Pardon our Dust raises a good question about contractor markup costs. The homeowner feels 22% is way overboard but from the comments and through a bit of research it looks like 22% is actually quite reasonable. Despite what people think or talk about there is no industry standard for pricing remodeling jobs. Successful contractors run their business at the margins that suit them and what the market will bear.
This homeowner and his family have renovated their 1913 tudor house (which they bought for $65,000 twelve years ago) with pure sweat equity and have managed to completely transform a home that was on the brink of being condemned all without going into debt and living and spending within their means.
A new renovation project takes a lot of planning, whether you're doing it yourself or not. You have to coordinate the schedules of the contractors, gather the materials, and prepare your home. But don't forget one last important preparation: bracing the family for the disruptions that will ensue.
Hansa Stella Faucet
The K/BIS 2008 conference and show in Chicago has wrapped up and we've pulled together a list of the best coverage. Some of favorite new products include the Fisher and Paykel "gas in glass" range and we welcome a new kitchen countertop material, glass, from >ThinkGlass.
