Then you send the estimate to your contractor.
The response is not what you expected:
“We cannot complete these repairs for this amount.”
Now you have two numbers describing what appears to be the same property loss—and they may be thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars apart.
For an Ontario property owner, the immediate question is usually:
Who is right?
But that may not be the most useful question.
Before focusing on the difference in price, determine whether the insurance estimate and contractor estimate are actually describing the same work, quantities, materials and restoration requirements.
Vibo Restoration provides Scope, Specifications & Bid Support, Property Loss Valuation and Claims Dispute Support for property owners dealing with significant differences between proposed restoration scopes and costs.
An Approved Claim Does Not Mean Both Estimates Describe the Same Project
It is easy to look at two totals and assume the disagreement is simply about price.
For example:
The insurance estimate may be $85,000.
The contractor estimate may be $122,000.
That creates a $37,000 gap.
But before debating that $37,000, compare what each estimate actually contains.
One estimate may include less demolition.
One may omit an affected room.
Flooring quantities may differ.
Material specifications may not match.
One may include electrical work while the other does not.
Cabinetry, insulation, painting, specialty trades, debris removal or reconstruction requirements may be treated differently.
The totals can be substantially different because the underlying scopes are substantially different.
Start With the Scope, Not the Bottom-Line Price
Take both estimates and compare them section by section.
Do they identify the same affected rooms?
Do they include the same demolition?
Are the measured quantities similar?
Are the same materials being replaced?
Are the specifications comparable?
Are the same trades included?
Does one estimate include work that is completely absent from the other?
A line-by-line comparison can reveal that what initially looked like a pricing disagreement is actually a scope disagreement.
Vibo's Scope, Specifications & Bid Support services can help property owners review proposed restoration work, quantities and specifications when competing estimates do not appear to align.
Check Whether Every Damaged Area Is Included
A restoration estimate is only as complete as the damage it addresses.
Consider a water loss that began on the second floor.
Water may have affected the room where the loss originated, the floor assembly below it, the ceiling on the main floor and portions of adjoining walls.
If one estimate addresses only the most visibly damaged areas while another includes the complete observed migration path, the two totals will naturally differ.
The same principle applies to fire, smoke, storm and other significant property losses.
Before comparing costs, establish the physical extent of the damage.
Vibo's Property Loss Assessment services can help document affected building areas and establish a clearer technical basis for the restoration scope.
Quantities Can Create Huge Differences
Two estimates can contain nearly identical descriptions and still represent very different projects.
Imagine both include:
“Remove and replace drywall.”
That sounds comparable.
But one estimate may include 350 square feet while the other includes 900 square feet.
That difference affects more than drywall.
Additional demolition can mean additional disposal, insulation, drywall installation, taping, finishing, priming and painting.
The same issue can occur with flooring, ceilings, trim, cabinetry and other building components.
Do not compare descriptions without comparing quantities.
Material Specifications Can Change the Cost Significantly
Two estimates can also contain the same quantity but specify different materials.
One may allow for a basic flooring product while the existing property contains a materially different finish.
Cabinetry specifications can vary.
Trim profiles can vary.
Insulation assemblies can vary.
Commercial finishes can vary considerably.
Higher-value residential properties may also contain finishes that cannot reasonably be evaluated using a generic replacement assumption.
This is where the difference between scope and valuation becomes important.
Once the required work, quantities and specifications are understood, Vibo's Property Loss Valuation services can help evaluate restoration costs against the documented project requirements.
Ask Your Contractor to Explain the Difference
If your contractor says the project cannot be completed for the approved amount, ask for specifics.
Not simply:
“Why is your estimate higher?”
Ask:
What work is missing from the other estimate?
Which quantities are different?
Which material specifications differ?
Are additional trades required?
Is demolition missing?
Are electrical repairs required?
Was concealed damage discovered?
Are there reconstruction requirements that were not included?
A contractor should be able to connect a significant cost difference to identifiable work.
That makes the issue much easier to evaluate than simply arguing over the final number.
What If the Contractor Found Additional Damage?
This is a particularly important situation.
The insurance estimate may have been prepared before demolition began.
Then the contractor opens a wall or ceiling and discovers additional damage.
Wet insulation may be exposed.
Water migration may extend farther than originally observed.
Damaged framing may become visible.
Electrical components may have been affected.
Smoke contamination may exist within previously concealed assemblies.
The original estimate could not necessarily include conditions that were not reasonably observable when it was prepared.
When new damage is discovered, document it before it disappears.
Vibo's Site Inspection & Documentation services can help establish a technical record of additional conditions discovered during restoration.
A Revised Estimate Should Tell a Story
When additional work is proposed, the revised estimate should not simply become a larger number.
