Field notes

Why two quotes for the same job look nothing alike

Short pieces on the line items that explain the gap between bids. No sales pitch, no pretending the cheaper contractor is the dishonest one — usually they are quoting a different job, and these are the questions that tell you which.

1. Roofing — asphalt shingle replacement

   Two roof quotes, six thousand apart, both honest

   Nobody is lying to you. The cheaper contractor is quoting a different job, and four line items will tell you which one.

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2. Windows — replacement

   Insert or full frame, multiplied by fourteen

   Two installers can both say “window replacement” and mean genuinely different jobs. On one window the difference is modest. On a whole house it is most of the gap between your quotes.

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3. Furnace replacement — gas forced air

   The furnace bid that didn’t mention the chimney

   Moving to a high-efficiency furnace takes it off the chimney entirely. That leaves your water heater alone in a flue built for two appliances, and somebody has to deal with it.

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4. Sewer line — lateral repair

   Nobody can price a pipe they haven’t looked inside

   Spot repair, lining and full replacement sit thousands of dollars apart, and the only thing that decides between them is footage from a camera. A quote without one is a guess with a number on it.

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Written for homeowners · General guidance, not a code ruling