Pricing structure
How the total is built — line items, lump sums, and allowances — and whether each figure can be traced.
Understand the costs before you sign.
You have a contractor's estimate in hand — maybe $75,000, maybe more — and no independent way to know whether the price is fair, complete, or unclear. PARASOCIUM reviews that estimate from the owner's side of the table, so you understand what you are paying for before you commit.
We read the estimate against the project documents and check how each figure is built — not whether the contractor is "good" or "bad," but whether you can understand and verify what you are being asked to pay.
How the total is built — line items, lump sums, and allowances — and whether each figure can be traced.
What is included, what is excluded, and where the scope is vague enough to grow later.
Whether the price is tied to a defined grade of material — or left open.
Whether amounts are stated and consistent with the drawings and documentation.
Placeholder amounts that can exceed the estimate — and who pays the difference.
Whether a written change-order process and markup are defined before you sign.
These are the patterns that most often make an estimate hard for an owner to evaluate. None of them means a contractor is dishonest — each is simply a place where more detail is needed.
After the review, you receive a clear written report you can use when discussing project costs with your contractor.
Illustrative examples from a residential estimate — the kind of items a review flags for clarification before you sign.
Presented as a single amount with nothing behind it. Clarification: request an itemized breakdown before approval.
No hours, trades, or rates shown. Clarification: request a labor breakdown so the figure can be evaluated against the scope.
A placeholder amount with no defined selections or cap. Clarification: confirm what it covers and whether the owner bears any overage.
A short starting list you can raise on any estimate. Clear answers resolve most uncertainty.
We review it independently, from the owner's side of the table, and give you a clear list of what to question before you sign.
Request an Independent Cost Review →