Negotiating Better Prices with Contractors

The biggest thing to do when getting a quote from your contractor is to get bids on materials and labor separately.  Material cost cannot be negotiated hardly at all, whereas labor costs can be.  By discussing an hourly pay you can generally get a better price.  Usually, about $25-30 an hour (depending on area) is a fair rate for labor work.  Do your research and find average costs per hour for your area.