Solicit bids from 3-5 Renton whole-house remodel GCs

Match GCs to your scope band

Your scope memo from feasibility step 0.3 tells you which band you're in:

• Band 2 (interior remodel, no addition, $150K–$300K). General residential remodelers; often small crews + subs.
• Band 3 (interior + small addition, $300K–$600K). Mid-sized residential GCs who do 3–8 projects a year at this scale.
• Band 4 (down-to-studs + larger addition, $550K–$1.0M). Larger residential GCs with project-management infrastructure for 12+ month builds.

Where to find good GCs

1. Recent permit history. The Renton CASSP portal (permitting.rentonwa.gov) lets you look up recent residential addition and alteration permits in your neighborhood. The contractor names that appear repeatedly are your local specialists.
2. Your designer's short list. Your designer has worked with several GCs and knows who's good to work with. Ask — the list is biased toward GCs who collaborate well, which is what you want.
3. Verify on L&I. Any GC you're considering gets a check on L&I Verify before you invite them to bid.

Aim for three to five bids. Three gives you a real comparison. Five gives you negotiating room.

Send everyone the same package

Every GC has to be bidding the same thing:

• The same permit-ready plan set (same sheets, same revision, same date).
• The same abatement scope (lead and asbestos report from step 0.5 attached).
• The same energy compliance scope (any retrofit work triggered by the WSEC analysis, called out as a separate line).
• The same allowance lines for finishes, cabinets, fixtures, appliances — same dollar amounts.
• The same exclusions stated up front.

Reading the bids

Bids on the same package typically cluster within 10–15% of each other. If one bid comes in 25%+ below the rest, walk it line-by-line. Almost always the gap is missing scope, not a more efficient builder.