
I can see your BIGGEST problem. I assume you have to sell your old house. If so, you are in no position to get the price lowered.
If the builder knows that he can sell the house within 30-45 days, then he will look at lower prices. With the contingency to sell your old house, you really haven’t purchased the house, you have just taken it off the market on a promise to actually purchase.
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