(and is picking from ones that contractor presents different vs researching myself and saying 'i want this tile and this fixture'? 

He spray paints the entire bathrooms including the tile walls and bathtubs with whie paint.

Problem is there's not enough tiling in your bathroom.The tiles should not have ended just an inch beyond the edge of the bathtub.

See if you can squeeze in a modern dual vanity with rectangular under mount sinks that will match your existing tile and wainscot.

The common areas feel scary, as they've painted the doors all black, done the floors in black tile, and there isn't good lighting.

This will help you get a better idea of what tile, hardwood, carpet, plumbing fixtures and light fixtures costs for your rehabs.#3 Contact Local Contractors for PricingCall local Subcontractors and get budget pricing for common repairs on your typical rehab project.For example, call a roofer and ask what their average cost per Square of Architectural Asphalt Shingle Roofing would be on a 1,500 sf house, with a 6/12 pitch.Note: Some contractors will be reluctant to share pricing without seeing the property, but tell them you are just looking for a rough budget number you can use on future projects.#4 Compile Your Prices into a Spreadsheet or Estimating SoftwareOnce you start to get a better understanding of Labor and Material costs you will want to store this data into a spreadsheet or software that you can use to help you streamline the estimating process.The Book on Estimating Rehab Costs comes with a spreadsheet that you can use to help you populate your own database of labor pricing and material pricing.

They are THE producers/suppliers/masters of their specific craft or product.In terms of RE, the tortoise wins. 

You can save money setting up contractor accounts with wholesale window suppliers, plumbing, roofing, siding, flooring companies etc. 

I know this is an old thread, but check out East Coast Granite & Tile.

This pic of flooring in a studio apartment we created from nothing (Covid-19 isolation boredom) has $1.10/sqft porcelien tile for the kitchen/bathroom & that below the transition is $1.58/sq ft LVL from HD.