{"id":296,"date":"2017-09-08T17:38:50","date_gmt":"2017-09-08T17:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/?p=296"},"modified":"2017-12-21T23:26:28","modified_gmt":"2017-12-21T23:26:28","slug":"how-much-should-i-be-paying-my-contractor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/how-much-should-i-be-paying-my-contractor\/","title":{"rendered":"Help! Is My Contractor Overcharging Me?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you being overcharged? Or shopping around for the \u2018best deal\u2019 but don\u2019t really know what to look for? We certainly don\u2019t advocate handing over your costly design\/build project to the lowest builder-bider, but we do want you to do your research before hiring your contractor. Read on: We\u2019ve broken down how contractors are charging for their services, what to expect, and when to run and hire someone else:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-298\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.23.04-PM.png?resize=1080%2C879&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"879\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.23.04-PM.png?w=1722&amp;ssl=1 1722w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.23.04-PM.png?resize=300%2C244&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.23.04-PM.png?resize=768%2C625&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.23.04-PM.png?resize=1024%2C834&amp;ssl=1 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/p>\n<h1><b>How Much Contractors Charge<\/b><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some contractors take as little as $1,000, the maximum by their state law, and up to 10% of the estimated contract to be retained. Once the contract is written, you and the contractor will work out a payment schedule that will keep the job moving forward and meet your financial capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-299\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.23.24-PM.png?resize=1080%2C818&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"818\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.23.24-PM.png?w=1820&amp;ssl=1 1820w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.23.24-PM.png?resize=300%2C227&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.23.24-PM.png?resize=768%2C581&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.23.24-PM.png?resize=1024%2C775&amp;ssl=1 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/p>\n<h1><b>Financing<\/b><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having a contractor help finance your project is a great solution because not only can you get what you want but the contractor is financially incentivized to complete your job in a satisfactory manner, and your partnership is further solidified. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-302\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.26.04-PM.png?resize=1080%2C767&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"767\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.26.04-PM.png?w=1744&amp;ssl=1 1744w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.26.04-PM.png?resize=300%2C213&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.26.04-PM.png?resize=768%2C545&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.26.04-PM.png?resize=1024%2C727&amp;ssl=1 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The financing process is often much easier than a traditional bank loan process, and it\u2019s definitely much faster. You could also end up with more favorable terms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-300\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.24.31-PM.png?resize=1080%2C868&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"868\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.24.31-PM.png?w=1742&amp;ssl=1 1742w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.24.31-PM.png?resize=300%2C241&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.24.31-PM.png?resize=768%2C617&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.24.31-PM.png?resize=1024%2C823&amp;ssl=1 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/p>\n<h1><b>Estimates<\/b><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A good contractor should be able to give you some very broad ranges of what past projects with similar scopes cost, but will not be able to give you an accurate estimate until you provide a specific set of plans from a designer or architect detailing exactly what will be done and what types of materials will be used. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If someone gives you a firm quote without seeing plans, be careful.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> You could have a lot of change orders in your future. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you being overcharged? Or shopping around for the \u2018best deal\u2019 but don\u2019t really know what to look for? We certainly don\u2019t advocate handing over your costly design\/build project to the lowest builder-bider, but we do want you to do your research before hiring your contractor. Read on: We\u2019ve broken down how contractors are charging [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":297,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[185,40,202,204,203,205,183,138,186,193,189,145,30,188,13,187,201,228,230,229,192,195,191,164,200,143,190,194,34,199,196,197,198],"class_list":["post-296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-15-ways-to-add-instant-curb-appeal-to-your-home","tag-architecture","tag-best-general-contractors-in-los-angeles","tag-best-general-contractors-in-orange-county","tag-best-general-contractors-in-san-diego","tag-best-general-contractors-in-southern-california","tag-celebrity-homes","tag-choosing-tile","tag-doors-and-windows","tag-easy-diy-projects","tag-free-construction-advice","tag-free-home-improvement-tips","tag-free-interior-design-advice","tag-garden-gates","tag-general-contractors-in-southern-california","tag-hardware","tag-hgtv-designers","tag-how-much-do-contractors-charge","tag-how-much-do-general-contractors-cost","tag-how-much-does-a-general-contractor-charge","tag-how-to-add-curb-appeal","tag-how-to-manicure-a-lawn-during-a-drought","tag-increase-home-value","tag-landscape-architecture","tag-lion-windows-and-doors","tag-lori-dennis","tag-los-angeles-real-estate","tag-outdoor-art","tag-socal-contractor","tag-stone-veneer","tag-tile","tag-upgrade-driveway","tag-upgrade-garage-door"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-08-at-1.21.37-PM.png?fit=1278%2C854&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":541,"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296\/revisions\/541"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socalcontractor.com\/build-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}