Costs
Part of Accessibility contractors: which type of company to hire
Why accessibility contractor bids differ so much
Why accessibility contractors' bids spread so widely: small-job overhead, specialist labor, insurance and exclusions, plus the VA grants for access work.
Accessibility contractors price access work differently from ordinary remodeling, and homeowners often read the difference as a markup for the word accessible. Some of it is. Most of it is the real economics of small, technical jobs in occupied houses. Knowing where the number comes from makes it easier to tell a fair bid from an opportunistic one. This guide explains why three bids for the same access job can sit far apart, rather than quoting rates: what each part of a bid covers, and what its absence tells you.
What to take away
- Small jobs carry a high fixed cost. Two hours of work still needs a truck, a trip and a day's scheduling.
- Specialist labor costs more per hour and typically produces less rework, which is where the saving hides.
- Proper insurance and payroll are a real cost, and firms without them bid lower for a reason.
- Bundle small jobs into one visit wherever you can. It is the single biggest saving available.
Where the money goes
| Cost element | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Mobilization | Travel, setup, protection, permits, scheduling |
| Labor | Skilled hours, plus supervision on technical detail |
| Materials | Usually the smallest share on access work |
| Overhead | Insurance, payroll taxes, workers compensation, licensing |
| Risk | Unknowns behind walls and floors on older houses |
| Rework allowance | What a firm expects to redo, priced into every job |
Why a properly insured firm costs more
A contractor carrying general liability, workers compensation and payroll is running a real business, and that shows in the hourly rate. Workers compensation is a substantial cost, and it interacts with disability law in ways employers have to manage carefully, as the EEOC's enforcement guidance on workers compensation and the ADA sets out.
When a bid comes in dramatically low, the usual explanation is not efficiency. One of those lines is missing, and if somebody is hurt on your property that becomes your problem. Ask every firm for its contractor license number and a current certificate of insurance, and check the license with the licensing board in your state before signing.
The rework line deserves a direct question too. Firms rarely show it as a separate figure, but each one can tell you which parts of the job they expect to redo most often and how that is priced.
Funding on the other side of the ledger
Money for this work is fragmented, and chasing it takes real effort. Veterans have the most clearly defined routes, and they should check them before paying privately.
- Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA).Run by the VA's Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service, it pays for medically necessary improvements and structural alterations to a veteran's primary residence. All HISA projects must be medically justified, and the application package starts with a prescription written or approved by a VA physician. It excludes removable equipment such as portable ramps, porch lifts and stair glides, and routine repairs.
- Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) and Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) grants.These VA grants are for servicemembers and veterans with a permanent and total service-connected disability, to adapt an existing home or buy or build an adapted one.
- Vocational rehabilitation and employment.The VA's programs include tracks for independent living and for work.
A bid that will be paid through one of these routes has to fit its rules, so give the contractor the program's scope before the firm prices the job. Outside the VA, look at state and county home modification funds, area agencies on aging, and utility programs. Ask every program whether starting work disqualifies you, because several do.
Getting comparable numbers
Write one specification and give it to three firms. Ask each to separate mobilization, labor, materials and allowances. Ask what they have priced for rework, and ask what they have excluded, because exclusions are where two apparently similar bids diverge. On access work the usual exclusions are drywall patching and painting after a wall is opened, permit fees, electrical or plumbing work by another trade, and anything found behind a wall or under a floor. A bid that excludes them is not cheaper; it has handed those items back to you.
Normal bid spread
30-40% spread across three bids is normal
Read cheapest bid for what is missing
Read most expensive for what it includes
Middle bid often prices the actual job
Expect a spread. On access work a range of thirty or forty percent across three bids is normal and does not by itself mean anybody is wrong. Read the cheapest bid looking for what is missing rather than assuming a bargain, and read the most expensive looking for what it includes that the others left to you.
Quite often the middle bid is the only one pricing the actual job. Then work through our hiring questions for accessible renovation, and match the type of firm to the job: a handyman or general remodeler for hardware and handles, a specialist for anything hidden, structural or load-bearing.
