I have gotten my first rough estimate to finish my craft room space and… I’m kind of speechless.
Hubby and I did our research, so we had a kind of broad price range to expect this project to come in around, or at least a close ballpark figure. Remember, I’m supposed to be doing a large portion of the work myself, some of the big expense portions if you consider the cabinet work.
The number I was given today? It was 4 times higher than I’d really kind of hoped, but maybe only about 3 times higher than the top of what I expected. That wasn’t including the VERY high estimate I got from our HVAC people to take care of the ventilation portion of the project (again, wasn’t expecting that cost, though I will note part of their estimate included things I did not ask for, so this number isn’t completely accurate).
I’m so shocked and discouraged right now it isn’t even funny.
I know that a portion of this, the electrical, is going to be kind of a beast because we are going to have to expand our panel to accommodate the new load. I fully expect this piece to be on the bigger end, but… just wow! Not even CLOSE to what I was figuring.
What makes it even harder to swallow is the fact that this bid was from the only company that I have liked so far. Partly because the others haven’t even bothered to return calls. Or show up. What is left in my line up is Misogyny Guy and two other companies that haven’t returned calls to even set up appointments yet. I never heard a word from No Show Guy.
I have no clue what I’m going to do from here. One option is to have an electrician come in and take care of that part, but still do everything else myself. I’ve not done any framing before, but been around projects that have had it done, so I understand some basic (though probably not nearly enough). I’ve helped with drywall in the past, but not done it all by myself. What parts I did, I really disliked and is why I wanted to hire out that part.
I really need at least one other number before I can make any decisions, but there is a very real chance that this project, that I’ve already bought stuff for, may not get done. Or at least, not done in the way I want it. I may have to completely rethink my plans.
Not feeling overly happy today.
TJ Fox: Sharing the Experience 
I wish you the best of luck in this situation! I can’t even begin to imagine how complex it can be as well as costly! May you find the right contractor and the right price!
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Thanks!
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That sucks, sorry. Do you have any friends that have some experience in framing or drywall who could help you?
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Unfortunately, no. I wish!
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Sorry. Doing any sort if work is just bleh
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It really is. The results are usually awesome and worth it, but getting there can be awful.
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I feel your pain. It took us 7 years…SEVEN…to get an electrician to actually show up, bid, and complete a job for us. We went thru the no-shows, no return calls, totally unrealistic bids, dance. It was a nightmare. I’ll be sending you good contractor vibes, I know you will need them.
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Ugh! I REALLY didn’t want to hear that! I do get it though. We did something similar when we had a problem with our plumbing. 5 years after our house was built and we finally got someone that was not only willing to believe we had a problem, but figure it out and fix it, no thanks to or help from our builder. All the rest of my projects have gone really well, but apparently it was time for a problem project.
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I should confess, part of that time was when we got so frustrated we gave up searching for long stretches. When we finally stumbled upon the right electrician it was a dream come true. Answered my call on the first ring, came by that day to look at project, emailed an estimate the next day, worked with the power company to arrange things. Entire job done within 10 days. It was AMAZING! The right guy is out there for you too.
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That’s how we felt about our HVAC people and why I won’t let anyone else touch that system. I was hoping for a similar experience for this, but apparently that was too much to ask for.
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