How pricing works
What goes into the number
We don't print figures on this site, because the house decides them. This is what we put in front of you, and when.
- 01
What moves the price
Size, the structure under the new space, the roof, the stair, heating and cooling, the age of the house, the city's fees and your finishes.
- 02
What the estimate includes
The scope, the allowances for things you choose, what's not included, the weeks and who is on site. Plans, structural pages and permits are in it.
- 03
What happens at the visit
One to two hours. We measure, look at the roof, the basement and the panel, and ask what you want. You don't need to prepare anything but your questions and, if you have it, your plat of survey.
- 04
How and when you pay
A deposit, then payments tied to finished stages, per state rules, all written in the contract. Nothing is due for work not yet done.
- 05
If the job changes
A change order, in writing, with the cost and the weeks, signed by you before we do the work. Opening a wall and finding something is a change order too.
- 06
Materials and who buys them
We buy them. Allowances cover the things you choose, like windows and flooring. If your choice goes past the allowance, you see it before we order.
When you get the number
The estimate gets firmer at each step
| What you have | After the drawings | At the contract | After the site visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| In writing | After the drawingsThe drawings, the scope and a budget range | At the contractThe contract, the drawings, the schedule and every allowance | After the site visitA scope of what we found and what the job would include |
| How firm the number is | After the drawingsA written estimate, with the city's review still ahead | At the contractA price for the scope in the drawings, with allowances named | After the site visitA planning range, not a quote |
| What can still move it | After the drawingsCity comments and your material choices | At the contractOnly a change order you sign | After the site visitThe drawings, the structure and what's behind the walls |
Why there's no average on this page
Cost guides disagree with each other by a wide margin, and a Chicago bungalow isn't an average house.
A second story over a sound foundation is a different job from one over footings that need work, and a dormer on a steep roof differs from one on a low roof. An average would be right for nobody, so we don't print one.
What we do is tell you the number as soon as it means something: a planning range after the visit, a written estimate after the drawings, and a contract price when the permit path is clear.
Ready for your own number?
Book a site visit. The planning range comes with the written scope.