Planning / foundation guide 001
Before you ask for a bid, find out what you are actually pricing.
A construction number is only useful when the people comparing it understand the same project. Define the outcome, conditions, scope, roles, and assumptions before treating different prices as interchangeable.
01 / THE CORE IDEA
Three bids can be three different project definitions.
One number may assume direct replacement. Another may include layout changes, corrected existing conditions, design coordination, or a different finish allowance. A lower price is not automatically a better price if the underlying scope is smaller, less defined, or built on different assumptions.
02 / BUILD A COMPARISON BASIS
Define these five layers before the number does the talking.
- 01
Outcome
What should work better when the project is complete?
- 02
Existing conditions
What is known, what is visible, and what remains uncertain?
- 03
Included work
Which rooms, systems, transitions, and corrective items belong in the comparison?
- 04
Roles
Who is responsible for design, engineering, permits, selections, specialist input, and coordination?
- 05
Pricing basis
Which assumptions, allowances, exclusions, and unresolved decisions shape the number?
03 / QUESTIONS WORTH ASKING
A useful proposal should make its boundaries visible.
- What needs to be known before this price becomes reliable?
- Which existing conditions are assumptions rather than verified facts?
- What is included, excluded, or carried as an allowance?
- Who coordinates design, engineering, permits, selections, and specialist input when required?
- How will new conditions and homeowner changes be documented?
04 / PREPARE A USEFUL STARTER
You do not need finished plans to organize the first conversation.
Gather what you already know:
- The property city and ZIP
- The problem the project should solve
- Must-have, should-have, and could-have priorities
- Available photos, drawings, or property information
- Known timing, access, or occupancy constraints
- How developed the idea is today