How much contingency for a 225 m² Mexico City renovation?

A

arlo_ives

Developer
If the exclusions are misunderstood, the MX$926,800 figure could stop being useful very quickly. I’m comparing quotes for a 225 m² Mexico City studio, but each contractor has treated preparation, testing and remedial work differently.

The project includes new finishes and work to the kitchen and bathrooms, along with electrical assessment and limited efficiency improvements. An extension is not intended. Decorative selections can still be changed later; plumbing routes, moisture treatment and any structural intervention are much harder to reverse once work begins. Should I hold off setting the contingency until those areas have been inspected, or carry a provisional reserve while requiring every bidder to price the same assumptions?
 
With exclusions still moving around, I would provisionally carry 15% and be prepared for 20% if plumbing routes, electrical condition and moisture cannot be inspected properly before work starts. The percentage matters less than access: ask what can be opened or tested now, who pays for making good, and whether remedial work discovered during the electrical checks is included. Are the quotes based on the same material specifications and programme?
 
I would not settle on a contingency percentage yet. A large reserve can hide a poorly defined scope rather than control it. Put the quotes into one table showing included work, exclusions, allowances and assumptions for each room.

“Electrical checks” is especially vague: does that mean testing only, or are repairs included? The same applies to moving fixtures versus replacing visible bathroom fittings while leaving inaccessible plumbing untouched.
 
That distinction is helpful. I need to clarify whether the electrical checks include resulting repairs, and whether bathroom pricing assumes existing plumbing can remain. I will normalize the exclusions before choosing a contingency rather than simply adding one to the current MX$926,800. I also plan to ask for a proposed work sequence and identify anything requiring long-lead materials or permit confirmation before demolition begins.
 
Then ask each contractor to price the normalized scope and list unknowns separately, with a written process for approving changes. For sequencing, I would want investigation and any permit questions resolved first, followed by hidden electrical/plumbing work, moisture treatment, bathrooms and kitchen, then flooring and paint. Confirm material availability before fixing the programme; otherwise a delayed kitchen or bathroom item can leave several trades waiting.
 
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