Showerthought: I was wrong about a fixed price contract for our build in Tacoma

We picked a fixed price over cost-plus for our custom home, thinking it would keep the budget locked down, but it led to a bunch of change orders and arguments over what was included. After six months of back and forth, I see how a cost-plus with a good builder and clear budget cap would have saved us a lot of headache. Has anyone else in the Pacific Northwest switched contract types mid-stream and had it work out better?

2 comments

2 Comments

lee7334d ago

Honestly, a fixed price is the only way to keep a builder from running wild with your money on cost-plus.

taylor825d ago

My cousin in Portland had the exact same fight over his kitchen reno. They had a fixed price but the plans didn't spell out the exact cabinet hardware, so the builder used the cheapest option. Every little upgrade became a massive change order. It got so bad they almost lawyered up before finishing. Makes you read the fine print ten times over.