Two contractors look at the same bathroom. Call (201) 676-3099 or book a free estimate.
Two contractors look at the same bathroom. One says "about $22,000." The other hands you a fixed, itemized price of $26,500. Most people pick the first one. Most of those people end up paying around $31,000. Here's why an estimate is not a price — and what to ask for instead.
What an estimate actually is
An estimate is an educated guess, and that's all it is. It's what the contractor thinks the job might cost before anyone opened a wall or priced the tile you'll pick. It is not a commitment. Nothing stops the final bill from landing 30 or 40 percent higher, and nothing on that piece of paper says it won't.
The word "estimate" is doing a lot of work. It's telling you, in advance, that the number can move. Most homeowners read it as a price anyway. That gap — between what you read and what it says — is where the money goes.
Five ways an estimate grows
Permits. Haul-away. Patching the ceiling below. The electrical upgrade the inspector will require. The dumpster. Ask one question: "Is this number the whole job, or just the part you wrote down?"
"Tile allowance: $3 per square foot." The tile you'll actually like is $9. "Fixture allowance: $400" buys a builder-grade faucet and a toilet, not the ones in the photo you saved. Every upgrade becomes an extra — and the allowances were set low on purpose so the estimate looked good next to the others.
The most expensive sentence in remodeling. If nobody inspected behind the walls before quoting, then everything behind them is a surprise, and every surprise is billed at whatever rate gets named that day, with your bathroom already torn out.
"Labor at $85 an hour plus materials." Fine, until the job takes twice as long as the guess. You have no number to hold anyone to, because there never was one.
A "yeah, go ahead" in the hallway becomes a $2,400 line on the final invoice. If it wasn't written down and signed, you'll argue about it — and you'll lose, because the work is already done.
What a written price looks like
New Jersey requires home improvement contracts over $500 to be in writing, with the price and the dates. A written price isn't a luxury or a favor. It's the minimum.
- One total, fixed, for a described scope of work.
- Itemized lines under it: demo, permits, plumbing, electrical, tile, fixtures, glass, paint, cleanup.
- Named materials or tiers, with allowances you could actually shop with.
- A start date and a finish date.
- A payment schedule tied to work you can see. No deposit.
- The change-order rule in plain words: nothing gets added without your written approval.
- The guarantee wording, the contractor's NJ registration number and the insurance certificate.
Why we can fix the number and others can't
It isn't bravery. It's homework. We inspect like builders before we quote: open the access panel, look at the stack, run a camera down the drain, check the electrical panel, measure the drop under the tub. Most "surprises" aren't surprises if someone looked first.
When something truly can't be seen — a rotted joist under the old tub — you get photos and priced options before anything is done, and nothing changes without your signature on a written change order. That's the Price-Lock Guarantee, printed in your contract. And you hold the final payment until we walk the job together, item by item.
That's also why our number lands typically 15–30% under national-brand quotes for the same or better spec: no franchise fees, no commissioned salesmen, no rented subcontractors. Bring us any written quote and we'll match the scope line by line.
How to compare two quotes fairly
- Put them side by side and match them line by line. A missing line is a future invoice.
- Add up every allowance shortfall using the tile and fixtures you actually want.
- Ask each contractor the "what if you find something" question and write down the answer.
- Compare the finish dates. "A few weeks" is not a date.
- Ask who does the work. A crew on staff and a crew rented by the day are not the same price, even when the paper says so.
- Then compare. The cheapest estimate is usually the most expensive price.
Questions people ask next
Is a fixed price always higher than an estimate?
On paper, often a little higher — because it includes everything the estimate left out. At the end of the job it's almost always lower, because there's nothing left to add. You're comparing a whole number to a partial one.
Can a fixed price ever change?
Only two ways. You change the scope — you decide you want the heated floor after all — and sign a written change order for it. Or we find a hidden condition nobody could have seen, and you get photos and priced options to approve or decline before any work. If you say no, the price stays.
What exactly is a change order?
A one-page written addition to the contract that says what's changing, what it costs, and how it affects the finish date, signed by you before the work happens. It protects both sides. No signature, no change — and no argument on the last day.
Do you charge for the written quote?
No. The in-home consultation is free, the crew that will build the job does the measuring, and you get a written, itemized price on the spot. If we're not a fit, you keep the paper.
Need a licensed contractor near you?
If you searched “licensed contractor near me” anywhere in New Jersey, that's us. First Call Contracting is based in Paramus and sends its own licensed crew to all 21 counties — written price before work starts, no deposit, a real person on the phone 24/7.
Get a number, not a guess.
Free in-home consultation. Itemized fixed price on the spot, printed with the Price-Lock Guarantee.
Or call Alex direct: (201) 676-3099