For homeowners comparing contractor bids
BidLens analyzes your contractor bids against building codes, real material pricing, and regional labor data — then tells you who's worth signing, who to negotiate with, and who to walk away from.
No credit card. Works for decks, roofing, kitchens, fencing, siding, patios, and more.
BidLens recommends
Sound Shore Decks — 8.8/10
Sound Shore Decks
Proper specs, Trex Pro Platinum, 25% milestone payments
Tri-State Handyman
70% upfront, no license, $10/hr implied labor rate
Dave's Deck & Patio
Zero specs, no permit, 55% below market rate
Sample analysis output
We ran 5 sample contractor bids through BidLens for a 450 sqft elevated deck rebuild. Here's the output.
Our Recommendation
Best value at $65/sqft with proper structural specs, milestone payments, and Trex Pro Platinum certification — ready to sign.
| Contractor | $/sqft | Material | Score | Key Finding | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound Shore Decks | $65 | Trex Transcend Lineage | 8.8 | Proper specs, milestone payments, Pro Platinum installer | Sign |
| Westchester Deck Co | $73 | Trex (line not specified) | 8.5 | Good detail — negotiate 33% deposit down to 25% | Negotiate |
| CT Outdoor Living | $84 | TimberTech AZEK PVC | 8.8 | Premium helical piers justified — negotiate PM fee | Negotiate |
| Tri-State Handyman | $30 | Unspecified | 4.0 | 70% upfront, no license, $10/hr implied labor rate | Walk Away |
| Dave's Deck & Patio | $43 | Unspecified | 2.0 | 55% below market, zero specs, no permit | Walk Away |
$10/hr implied labor rate
Tri-State's bid math reveals no legitimate contractor works for $10/hr. BidLens calculated this automatically.
70% deposit demand
Industry standard is 10-33%. BidLens flags anything over 50% as critical — this bid demanded 70%.
$65/sqft is fair for CT
BidLens knows the Fairfield County range is $75-120/sqft — Sound Shore at $65 is great value with proper specs.
Cost breakdown — BidLens does the math on every bid
Sound Shore Decks
$43K · $65/sqft
Implied markup: 22% · Implied labor rate: $63/hr
Tri-State Handyman
$20K · $30/sqft
Implied markup: 13% · Implied labor rate: $10/hr
Bid scorecards — every bid graded on structure, code, pricing, and transparency
Sound Shore
Sign
CT Outdoor
Negotiate
Westchester
Negotiate
Tri-State
Walk Away
Dave's
Walk Away
Then it writes your script
Ready to Sign — Sound Shore Decks
4 questions to close the remaining gaps:
“Can you specify which Trex Transcend Lineage color — is Rainier the grooved or smooth finish?”
Different finishes have different slip resistance
“What's the beam span with 2-ply 2x10s at 16" joist spacing for your layout?”
Verifies beam sizing meets IRC span tables
“Will you provide the Trex Pro Platinum installer certificate and extended warranty docs?”
Confirms premium warranty eligibility
“What's your weather delay policy — is there a remobilization fee?”
Timeline shows weather dependency but no delay policy
Why not just use ChatGPT?
ChatGPT doesn't know your local building codes, what materials cost in your zip code, or the red flags that experienced contractors spot in seconds.
"Is $94/sqft fair?"
It depends on your area and materials. Generally, composite decks range from...
"Is my contractor cutting corners?"
Make sure they mention permits, proper footings, and quality materials...
"Should I sign?"
I'd recommend getting at least 3 bids and checking references.
Generic. No math. No codes. You're on your own.
Is $94/sqft fair?
$94/sqft is within the $75-120 range for composite decks in Fairfield County, CT. Trex Select at $9/sqft retail puts the implied markup at 26% — that's fair.
Cutting corners?
No ledger attachment method specified. Building code requires specific bolts and spacing where your deck connects to the house. This is the #1 cause of deck collapses.
Should I sign?
Negotiate: get deposit from 50% to 25%, get Trex product line in writing, then sign. Score: 8.5/10.
Specific numbers. Code citations. A clear verdict.
What powers the analysis
The actual rules your deck or roof has to follow — beam sizes, footing depths, railing heights. We check if your contractor knows them.
Real retail prices for Trex, TimberTech, AZEK, and more. We calculate how much your contractor is actually marking up.
Real carpenter wages by metro area. We know if the hourly rate hidden in your bid is fair for your zip code.
Shady payment terms, missing specs, low-ball pricing, and contractor behavior patterns that signal trouble.
35% of deck rebuilds find rot behind the siding. We check which bids include a plan for surprises — and which will charge you extra.
We know what voids a Trex warranty — so your contractor can't cut corners invisibly.
How it works
Type in each contractor's price, line items, payment terms, warranty, and materials. Takes 2 minutes per bid.
BidLens checks pricing against your local market, specs against IRC building codes, and terms against industry standards.
Get a score, a verdict, and a script of exactly what to say to each contractor — before you sign anything.
Works for any home improvement project
“I built BidLens after managing a $75,000 deck project and realizing I had no way to know if my contractors were building it right, pricing it fairly, or cutting corners. I taught myself building codes, material specs, and pricing data the hard way — then turned it into a tool so you don't have to.”
— The Founder
Enter your bids and find out which contractor is actually worth hiring.
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