NFT: Building a basement (sub level) egress door and stairs ...

...find one contractor who can knock out all phases on their own - the more entities in the mix, the crazier it gets.

that is very reassuring to hear... We learned a VERY expensive lesson in the past.

does not mean they are better. I find that the one in the middle is usually the best.

And make sure they are licensed and Insured.

In comment 14014091 superspynyg said:

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does not mean they are better. I find that the one in the middle is usually the best. And make sure they are licensed and Insured.

Good advice. Do research and listen to your gut. Sometimes the lowest bid is also the best choice. But usually it’s a middle bid.

you can never have all three.

In comment 14014104 Jim in Fairfax said:

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In comment 14014091 superspynyg said: Quote: does not mean they are better. I find that the one in the middle is usually the best. And make sure they are licensed and Insured. Good advice. Do research and listen to your gut. Sometimes the lowest bid is also the best choice. But usually it’s a middle bid.

Yup, if the bids come in $5500, $5700, and $9500 then I doubt there's much quality difference between the two lower bids.

In comment 14014091 superspynyg said:

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does not mean they are better. I find that the one in the middle is usually the best. And make sure they are licensed and Insured.

100%. My wife is in this field in NJ. She gets undercut on pricing all the time and so many times, the customers come back to her 6 months later because the job is a mess or the GC walked/got kicked off the job. Then the customer has wasted a lot of time and a lot of time and money, all so they can fall back to my wife's original offer which often is going to be more because they have to fix all the mistakes made by the hired GC.

In comment 14014071 x meadowlander said:

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...find one contractor who can knock out all phases on their own - the more entities in the mix, the crazier it gets.

The "with references" (plural) part is key.
Visit all the sites and talk with all of the customers.

It will take time and effort but not as much as having to hire a 2nd contractor to fix the first's mistakes and then redo the job correctly.

thanks everyone

and knows the soil is best. It should be the only trade you need on the job. Drive around your neighborhood look for active work sites to get some names.

If you're not doing Bilco doors and instead making a real stairs and exit I would spend the extra dollars and cover the whole thing and make it conditioned space.

No leaves, dirt, rain or snow coming in.

New custom home next to me they have outdoor stairs open to the weather. Makes no sense. Sump grate in the bottom for the water but everything blows into the opening.

Do it right.

It's a different story if it's someone you know and trust and is giving you a very reasonable price or you have a significant amount of material to purchase.

With something like this, it's primarily labor.

When I did mine, I had a Bilco door added. My builder, who I trust, subbed out the excavation and did the rest himself.

If you’re finishing or refinishing the basement, I’d be happy to offer some advice based upon my experience.

In comment 14014155 oghwga said:

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and knows the soil is best. It should be the only trade you need on the job. Drive around your neighborhood look for active work sites to get some names. If you're not doing Bilco doors and instead making a real stairs and exit I would spend the extra dollars and cover the whole thing and make it conditioned space. No leaves, dirt, rain or snow coming in. New custom home next to me they have outdoor stairs open to the weather. Makes no sense. Sump grate in the bottom for the water but everything blows into the opening. Do it right.

Cannot agree more about covering from the elements. My in-laws added an exit and uncovered stairs to their basement so that they could add bedrooms downstairs. The grate constantly gets covered in debris during storms, which then causes the bottom of the steps to flood and eventually come in through the door frame. It's been a non-stop headache for them basically from day 1.