Statewide Remodelling BEWARE: Get a second quote BEFORE bringing Statewide into your home for an estimate Houston Texas

I have three bathrooms and a kitchen that needing remodelling, and as there was quite a bit of work involved I figured I would hire a general contractor.  When I called Statewide, they explained they only did bathrooms, but I thought I would still give them a chance.  At the initial appointment they wanted me to pick samples; it took over four hours, which caught me by surprise.  Their supplier list is also quite limited; on one of the bathrooms I knew what I wanted, and as they could not provide it they quoted that bathroom as labour only.  They left me three separate prices for each bathroom, which all looked high.  The next night I ran some calculations of my own.  I had done a complete home remodel in the last year on a different house, and I was aware of what labour and material costs were in my area.  I sent them a copy of my breakdown in Excel, and asked for their feedback, thinking they had made a mistake.  I heard nothing, so contacted them yet again a few days later, and received an emailed reply asking me to call them.  Apparently they didn't want anything in writing.  When I eventually spoke to my design consultant, he assured me there were no errors in their estimates.

I asked for an explanation, and specifically related to the 1/2 bath, as it was such a simple job.  All I was doing was installing 62 sqft of tile on the walls.  No demo work, no floor tile, no surprises, and I was to provide all materials including tile.  I had figured $710 for removing and resetting the toilet, pedestal sink, mirror, and wall sconces, and an additional $3.75/sqft for tile LABOUR.  That put my job at $940, factor in a generous 25% markup, and I should be paying no more than $1175 for the whole job.  They wanted $6300. 

He explained that they charge about $45/sqft for the labour alone to install the tile... are you kidding me???  That meant the balance of $2800 was the cost to detach and reset a toilet, pedestal sink, and mirror.  That is about $1000/hr labour.  He advised me to Google their reviews; he sells $7 million per year in bathroom renos, and they are Home Depot's number one installer.  Not surprisingly our call was disconnected mid-conversation, and he didn't bother to call me back.

I cannot comment on Statewide's warranty, workmanship, or quality of materials, as I am definitely not going to use them... all I can tell you is that their prices are through the roof, and their choice of materials are extremely limited and mid-range.  DO NOT hire this company unless you have had multiple quotes, and I would make sure that you get those quotes first, as their high pressure sales tactics try to force you to make a decision on the spot.