# 269. How to Compare Contractor Bids When They're Wildly Different

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/only-girl-on-the-jobsite-3378124/269-how-to-compare-contractor-bids-when-they-re-wildly-different.md
Podcast: [Only Girl On The Jobsite](https://stenobird.com/podcast/only-girl-on-the-jobsite-3378124)
Published: 2026-03-03T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://devignierdesign.com/how-to-compare-contractor-bids
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/devignierdesign/OGOTJ_Ep269.mp3?dest-id=2400560
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/only-girl-on-the-jobsite-3378124/episodes/269-how-to-compare-contractor-bids-when-they-re-wildly-different
Duration seconds: 1638

## Resource

Today, we're talking about something that happens on every renovation project I manage: Contractor bids that don't match. Same project. Same drawings. Same walkthrough. And yet — the numbers come back wildly different. Sometimes it's ten thousand dollars. Sometimes it's fifty thousand. And if you've ever stood in front of a client trying to explain why one contractor is double the other… yeah. You know the feeling. So today, I'm walking you through why contractor bids vary (even when you've done everything "right"), how to run a contractor walkthrough that actually reduces variance, the step-by-step process to compare bids line-by-line, and how to ask tough questions without sounding confrontational. Because yes, you can push back professionally. Mentioned in this episode: Access the full video interview with Elana Steele of Steele Appliance here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/appliance Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/how-to-compare-contractor-bids

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