Contractors, cost-plus and percentages

Have you ever shopped a General Contractor for a remodeling project or to build a new home? Well, if you haven't you might be here for a surprise as it seems that these fellows are only able to add things up that shouldn't be added up in the first place, but they sure are there to fill their pockets.

That's right, these guys have perfected the art of separating a homeowner from his hard-earned money. They will tag their “cost-plus” fees on anything that can be listed, like building permits, impact fees, even architect fees, and also on their administrative expenses when they can create a line-item for it, things like “gasoline” or some extra slush-fund that is just another way of padding the bill.

Home-building or renovating isn't a sport for the meek or for the person that hates scrutinizing or confronting a bunch of fellows with big egos and an insatiable appetite to make big bucks, even in a down-market!