Reading the Bid
What a complete estimate contains, the change-order clause that reopens a fixed price, deposits and liens, and your right to cancel.
- Reading the Bid How Much Deposit for a Contractor: Caps and Lien Waivers Five states cap the deposit, one of them at $1,000. What the cap covers, the bond that suspends it, and the waivers that decide if you pay twice.
- Reading the Bid Change Order Clause: How It Reopens a Fixed Price One sentence buried under the total turns a fixed bid into an open one. How to read the change-order clause, and the four blanks to fill in before you sign.
- Reading the Bid HVAC Replacement Estimate: The 14 Lines It Must Show Three estimates, three different jobs. Here are the 14 lines an HVAC replacement bid has to name, and exactly what breaks when each one is left off.