Getting a Second Opinion on a Contractor's Bid

If you have one bid and an uneasy feeling, get a second one. Asking may feel awkward, but it usually costs nothing.

One number can't tell you whether a price is fair or bad.

What follows explains when a second bid makes sense and how to ask without insulting anybody. It also covers the common mistake that works against you.

I match Maine homeowners with three contractors at once, so the second opinion is built in. That applies to general contracting and the crews I work with around Portland.

It's free, with no obligation to hire anyone.

When is a second opinion worth getting?

The number surprised you, in either direction. High is obvious. Low is the one people ignore, and a bid well under what you expected is worth a second look before you celebrate.

The diagnosis changed the project. Somebody looked at your roof and told you it all has to come off, or your foundation needs work, or the whole system has to be replaced rather than repaired. That is a second opinion about the problem, not about the price, and it is the most valuable kind.

The scope grew during the visit. You called about a bathroom and left with an estimate for the bathroom, the hall, and the electrical panel. Some of that is genuinely necessary and some is not.

You cannot follow the document. A bid you cannot understand is a bid you cannot agree to.

It is a large job. Past a certain size the hour it takes to get another number is trivially worth it.

Something felt off and you cannot name what. That instinct is usually picking up on something real, and a second conversation either confirms it or settles it.

When is it not worth getting one?

On a small repair. Getting three bids on a day of work wastes more of your time than the spread between them.

When you are only trying to talk yourself into a number you already accepted. If you would not act on a lower price, do not spend somebody's afternoon producing one.

When the first contractor came through people you trust, the document is detailed, the questions were answered well, and the price fits your research. At some point diligence turns into procrastination.

When you have already had two. Past three you are not learning, you are delaying, and the good contractors are booking somebody else's work.

How do you get past the awkwardness?

Almost everybody feels rude doing this. Almost no contractor cares.

Competitive bidding is ordinary in this trade. Every contractor you call assumes they are one of two or three because they usually are.

Frankly, anyone offended by that process is telling you how they may handle the rest of the job.

You owe nobody an explanation for getting another price. Nor does it need to become a confrontation.

"I want to compare a couple of options before I commit" is honest and complete. Nobody has ever been offended by it.

Be considerate of the first contractor's time. If they made a thorough visit and produced a real document, tell them where things stand instead of leaving them wondering.

Do you tell the second contractor?

Tell them you are getting more than one price. Don't tell them the first price.

Those are two different pieces of information with completely different effects. Knowing the process is competitive may make a contractor sharpen the pencil.

Fine. Knowing the exact number to beat makes them price against that figure instead of your project, which stops helping you.

Why is bid shopping a problem?

Most homeowners get this part wrong despite good intentions. So I'll be direct.

Bid shopping means showing contractor two the first bid and asking them to beat it. It may feel like a way to push down the price.

It's actually a way to get a worse project.

A contractor given a target will find a way under it. The available methods are all things you don't want: a thinner allowance, an omitted scope item, a cheaper sub, a shorter warranty, or no contingency on a house that needs one.

You're then comparing two numbers for two different projects, with the difference landing on you in month three.

It also ruins the useful part of a second opinion. An independent price tells you what the work costs.

A price designed to undercut somebody else's tells you nothing.

Give them the scope. Withhold the number.

Then the comparison is real.

What should you hand the second contractor?

Give them exactly what you gave the first contractor. This is why writing down the scope at the start pays off twice.

The written scope, in your own words. What is being built or replaced, the rooms, the rough dimensions, and what stays.

The same allowances, if you have not chosen finishes yet. Same dollar figures for tile, fixtures, cabinets and counters, or the numbers cannot be compared.

The same access and timing constraints. Occupied house, one bathroom, a dog, a date you need it done by.

The first contractor's scope list, without the pricing, which is legitimate and useful. If bid one identified something real behind the wall, the second contractor should be pricing it too.

You are building a controlled comparison. There is one variable: the contractor.

What does a contractor second opinion tell you?

Price matters less than people expect. Everything else matters more.

Where two contractors agree, that is what the work costs. Broad agreement on the approach and a similar total is strong evidence you are being quoted fairly.

