What a fixed price actually covers, and what it doesn't

Most renovation horror stories start the same way. The quote looked reasonable, the work started, and then the extras began. Rotten subfloor. Undersized wiring. A tile the client "assumed was included."

We sell fixed prices because we think that pattern is avoidable most of the time. But "fixed price" gets thrown around a lot, so it is worth being specific about what ours means.

The price is fixed because the scope is fixed

A number is only fixed if everyone agrees on what it buys. That is why we design before we price. By the time you see a number from us, there is a drawing, a material list and a written scope behind every line.

If the drawing shows a 12 foot island in honed quartzite with a waterfall end, that is what is priced. Not "an island." Not "stone counters, TBD."

The more decisions made up front, the less room there is for the price to drift. It is not complicated. It just takes more work before the first shovel goes in, which is the part many contractors skip.

Where allowances still make sense

Sometimes a client is not ready to pick a specific light fixture or tile in week one, and that is fine. In those cases we carry an allowance: a set amount for that item, written into the contract.

If you choose something under the allowance, the difference comes back to you. If you fall in love with something over it, you see the exact difference before you commit. Either way it is your call, made with numbers in front of you.

What we try hard to avoid is the lazy allowance. A $3,000 "lighting allowance" on a kitchen that clearly needs $9,000 of lighting is not a fixed price. It is a change order waiting to happen.

What we cannot promise

Honesty matters more than a clean sales pitch, so here are the real exceptions.

• What is hidden inside walls and under floors. We open up and investigate during design where it matters, but nobody can see through plaster. If we find knob and tube wiring or a cracked drain stack, we stop, show you, and price the fix before going further.
• Changes you ask for. Moving a wall after framing or switching to a different tub is your right. It changes the scope, so it changes the price. Every change is written, priced and signed before the work happens.
• Requirements an inspector adds. Rare, but it happens. If a municipality asks for something that was not on the approved drawings, we show you the requirement and the cost.

That is the list. It is short on purpose.

How changes work in practice

Every change order on our projects goes through the client portal. You see what changed, why, what it costs and how it affects the schedule. You approve it with a signature, and your contract total updates on the spot.

No verbal "we'll sort it out at the end." The end of a project is the worst possible time to discover what you owe.

A quick test for any quote

Whether you hire us or someone else, ask three questions:

1. Is every line tied to a specific product or a written description, not just a category?
2. Which items are allowances, and how were those amounts chosen?
3. How are changes priced and approved, and will I see the cost before the work is done?

If the answers are vague, the price will be too.