Episode
Why Your Contractor Bids Look Nothing Alike and How to Fix It
- Published
- Apr 11, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2256
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Summary
You've done the hard work. You've gone through design, you've got a plan set you're proud of, and you've sent it to three contractors. The estimates come back: $510,000. $680,000. $820,000. Are they looking at the same house? This is one of the most common homeowner pain points in home building — and Episode 52 solves it completely. Bill Reid, Your Home Building Coach with 35+ years of residential construction experience, breaks down why contractor bids vary so dramatically and reveals the professional tool that fixes it: the Work Breakdown Structure. Instead of accepting bids in whatever format each contractor prefers, you learn how to issue your own format — requiring every contractor to fill in the same division categories with their costs. The result: a true side-by-side comparison where every line item is visible, every assumption is exposed, and every gap is caught before you sign a contract. What You'll Discover: • Why bid variance of up to 100% on identical projects is common — and almost always traces back to plans gaps or format differences • The 4 elements inside every contractor line item: labor, materials (construction and finish), subcontractors, and equipment (construction and installed) • How the Work Breakdown Structure forces apples-to-apples comparison by giving every contractor your categories to fill in • Key WBS divisions — Site Prep, Demo, Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical, Cabinetry, Painting, Specialty — and what varies most in each • What allowances are, when they're legitimate, and how lowball allowances are used to win work at your expense • How to audit allowances across all three bids and what questions to ask any contractor whose number is dramatically lower • The 5 red flags in a contractor estimate and the 5 green lights that signal a tr…