Had something similar happen last summer when we were redoing the roof on one of our properties. The contractor originally gave us a 90-day quote, and I figured that was plenty of time to get approvals from the HOA and everything lined up. Well, things dragged out (because of course they did...), and by the time we were ready to start, shingles had jumped in price significantly. Contractor was pretty honest about it and showed me exactly how much more materials were costing him compared to the initial estimate.
At first, I wasn't thrilled—who likes paying more? But honestly, it made sense once I saw the numbers. We agreed to split the difference somewhat, and it felt fair. Contractors have to make a living too, and I'd rather pay a little extra than risk them cutting corners or trying to rush through things because they're losing money.
Given how volatile prices have been lately, 60 days seems like a reasonable middle ground. Longer quotes sound great at first, but reality has its own plans sometimes.
Yeah, 60 days feels about right to me too. We had a similar issue when remodeling our kitchen—cabinet prices shot up unexpectedly. Our contractor was upfront about it, and honestly, I'd rather pay a bit more than have them cut corners or use cheaper materials. It's frustrating, sure, but with how unpredictable things have been lately, shorter quotes seem fair for everyone involved. Better realistic expectations than nasty surprises later on...
I'd rather pay a bit more than have them cut corners or use cheaper materials.
That’s exactly it—if you lock in a quote for too long, someone’s gonna eat the difference, and it’s usually quality that suffers. I get why folks want longer guarantees, but with how fast prices change (especially with stuff like asphalt shingles lately), 60 days is honestly generous. I’ve seen some suppliers only hold their numbers for 30. Better to be upfront than end up arguing over surprise costs halfway through the job...
I’ve run into this with a few projects—had a siding quote that was good for 45 days, but by the time I got my act together, prices had jumped. Ended up re-negotiating and it wasn’t fun. I get why contractors can’t lock in numbers forever, but sometimes it feels like you barely have time to plan. Has anyone seen any creative ways to handle this? Maybe deposits that lock in part of the price or something?
I get why contractors can’t lock in numbers forever, but sometimes it feels like you barely have time to plan.
Totally get this—last year I tried to get a green roof put on my garage, and by the time I’d lined up the permits and figured out drainage, the quote had jumped by almost 20%. The contractor said material prices were all over the place. I’ve heard of some folks putting down a “material hold” deposit to lock in just the supply part of the price, but not labor. Has anyone actually had that work out? Or does it just end up being a headache if the project gets delayed?