Where they disagree is the interesting part. Usually one of them understood something the other did not, and finding out which is worth more than the money either way.

It tells you whether the diagnosis holds. Two independent people saying the sill needs replacing is a different piece of information from one person saying it.

It shows you the range of approaches. Repair versus replace, phase it versus do it once, work around it versus open it up. Frequently the second contractor proposes something the first never mentioned, and occasionally that is the answer.

What if the two bids are far apart?

A large gap is information, not a verdict. It usually has one of four causes.

Different scopes, which is by far the most likely. Read both documents line by line before concluding anything about either contractor.

A missed item. One of them did not account for something, and it is worth working out which, because a low bid that missed the electrical panel is not a low bid.

Different quality of materials or subs, hidden inside allowances that look similar.

Different levels of busy. A contractor with a full book prices high because they do not need the work, and one with a gap prices lean to fill it. Both numbers are real.

Take the specific discrepancy back to both contractors. "The other quote includes X and yours does not. Is that deliberate?" The two answers will teach you plenty. You aren't being difficult by asking.

Reading each document properly first makes this conversation much shorter. I explain the process in going through each bid line by line.

What if the two bids are close?

Two independent bids within a modest distance of each other, based on the same scope, are what you hoped to get. The market has priced your project, and both contractors are in it.

Now stop looking at price. It has told you all it can.

Choose based on who answered your questions properly, who named the risks, whose references were specific, and who you can imagine calling in week seven when something goes wrong.

The cheaper contractor doesn't automatically win. A few hundred dollars means little beside a builder who communicates well throughout a project of any length.

Who gives a second opinion on the diagnosis?

This deserves separate attention. It's the highest-value version of a second opinion, and hardly anybody gets one.

If a contractor says something structural, systemic or hidden is wrong, they are making a claim about your house rather than their price. You can have that claim checked by someone who doesn't want the job.

A home inspector can examine the problem. So can a structural engineer or a specialist in the relevant trade.

Paying two or three hundred dollars for an opinion from somebody with no interest in selling the repair is frequently the best money spent on the project.

Do this before collecting prices. Pricing the wrong scope carefully still leaves you with the wrong scope.

Should you pay for a second opinion?

Most residential contractors estimate for free. A second opinion normally costs only the time required for the visit.

There are legitimate exceptions. A contractor may charge when asked to do real design work or produce drawings.

The same applies when they spend a day investigating a structural problem. That fee is often credited against the job if you proceed, which is reasonable.

Ask up front.

Paying somebody to review and comment on a competitor's bid is different. Be clear about what you are buying.

What should you do with the answer?

Decide. Then tell both contractors.

Send the contractor you didn't choose a short, direct message: "We went another direction, thank you for your time." You don't owe an explanation. And you'll be remembered kindly for replying, which matters in a state this small.

Get everything in writing from the contractor you chose before any money moves. In Maine, work involving more than $3,000 in labor and materials requires a written contract.

Your earlier conversation isn't what governs.

Frequently asked questions

How many bids should I actually get? Three on a substantial project. One tells you nothing, two lets you spot an outlier, three shows you the shape of the market. Past that you are burning time.

Is it wrong to tell contractors they are bidding against others? Not at all, and it is the honest thing to do. What you keep to yourself is the other numbers, not the fact of the process.

What if the second contractor says the first one is wrong? Take it seriously and do not take it as proof. Go back to the first with the specific point and listen to the answer. If they still disagree, that is what an independent inspector or engineer is for.

Should I get a second opinion after I have signed? Different question, and the answer depends on your contract. If you have serious concerns about work already underway, read your contract and talk to a Maine attorney before you act on anything.

Will the first contractor be annoyed? Almost never. It is how the trade works. The ones who react badly to a routine competitive process have shown you something useful at no cost.

Does the lowest bid win? Only if the scopes match and everything else is equal, which is rare. Compare what is included before you compare what it costs.

How do you get three opinions at once?

Collecting a second and third price yourself means chasing contractors who are already busy. That's the part that can take weeks.

That is the job I do. We have one conversation, then I send the same written scope to three screened contractors.

You receive three independent numbers and never need to share one bid with another.

Tell me what you are building and what town you are in.

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