1. Different scope, same room
One bid replaces the shower surround. Another rebuilds the shower with a new waterproofing assembly. Same room, same photo, very different work.
2. Allowances vs. selections
An allowance is a placeholder amount for something you haven't chosen yet. A bid with low allowances looks cheaper and then grows once real selections are made. Ask what allowance each bid used and whether it reflects what you actually want.
3. What's excluded
- Demolition and disposal
- Permits and inspection coordination
- Repairs to conditions found behind walls
- Painting and trim after the primary work
- Cleanup and final finish work
- Protection of adjacent finished areas
4. Who is actually doing the work
Self-performed labor, long-term subcontractors, and lowest-bid subcontractors carry different costs and different reliability. Neither model is automatically better, but they aren't the same product.
5. Insurance, licensing, and overhead
Carrying proper coverage costs money, and it's part of the price. A bid that's dramatically lower sometimes reflects what isn't being carried.
6. Contingency and honesty about the unknown
A contractor who has opened enough walls knows some things won't be visible until demolition. Some price that reality in; others price the best case and issue change orders later. The second approach produces a lower first number and a higher final one.
How to normalize the bids
| Ask every contractor | What it reveals |
|---|---|
| Can you list what is excluded? | Where the low bid found its savings |
| What allowances did you use, and for what? | How much price is still undetermined |
| Who performs each portion of the work? | Consistency and accountability |
| How are change orders priced and approved? | Whether surprises are documented or verbal |
| What's your payment schedule tied to? | Whether progress or the calendar drives payments |
| What happens if you find damage? | How the unexpected gets handled |
The lowest number is a starting point, not a price
If a bid is far below the others, the useful question isn't "why is it cheap?" It's "what is it not including?" Sometimes the answer is legitimate efficiency. Often it's scope.
- Estimate spread usually reflects scope differences, not markup differences.
- Low allowances make a bid look cheaper without making the project cheaper.
- Ask what's excluded — that's where the difference lives.
- A contractor who names what might be found behind a wall is telling you the truth.