NF Renovation advice

[jughead]

Hello all

 

I am in the process of moving to Toronto, bought a house and need some work done.

 

It needs a complete rewire to convert from 60 amp knob and tube. I have a quote in place for this which seems a bit high but not completely out of line.

 

Then there's the bathroom. I just received the quote to gut the 2nd floor bathroom and expand it slightly (inset a vanity 2foot x 4 foot bump into the adjacent room), plumbing is remaining where it is, drywall walls and tile floor with tile surround for a standard tub/shower.

 

The quote is 17 thousand plus the cost of the fixtures.

 

I have reno'd two houses in Ottawa and this is far above what I would have paid there. Just want to know if there is that much difference between Toronto reno costs and those in other cities.

 

Any advice from local folks would be appreciated.

 

I know there is a gentleman on the board who works in the city doing larger renos and a few trades persons so if anyone can chip in their 2 cents that would be fantastic.

 

Greg

[Spiel]

I'd definitely be looking for other quotes!

[mbac31]

Look for other quotes. That is very high. I am famailar with the costs of renovating and this is entirely out of the normal costa. No difference from here to Ottawa

[JohnF]

Hello all

 

I am in the process of moving to Toronto, bought a house and need some work done.

 

It needs a complete rewire to convert from 60 amp knob and tube. I have a quote in place for this which seems a bit high but not completely out of line.

 

Then there's the bathroom. I just received the quote to gut the 2nd floor bathroom and expand it slightly (inset a vanity 2foot x 4 foot bump into the adjacent room), plumbing is remaining where it is, drywall walls and tile floor with tile surround for a standard tub/shower.

 

The quote is 17 thousand plus the cost of the fixtures.

 

I have reno'd two houses in Ottawa and this is far above what I would have paid there. Just want to know if there is that much difference between Toronto reno costs and those in other cities.

 

Any advice from local folks would be appreciated.

 

I know there is a gentleman on the board who works in the city doing larger renos and a few trades persons so if anyone can chip in their 2 cents that would be fantastic.

 

Greg

 

Sounds like about double what I would expect tp pay for a bathroom reno unless there's a whole bunch of plumbing to change all the way down to the basement. A couple of yars back we did two full baths over completely with a ceramic tile surround in the one and a wall relocated in the other. We changed flooring, vanities, fixtures, everything, and were right around $12k total.

 

JF

[Radnine]

I paid $6000 to have my house rewired from knob and tube about three years ago.

I also paid about $170,000.00 for an addition on the back of the house. I won't go into what I got for that money but suffice it to say that I was gob-smacked. And the work was done by my brother-in-law so I know that I wasn't being hosed. I was however, paying his construction company for about six months, not to mention all of the trades that he brought in, etc, etc. Mind you the work is flawless, it is a 100 year old house and you can't tell where the old house ends and the new part starts, but it cost us (compare that to most additions you see, they are like a toupee and can be spotted three blocks away).

You have done houses before so I am sorry if I am making it sound like I am talking to a newb, but having professionals work on your house is expensive. Professionals have expenses that go way beyond wages and you are carrying those for the length of the job, Clem Clodhopper in his beat up Econoline, not so much.

I know that if someone needs the work they will quote low and bump it up as needed, or do a crap job to make some money out of it. I also think that a smart contractor will quote high on a reno in case they run into any unforeseen details. I am not sure which is worse.

In the end I guess, get a bunch of quotes to see what looks reasonable. But I don't know how anyone can accurately comment on the price (good or bad) based on the info that you have provided ("you're getting ripped off, my bathroom was only $5000.00!!" I mean how do you compare unknown quantities).

Good luck!

Jim

[Gerritt]

While I would defiantly look for other quotes, this price MAY not be out of line... without know all the specifics.... is the wall being altered a bearing wall... as John says Plumbing to bring this to current 2006 OBC (plus addendum's)

 

ou have been given sage advice thus far.. Price it out... but also ensure that the contractor you choose is licensed, has up to date insurance and WSIB.... If he or she cannot produce any of the things I just mentioned... well do not use them. Also would not hurt to check on the BBB for them.. There are a lot of fly by night contractors out there... choose wisely.

 

Here is one other tip...

 

NEVER LEAVE A DEPOSIT!!! With any contractor... set up a payment schedule, to flow with the pace of the project being completed..IE.. 50% of work completed 50% of contract price payed... As the contractor for a Schedule of construction if possible.. (Gantt Chart)

 

Hold back 10% of the total contract price, until you see a WSIB certificate upon the completion of the project.... this is generally 30days, as per the Construction Lien Act. incase he does not pay his suppliers etc and they Lien your property.

 

Good luck!

 

G.

[jughead]

Thanks for the advice all.

 

The quote had the addendum that there may be further costs involved once everything is opened up so the original quote seemed quite high.

 

The bathroom is a straight forward reno. The inset into the adjacent room is now load bearing and will be a cubby hole to make the vanity flush with the existing wall.

 

There is a chance the stack will need to be replaced down to the basement but this was not part of the quote.

 

Beyond that, the tub and toilet will stay in the same spot with new blocking and new fixtures. The quote covered the blocking but not the fixtures.

 

The current tile floor will be torn out and a new tile floor laid. One glass panel (the width of the tub) to be installed. the remaining two walls of the shower stall will be tiled.

 

In short, the layout of the current bathroom will be exactly the same as the new one save for insetting the vanity. The cut out to complete the inset is a load bearing wall so a beam will be installed to cover the four foot span.

 

With regard to the wiring it is a high quote (18k) but includes a new 200 amp panel, moving the service from the back of the house to the front, a few new lines to accommodate a handful of new ceiling fixtures, service to the garage, addition of a dryer plug since the current house doesn't have one, cable and internet lines throughout and a rough in for future expansion to the third floor. All made more labour intensive because the bulk of the house is 100 year old gum wood panelling that i don't want to cut through so it will be a dance to run the drops.