Why quotes for the same job differ so much
Usually because they are not the same job. One includes disposal, permits, electrical and painting, and the other does not mention them.
Allowances are the other big variable. A quote with a low tile allowance looks cheaper until you choose tile. We identify where allowances sit and what a realistic number for your selections would be.
The useful question is rarely which quote is cheapest. It is which quote is complete, and that is what we tell you line by line.
How we build an estimate
We separate hard costs, allowances, permit fees and contingency, so you can see what is fixed and what will move once selections are made.
Then we stage it: demolition, structural, rough-ins, inspections, insulation, board, finishes. Staging matters because it shows where money is committed early and where you still have room to change your mind.
For projects still at the idea stage, our design and planning consultation answers feasibility first, so you are not estimating something that cannot be permitted.
Contingency is not padding
In older Ottawa homes, opening a wall reveals things nobody could have quoted: failed wiring, cast iron drains, rot at a rim joist, or framing that was modified without support.
A realistic contingency line means those discoveries are a decision rather than a crisis. A quote with no contingency at all is not cheaper, it is just less honest about the risk.
What an estimate or quote review gives you
- Line by line breakdown: by stage, with allowances separated out.
- Missing scope list: what the quotes in front of you do not include.
- Local benchmarks: what this work is currently costing in Ottawa.
- Allowance reality check: what your actual selections will cost.
- Contingency guidance: a realistic figure for a building of that age.
- Questions to ask: specific questions to put to your contractor.
Where renovation cost estimation sits in the bigger job
This work is part of our building consultant service, so it can run on its own or as one stage inside a larger project. When it is part of a bigger renovation we sequence it with the other trades rather than treating it as a standalone visit.
Clients booking this often pair it with building inspections, construction project management or design and planning consultation. One contract covers whichever combination you need, with a single schedule and one point of contact.
Renovation Cost Estimation across the Ottawa area
We take this work on throughout the greater Ottawa area. Recent jobs have run through Nepean, Merivale, South Keys, Kanata and the surrounding neighbourhoods. The consultation is free wherever you are in the city.