When one estimate comes in noticeably lower, it's rarely because that contractor is cheaper. It's because they scoped less. In 26 years the same items go missing over and over — and because you're not comparing line-by-line, they're invisible until the job is underway.
The usual omissions
- Tear-off and debris disposal (dumpsters, haul-off, dump fees).
- Code-required upgrades triggered by the repair (ice-and-water shield, GFCI, egress, fire-rated assemblies).
- Detach & reset — moving what's in the way and putting it back (fixtures, cabinets, HVAC).
- Containment, dust protection, and daily cleanup on occupied properties.
- Permits and inspections.
- Drying/mitigation overlap on water losses.
- Paint of adjacent surfaces so the repair doesn't look patched.
How to catch them
Build one master scope from ALL the bids combined, then check each bid against it. If ProBuild lists ridge-vent replacement and BuildRight doesn't, that's not a discount — that's a gap. Price the gap and add it back to the low bid's total. Nine times out of ten the 'cheap' bid was just incomplete.
BidsScores does this reconciliation for you — it flags exactly which items one bid included and another left out, and prices the difference so you see the true cost.