The traditional process of comparing bids from three different contractors only works if all three contractors have the same complete set of plans, specifications and schedule of finishes and selections. Without this you simply cannot compare one contractor’s price to another because you will be comparing apples and oranges. Without those plans for example, in order to submit a competitive bid, a contractor might cut costs by using lower‐paid, less‐experienced labor or subcontractors, or by selecting lower‐quality or inferior building materials and fixtures. And you won’t know until that contractor tells you that the faucet you want is a $500 change order, because in his price, he included the same plastic‐handled faucet you had before. To avoid this in the traditional process, you hire an architect to plan everything out and draw it all up. Unfortunately, many projects planned in this manner never get built because the architect’s design far exceeds the homeowner’s budget.