Ideally, the documentation should establish a logical progression:
Original condition → additional damage discovered → condition documented → scope revised → additional cost identified.
That connection matters.
Suppose demolition reveals an additional 500 square feet of affected wall assembly.
The revised scope may now involve additional insulation, drywall, finishing and painting.
That change is easier to understand when the newly exposed conditions and measurements have been documented.
Without that record, the property owner may simply be left with two competing numbers.
Electrical Work May Explain Part of the Difference
Property damage can involve electrical systems as well as visible building finishes.
Water may affect receptacles, wiring, fixtures or equipment.
Fire damage can create additional electrical concerns.
One estimate may include electrical restoration while another assumes it will be addressed separately—or does not address it at all.
Vibo Restoration operates as a division of Vibo Electric Inc., ECRA/ESA #7017864, allowing electrical contracting considerations to be coordinated with broader restoration requirements where applicable.
When comparing estimates, determine whether necessary electrical work is accounted for somewhere in the complete project scope.
Do Not Automatically Assume the Higher Estimate Is Correct
A contractor's estimate being higher does not automatically make it more accurate.
Additional work should still have a reasonable connection to the property conditions.
Ask what supports the additional quantities.
Ask why particular materials are specified.
Determine whether the work relates to documented damage.
Identify whether proposed repairs are necessary to complete the restoration or whether unrelated improvements have been included.
The purpose of an estimate review is not to select the largest number.
It is to determine whether the proposed restoration work and cost reasonably correspond with the documented loss.
Do Not Automatically Assume the Approved Estimate Is Complete Either
The reverse is also true.
An estimate being approved does not necessarily mean every restoration requirement has been identified.
The property may change as demolition proceeds.
Additional damage may become visible.
Measurements can be refined.
Material specifications can be clarified.
Specialty trades may become necessary.
That is why significant restoration projects often require ongoing documentation as the work progresses.
What If Nobody Can Agree on the Scope?
Sometimes the differences remain substantial even after both estimates are compared.
The disagreement may involve:
the extent of damage;
required demolition;
repair methodology;
quantities;
material specifications;
specialty trades;
restoration costs; or
additional damage discovered during the project.
At that point, having an organized technical record becomes particularly important.
Vibo's Claims Dispute Support services can assist property owners with technical issues involving property-loss documentation, restoration scope, quantities, specifications and valuation.
The objective is to make the disagreement specific.
Instead of:
“The contractor wants $40,000 more.”
The discussion becomes:
“These are the affected areas. These are the disputed quantities. These are the specifications. These are the additional repairs being proposed. This is the documentation supporting them.”
That is a much more useful basis for resolving a restoration-scope disagreement.
Estimate Review Is Different From Determining Insurance Coverage
There is an important distinction.
A technical review can evaluate the physical property damage, restoration scope, quantities, specifications and associated costs.
It does not independently determine what an insurance policy covers or what an insurer is required to pay.
Coverage depends on the applicable policy and circumstances of the claim.
Vibo's role is focused on the property-loss and restoration side of the file: what was damaged, what work is proposed, whether the scope corresponds with documented conditions and how the restoration costs relate to that work.
Keep Everything in One Property-Loss File
If the disagreement continues, organization becomes increasingly valuable.
Keep the original estimate.
Keep the contractor's estimate.
Preserve photographs from immediately after the loss.
Keep inspection records.
Document demolition.
Save photographs of concealed damage.
Keep revised estimates and supplemental scopes.
Preserve change orders and invoices.
If the project changes again, maintain the revised documentation.
A substantial property loss can generate hundreds of photographs, emails, estimates and documents.
Vibo's Property Loss Advisory & Liaison services can help property owners navigate complex restoration files where several parties, scopes and project requirements need to be coordinated.
Your Claim Is Approved but the Numbers Still Do Not Work — What Should You Do?
Do not begin by arguing about which total is correct.
Begin with the building.
What was damaged?
Then the scope.
What work is actually required?
Then the quantities.
How much work is involved?
Then the specifications.
What materials and construction are being restored?
Then the valuation.
What does that documented work reasonably cost?
If those questions are answered clearly, the reason for the difference between the insurance estimate and contractor estimate becomes much easier to identify.
Vibo Restoration provides Property Loss Assessment, Site Inspection & Documentation, Scope, Specifications & Bid Support, Property Loss Valuation, Claims Dispute Support and Property Loss Advisory & Liaison for significant residential and commercial property losses throughout Toronto, Vaughan and the GTA.
Insurance approved your property-damage claim but your contractor says the repairs cannot be completed for that amount? Call Vibo Restoration at 647-330-0532 to discuss the scope, estimates and available property-loss documentation.