What we find when consumers put plans out to bid is that every contractor does everything differently and the results you get back will still be difficult, if not impossible, to compare. You cannot know if the same quality is being quoted or what the details of the products and construction specs really are. It is one of the most difficult parts of this industry.

Having said that, I don't think getting multiple bids is a bad thing. What is bad, IMO, is not establishing any criteria by which you will make a comparison - other than the total price is lower so I'll go with that (which is what 99% of people do).

As a design/build firm, what we would prefer is for the consumer to sit down with us and reach a good understanding of what is really in the numbers and why the costs have come out differently. Generally there is project scope creep and the products in the quote are different from the original discussions. Sometimes the differences are that a consumer wants a wild guess on the spot in an initial meeting and the contractor throws a number out and it turns out to be way off. No two remodels are the same and there is no quick formula to provide an initial guess. Have some open, honest discussions with the current design/build firm and ask how the price got to where it is and ask how to get back in the ballpark of where you would like to be - but be prepared to pare back. Have this information in hand before you go talk with others. Also, make sure you tell others exactly what detail you want to see in order to compare bids. You can't assume that construction techniques and quality are the same between various contractors and the only difference in price is the consumer products that you get to select - it just isn't true.

It can be discouraging to work with consumers who (for instance) say they want all wood cabinetry of a high quality and when you price that (and all the other nice things they said they wanted) the price is outside of what the consumer wishes to pay. The consumer then goes out for bids and chooses someone that has a lower price. After the fact they find that they got lesser quality cabinets, lesser quality in the construction, some things were left out entirely, etc. Or, they go to someone with a cost plus contract and in the end pay as much or more for the project. If sacrifices and changes need to be made in order to reduce the price - it would seem to be better to work with a quality contractor and know what you are giving up on the front end rather than find out at the end.

I read about alot of scammers in newpaper. Now, even though a contractor has a license number, how can i find out it is still valid...some of them had there licenses revoked. Thanks

Every state has a department that regulates construction and licenses. You can contact that department. Here in NC, the construction industry, fire Marshall and insurance commissioner are all within the same department.

Here in Washington state you can look up contractors on the state licensing agency