Sanity Checking Contractor Quote Cost

[Bruce P.]

Hi, 

So my friend recently bought a single family 4 bed/2 bath house in the Simi Valley/Thousand Oaks/Moorpark/Newbury Park/Westlake Village area. They wanted to do some light renovating to make it ready to rent to prospective roommates.

The major work (i.e., the major driver of the cost) is removing carpeting and using vinyl / laminate flooring, painting/patching walls throughout the house, and plastering the popcorn ceiling(s).

They received 3 contractor estimates, one for $17.1K, the other for $18.1K, and the other for $35K.

Obviously $35K sounds a bit high when compared to the others. As it's their first project, my friend wanted to know:

1) Should they try and negotiate down the estimates or leave it as is?

2) Do these estimates sound reasonable?

I think it's mostly labor costs, as my friend will be buying the materials when possible to avoid hidden fees.