Scoping and cost
Bids only become comparable once the scope is written down.
Most confusing quotes are not dishonest — they are answers to different questions. This page is about writing the scope down first, so three bids on a St. George project are actually describing the same work.
One request goes to one route — never a bidding pool and never a national lead network.
Why local quotes come back so far apart
Three bids on the same house routinely differ by a factor of two, and the usual reason is that they include different work. One repaints; one repairs the substrate and then repaints. One coats the flat section; one tears it off. Neither is wrong — they answered different questions, because nobody wrote the question down.
Southern Utah adds its own version of this. Preparation is a much larger share of exterior work here than the finish is, and preparation is exactly the line item that varies between bids and is hardest for a homeowner to compare. A cheaper number is often a smaller prep scope, not a better price.
What this page is for
This page helps you get the scope on paper before you start collecting numbers. It does not produce an instant quote, and it does not publish a price list, because a credible number for this kind of work needs the property in front of somebody.
It is a scoping step, not a pricing engine. Anything else would be guessing with more confidence than the information supports.
What a comparable scope contains
Before you request bids, write down:
- What is being repaired versus what is being replaced.
- How much preparation is included, in specific terms.
- What happens if something is found once work opens up — and who decides.
- Materials and product line, not just a category.
- What is excluded. This is usually where two bids actually differ.
Hand the same written scope to every contractor you ask. That single step does more for comparability than any amount of negotiating.
Common questions
What homeowners ask before they send this.
Why will you not just publish prices?
Because a published range for this kind of work is either so wide it tells you nothing or so narrow it is misleading. Scope, substrate and access move the real number more than the trade does.
Is the cheapest bid usually the smallest scope?
Very often, yes — particularly on exterior work where preparation is the expensive part and the least visible. That is why the exclusions list is worth reading before the total.
Should I give every contractor the same written scope?
Yes. It is the single most effective thing a homeowner can do to make bids comparable, and it takes about twenty minutes.