Tell them you will purchase the 'major items' : Tile, tub, faucets, toilet, vanity, light fixtures, towel bar, shower door - etc. Sit down and make a BOL (bill of materials) that you will supply (supurchase yourself.)

Just run it by them that they fit the layout.

I have remodeled two bathrooms - bought almost everything on the internet. These 'showrooms' are a joke - they don't have the stuff in stock - are higher priced - and you gotta pay sales tax.

That is how most contractors do business. Several reasons, like making sure the bottom line is protected. Another is because many contractors have product lines they are familiar using, have confidence in, or have deals with those suppliers.

They have experience with the suppliers and the suppliers will work with the contractor---by allowing the materials to be supplied and billed later.

They want you to pick the materials(within the cost limits) so they do not have complaints later. And, if what you want is outside the cost limits, they need to know that to adjust the overall budget.

Another reason is change orders. For a large project, a change order will add cost---by reworking the plans, additional time for supplies/permits/travel/etc.

I ran my business so the customer bought all materials. I would charge handling fees, but my costs were labor only. And I charged some jobs by the hour and others----those with no changes, by the job.

Why not give them a list of exactly what it is that you want concerning all your fixtures and finishes, or price those items out yourself so you will know if they fit in to the contractor's "allowances." If they have "product lines they are familiar using" as handymac suggests, I'd want to know what they are. Actually, I'd want them to use the products that I want, not those that they want me to want. When I remodeled my bathrooms, I purchased every single thing myself.

If the contractor agrees with self purchase, fine.

Do not expect any warranty to cover self purchased materials.

I made that plain to customers---I warranty my labor---the material the customer buys fails, I will charge to replace it.

I mentioned I had my customers buy their material. That did not mean they always got to pick the brand. I would determine if the material they bought was of sufficient quality and I knew(or could learn) how to install it.

Example, did a grooming room for a local vet. I worked for a vet once and my DIL was his groomer. He had read some literature about how to set up a grooming room facility. He wanted plumbing equipment from a local home improvement store. I showed him why commercial grade plumbing fixtures made more sense.

He wanted to paint the walls around the tubs with a high priced 'special' water resistant paint. I showed him how a commercial grade plastic paneling was the better long term install. Easier to clean, mold resistant, and did not require external caulking.

Showed him how a small water softener would save money (soap and rinse costs) and payback in three years.

He had an outside water trough for large animals---I plumbed a freeze free system---20 feet away from the supply point.

Put in woven rubber mats instead of solid rubber---less water retention and still did not impact animal claws.

That was probably 18 years ago, will bet all of it is still working.

Many times the contractor knows better than the owner.

In every remodeling project we've ever done, the cost of our selections were always at least 30-50% more than the allowance amount for those items. And, it's not like we pick top of the line imported stuff, either. We tend to stick middle of the road.

You can find pics of our master bath reveal on the Bathroom forum. If I recall correctly, the labor was $19k and the selections (everything from tub to tile to cabinetry to fixtures to glass shower) added another $14k to the tab.

Depending on the area of the country you live in, you might think the cost was "highway robbery" for what we got or you might think that we got a fantastic deal. So, keep in mind that "your mileage may vary"!

@handymac: "Do not expect any warranty to cover self purchased materials. I made that plain to customers---I warranty my labor---the material the customer buys fails, I will charge to replace it. "

As a self employed professional, and engineer, what's the difference between what an individual purchases (assuming it's a quality product) and the small 'kick back' you get from them going to 'your' supplier? Are new parts (I assume faucets) going to fail within your warranty period?

"mentioned I had my customers buy their material. That did not mean they always got to pick the brand."

They couldn't pick the brand (again assuming that is quality) - you are truely a 'handyman" - nothing else.

We did exactly what Geoffrey and Jellytoast did, with no complaints from our GC. We bought all of the fixtures and fittings (cabinets, vanities, tile, faucets, counters, etc.) - he bought all of the general construction materials - wood, sheetrock, nails, screws, etc. We did subcontract the flooring, electrical, plumbing and sprinklers through him, so we paid the upcharges on those items.

In two cases, we had purchased items he had not installed before, but he's a great GC and he figured them out and did a great job (the two were the linear drain in the master shower, and the paneling on the specific Thermador refrigerator, which is apparently quite complicated even if you have done it before)

Geoffrey_B

You are making assumptions with no facts.

I simply mean if a customer purchases a product on their own, I will not warranty labor to replace the product should it fail within my labor warranty period. They are on their own to recoup any labor charges from the manufacturer. I never got any renumeration from a manufacturer or distributor for buying products. I recommended/panned products on the basis of my experience and the manuf. reputation.

Now, when I suggested a product and they buy it, I am more willing to warranty the product---if for no other reason than the fact I recommended the product. And I have done that---and recouped costs myself from the manufacturer.

I seldom did work for higher end customers because I was doing the work more for something to do in my retirement than to make money.

I often did work for a story and a hug---for people who were on fixed incomes and could not afford a 'real' contractor. However, I have worked on $400,000+ houses(that is a really big house here in KC---4,500 sq. ft. 12/12 pitch wood shingle roofs, three car garage, mother-in-law suites, 5 bd, 4 bath, etc.).

And I have worked on 25 year old mobile homes where the flooring had deteriorated to the point residents fell through and broke an ankle.

Was I 'just' a handyman? Heck yes, and damn proud of my ability and expertise. I frequently knew more than the codes inspector. I knew I could not match a companies stain on supplied trim product without their specific recipe. I knew what contractors used to finish trim on houses built here locally and was in demand to repair trim and match colors.

I could fix scratches in wood flooring when appliances damaged the wood. I could install shingles, plumb a sink, wire a light, paint a room, or install any kind of flooring as well as many pros.

If you want firm prices, then YOU have to do more legwork on the front end. You pick out everything that you want to use. Then you hand each contractor a spec sheet. You'll be comparing apples to apples bids for the most part then. Having contractors bid "a bathroom remodel" just frustrates everyone involved and isn't fair to anyone.

Otherwise, just expect the standard industry cost project (16K) with average level finishes. "Update an existing 5-by-7-foot bathroom. Replace all fixtures to include 30-by-60-inch porcelain-on-steel tub with 4-by-4-inch ceramic tile surround; new single-lever temperature and pressure-balanced shower control; standard white toilet; solid-surface vanity counter with integral sink; recessed medicine cabinet with light; ceramic tile floor; vinyl wallpaper."

Here is a link that might be useful: Cost vs. Value