Three bids are in.
Turns out, everything is in the same general ballpark, so we'll probably end up going with the contractor who's been giving off the best vibes.
We're still waiting on a couple more. You know who you are.
| Item |
Contractor A |
Contractor B |
Contractor C |
| Remove stumps for septic, driveway, and cottage site |
4,000.00 |
5,700.00 |
2,500.00 |
| Strip topsoil for cottage and driveway |
400.00 |
750.00 |
950.00 |
| Excavate for frost-wall foundation |
860.00 |
included above |
1,150.00 |
| Install driveway |
4,389.00
(approx. 3850 SF) |
2,970.00
(approx. 2200 SF) |
2,150.00 |
| Backfill foundation with excavated material and imported fill |
5,790.00 |
825.00 |
2,475.00 |
| Supply and place screened stone inside foundation |
3,360.00 |
4,285.00 |
not included (yet) |
| Install a 3 bedroom mound system including design and permit fees |
25,700.00 |
bid forthcoming |
24,150.00 |
| Final grade after construction (re-lay topsoil) |
800.00 |
not included |
650.00 |
At this rate, the MVC will ship in 2025.
We've now got two sitework bids, and I've added the second one to the table below. The numbers are pretty close for the most part, except Contractor B is coming in way below on the backfill price. I need to find out if we're all talking about the same thing.
Also, I am going into the stump-grinding business.
| Item |
Contractor A |
Contractor B |
| Remove stumps for septic, driveway, and cottage site |
4,000.00 |
5,700.00 |
| Strip topsoil for cottage and driveway |
400.00 |
750.00 |
| Excavate for frost-wall foundation |
860.00 |
included above |
| Install driveway |
4,389.00
(approx. 3850 SF) |
2,970.00
(approx. 2200 SF) |
| Backfill foundation with excavated material and imported fill |
5,790.00 |
825.00 |
| Supply and place screened stone inside foundation |
3,360.00 |
4,285.00 |
| Install a 3 bedroom mound system including design and permit fees |
25,700.00 |
bid forthcoming |
| Final grade after construction (re-lay topsoil) |
800.00 |
not included |
The housing market can be hot, and it can be slow. Rates can be high, and they can be low. But one constant remains: most contractors aren't great at answering calls and emails, returning calls and emails, providing estimates, and in general doing what they say they will do. And we haven't even started construction yet.
When the sun dies in 5 billion years, this will still be the typical behavior.
It's been over two weeks since five different contractors looked at our project, and I have only one estimate back. I wanted to post it here to give readers an idea of what we're looking at in order to do all the sitework. As more bids come in🤞I'll add their numbers to the table in the most normalized, apples-apples way I can.
| Item |
Contractor A |
| Remove stumps for septic, driveway, and cottage site |
4,000.00 |
| Strip topsoil for cottage and driveway |
400.00 |
| Excavate for frost-wall foundation |
860.00 |
| Install driveway (approx. 3850 SF) |
4,389.00 |
| Backfill foundation with excavated material and imported fill (estimated 350 yds) |
5,790.00 |
| Supply and place screened stone inside foundation |
3,360.00 |
| Install a 3 bedroom mound system including design and permit fees |
25,700.00 |
| Final grade after construction (re-lay topsoil) |
800.00 |
| TOTAL |
45,299.00 |
