From Contract to Completion: Why Our Pricing Stays So Consistent

When you sign a contract for a remodel or custom home, you deserve to get a price you can trust.

However, for many homeowners, that price is a moving target. Change orders stack up. Unexpected costs appear. And what started as a simple plan slowly becomes something very different.

At Keith Smith Construction, our goal is simple: your pricing should be clear before the first hammer swings.

Consistency You Can Plan Around

When a project is carefully planned from the beginning, changes should be minimal and clearly understood. That’s something we take seriously.

How often does pricing change? A Propeller study found that 9 out of 10 construction projects across multiple countries went over budget, with an average overrun of 28%. That’s the norm.

Here’s the contrast. We track how our projects perform from contract to completion, and the results speak for themselves:

• 2025 Projects over $10,000: 0.49% average change

• 2024 Projects over $10,000: 5.13% average change

• All 2025 Projects: 4.13% average change

• All 2024 Projects: 2.03% average change

This means the final cost stayed within just a few percentage points of the original agreement.

Why Do Our Prices Change At All?

When prices do change throughout the project, it’s important to understand how that can happen: 

• Changes to the scope of work - If you decide to add something new or adjust the plan after work begins, the cost may change to reflect that.

• Allowance overages or credits - Selections like fixtures and finishes are often set as allowances. Choosing higher-end options increases the cost, while coming in under budget results in a credit.

• Unforeseen conditions - Occasionally, something hidden reveals itself once work begins, like a buried pipe or unexpected rock in the ground. Sometimes there are supply shortages. These are true unknowns that couldn’t be identified ahead of time.

When there’s a clear picture of the entire project before work begins, changes tend to be the exception and not the rule.

What That Planning Looks Like in Practice

On a recent attic remodel, the team knew from the beginning that an existing window would need to be removed and replaced.

Some crews would wait until the “window phase” of the project to handle that.

Instead, our team removed the window early. That single decision changed how the entire project flowed.

With the opening in place, the team now had a direct path to the outside. We could drop debris straight into a dumpster below instead of carrying it down a finished stairway. We could also pass materials up through the opening instead of hauling them up and down repeatedly.

By the time it was actually time to install the new window, the rest of the work in the space was already complete and cleaned up. Instead of working around an active construction zone, the team was finishing that portion in a controlled, clean environment. The process was seamless.

This kind of planning avoids snags like one builder waiting on someone else, like an electrician, between phases of a job.

Why Project Bids Can Vary So Much

If you’ve ever compared contractor quotes, you’ve likely seen how much they can vary. Most homeowners only compare the initial quoted price. However, these numbers are often incentivized to be lower than what is likely.

In some cases, a lower number upfront comes from details simply being missed. Parts of the scope aren’t fully accounted for, and those costs show up later as the project moves forward.

In other cases, the number is intentionally kept low to win the job, with the strategy that changes, upgrades, or additions will be addressed after the contract is signed.

Either way, the result is often the same: a project that starts at one number and finishes at another.

Instead, a thorough project proposal protects both parties:

• The homeowner understands when and how the project will unfold, along with key decisions and payment timing.

• The contractor has a clear scope of work, which helps ensure that any details added later are properly accounted for in both pricing and timelines.

The effort to build a truly accurate quote may not always produce the lowest number on paper. But in our experience, it builds trust. That trust builds a relationship. We believe a strong working relationship results in both a better outcome for your project and reputation for our business. In our view, consistent, accurate, realistic pricing is a win-win.

If you’re thinking about a remodel or custom home and want clarity from the start, we’d be glad to walk through your project with you.

Call (336) 362-7469 to speak with an expert.