Kevin wrote:
Man,

these people are a bunch of jokers. Don't listen to them. I wouldn't trust
a contractor any more then a used car salesman...the only exceptions are
friends or people that have already proven themselves trustworthy.
Contractors will charge a number on the high side. If the job is easy and
cheap, they get to keep some extra dough. If the job is more
difficult/costly, they stick it to you. They show up for a few hours every
few days. They hire ILLEGAL aliens and pay them dirt wages, but still
charge you full price. I have known contractors that said something would
take a week to demo...I did it in a few hours. Real trustworthy people out
there. Find a friend and buy him a keg of beer Other then that, ask
lots of people if they know anyone that is trustworthy.

You know, I make it a point to upgrade the valves whenever they are exposed.
It only costs a few bucks and you just increased the reliability of the
system. The old valves are usually full of crud and about 1/4 of the time
they don't even work very well. If you already have the walls exposed, just
spend the extra $200 to get the new anti-scald valve for the shower. If you
want to be real cheap, you could probably find something for $100.

Contractors and handymen should be federally regulated and they should have
standardized forms that list anything that is remotely possible. Gees, they
could put a spreadsheet or a database on a laptop and input the
requirements, it could print out like 20 pages with all the possibilities
and likely cost. As they do the work they could update the data every night
and you could log into a webpage and see exactly where things stand. Once
the job is done, you would have a printout of everything that was done and
all the parts and labor would be itemized. If the job was cheaper, you
would get your discount, if the job cost more you would pay the extra
amount. Some auto mechanics and home inspectors have something similar. It
is pretty nice to see something like that.

To summarize your post.
- You believe contractors should be socialists so they won't profit
beyond what you think is reasonable nor take risks and earn the
rewards.
- You'd like all construction to be performed by accountant/
contractors at the same price as it is now being done and have them
fill out another couple or three hours of paperwork every night.
- You believe risking your friends on your construction projects makes
good financial sense for you.
- You'd like to have another layer of bureaucracy added to contractor
licensing.
- You believe it's possible to even create a comprehensive form
covering all of the possibilities in remodeling.
- You believe it's beneficial to micromanage.

An observation.
- You have no clue what you are talking about.

The stuff you propose has to get paid by someone. Who exactly?
You're so cheap you'd rather risk your friends and pay them with beer
then locate a licensed and insured contractor that could deal with
your micromanaging, so I'm sure that you don't feel that _you_ should
pay for all of these "improvements". Since you presumably work and
pay taxes, you are the one supporting the government and paying the
contractor (theoretically), so those extra contractor hours, and
government supervision will be coming out of your pocket. But since
you don't hire contractors, you might as well sew your wallet shut.
Make sure to remind your neighbors to thank you for fixing your
shortcomings with their money.

The OP is asking about a remodel that will take a couple or three days
- and you want nightly updates on the internet. Sheesh. Newsflash:
when you get home, look what was done - if you have questions call the
contractor.

Your whole scenario smacks of a person that avoids personal
interaction, is insecure about their ability to protect their own
interests, has their head in the clouds (I'm guessing you read a lot
of science fiction and you work in the computer field), and you have a
tenuous, at best, grasp of how anything actually gets priced.

Other than that - excellent post!

R