Notes From the Job Site
How a Fixed-Price Remodel Is Built
The part most homeowners never see is how the number gets made. Here is how we put a fixed price together, why the scope comes before the figure, and what actually happens if something changes mid-project.
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A fixed-price remodel means the number written in your contract is the number you pay, unless you ask for a change or we uncover a hidden condition behind a wall. Pinnacle NW writes the full scope first, prices it once, and signs it before demolition begins. Owner-operator Daniel Petrovskiy runs every job under Oregon CCB #258040, backed by a 3-year workmanship warranty.
- The scope comes first. We do not price a project we have not measured and planned. The written scope is what makes a firm number possible.
- One number, set before demolition. You see the committed figure in writing before any wall comes down.
- Changes are handled on paper. A change order gets approved by you before the work happens, so the price never moves quietly.
Images shown are illustrative of the remodeling styles we work in, not photos of completed Pinnacle NW projects. Real project photography will replace them as jobs are documented.
What a fixed price actually means
Most remodeling contracts fall into one of three shapes. In a time-and-materials job you pay for the hours worked and the materials used, whatever they add up to. In a cost-plus job you pay the cost of the work plus a percentage on top. In a fixed-price job the contractor commits to a single number for a defined scope, and carries the risk of estimating it well.
We work fixed price. That means we do the hard estimating up front, on our time, and hand you a figure you can plan your life around. If we misjudge how long a tile layout takes, that is our problem to absorb, not a line item that lands on your invoice later. The trade for you is simple: you know the number before you commit, and it does not drift while the job is open.
There is one honest caveat, and we would rather say it plainly than bury it. A fixed price is fixed against a written scope. If the scope changes, the number can change, and the next two sections are about exactly when and how that happens.
Why the scope has to be written first
A price is only as good as the plan under it. Before we put a number on your kitchen or bathroom, we walk the space, take real measurements, and work out what the house is going to ask of us. Old plumbing that needs rerouting, a floor that is not level, a load-bearing wall where you wanted an opening: these are the things that separate a guess from an estimate.
Once we know the work, we write it down. The scope lists what we are doing, room by room and trade by trade, and what is included in the number. That document is what makes a firm price possible in the first place, and it is what protects you later, because anything not in the scope is a conversation before it is a cost.
This is also why a figure quoted over the phone is worth very little. Nobody can price your project accurately without seeing it. When you hear a fast number from anyone, that is a sales tactic, not an estimate.
How we build your number
Four steps, in order, every time.
Walk the project
We visit your home, listen to what you want, and assess what the space and the existing systems will require.
Write the scope
Everything we plan to do goes on paper, trade by trade, so there is a clear line between what is included and what is not.
Price it once
We estimate the labor and materials against that scope and commit to a single number. The estimating risk is ours, not yours.
Put it in the contract
The fixed price, the scope, the schedule, and the warranty all live in the signed agreement before demolition starts.
Allowances, and how they work
Sometimes you sign the contract before you have chosen every finish. You know you want a walk-in shower, but you have not settled on the tile. That is normal, and it is handled with an allowance.
An allowance is an amount set aside in the budget for a selection you make later. When you pick the actual tile, faucet, or vanity, the allowance is reconciled against what that item really costs. Choose something within the allowance and nothing changes. Choose something above it and the difference is yours, shown to you in writing before it is ordered.
The point of an allowance is that it keeps the fixed price honest without forcing you to decide everything on day one. What we will not do is hide a thin allowance in the contract to make the headline number look smaller, then hit you with overages later. We tell you where each allowance sits so you can pick with your eyes open.
What a change order is, and when you would get one
A change order is a written amendment to the contract that adjusts the scope and the price, signed by you before the work is done. There are two reasons one comes up.
The first is you. Halfway through, you decide to move the island, add a heated floor, or extend the project into the hallway. That is your call to make, and a change order is simply how we price it and get your approval before touching it.
The second is the house. When a wall opens up, sometimes there is something behind it that was not visible when we wrote the scope: old water damage, failing wiring, or mold that has to be dealt with at the source. We stop, show you what we found, and price the fix before we proceed. You are never billed for concealed-condition work you did not see and approve first.
Either way, the price does not move quietly. If a number changes, you signed for it. That is the whole promise of working fixed price.
Fixed price versus the alternatives
The same remodel, contracted three different ways.
| Fixed price | Time & materials | Cost-plus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you know up front | The final number, in writing | An hourly rate, not a total | Costs plus a percentage, not a total |
| Who carries the estimating risk | The contractor | The homeowner | The homeowner |
| How surprises are handled | Written change order you approve | Added to the running tab | Added to the running tab, plus the percentage |
| Best when | The scope can be defined before you start | The work is genuinely open-ended | Trust is high and scope is unknowable |
See how remodel budgets come together in the Portland market.
Behind the number
The fixed price is one part of a written promise
The price does not stand alone. It sits inside the same contract as the schedule, the updates, and the warranty.
Fixed-price contracts
One committed number for a written scope, signed before demolition. Changes only by an order you approve.
Daily photo updates
You see progress every day the crew is on site, so you are never guessing what happened while you were at work.
Clear schedules
A written timeline, not a vague promise of a few weeks. You know the plan and when the trades come through.
Completion guarantee
We finish what we start. The project is not done until the final walkthrough says it is.
3-year workmanship warranty
Our labor is backed for three years. If something we built is not right, we come back.
Verifiable license
Oregon CCB #258040, active, bonded, and insured. Look it up before you call.
Keep Reading
Related pages
Kitchen remodeling
How we plan the layout, the timeline, and the budget before demolition starts.
Kitchen remodeling in Portland →Bathroom remodeling
Full gut remodels through targeted updates, priced up front and warrantied three years.
Bathroom remodeling in Portland →Permits in the Portland metro
Which remodels need one, who pulls it, and what an inspection means for your schedule.
Read the permits guide →Ready When You Are
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Questions
Fixed-price FAQs
Is a fixed price the same as a quote I get over the phone?
No. A number over the phone is a guess made without seeing your house. A fixed price comes after we walk the project and write the scope, so the figure has an actual plan behind it. That is the number that goes in the contract.
What is an allowance?
An allowance is a set amount held in the budget for a selection you have not made yet, like tile or a vanity. When you pick the actual item, the allowance is reconciled against its real cost. We tell you where every allowance sits so nothing is a surprise at the end.
When would the price change after the contract is signed?
Two situations. Either you ask for something outside the written scope, or we open a wall and find a hidden condition such as rot or mold that has to be corrected. Both are handled with a written change order you approve before we do the work.
Who is doing the work at Pinnacle NW?
Owner-operator Daniel Petrovskiy runs the jobs under Oregon CCB #258040. You can verify the license, bond, and insurance yourself at ccb.state.or.us before you talk to us.
Want your number in writing?
Tell us about your kitchen, bathroom, or whole-home remodel. We will walk it, scope it, and hand you a fixed price.
Get Your Fixed-Price Estimate Call (503) 341-9590