# Rua Marquês de Fronteira 131 — Quote Comparison & Analysis ## The 4 Sources | Source | Role | Total | |--------|------|-------| | **Marina Teixeira Design** | Designer / Project Coordinator (her fee) | €2,650 | | **Marina's Artisan** (unnamed) | Contractor doing the actual work | €11,360 | | **Marina Total** | Combined | **€14,010** | | **RE\|NEST** | Full-service contractor (incl. 25% mgmt fee) | **€33,284** | | **Sonia** | Independent contractor (labor only, +6% IVA, materials excluded) | **~€25,753** | --- ## Scope-by-Scope Comparison | Item | Sonia | Marina Artisan | RE\|NEST | Notes | |------|-------|----------------|----------|-------| | Painting — walls/ceilings | €7,395 (145m²) | €6,750 ("1st floor") | €10,044 (255m² walls + 145m² ceiling) | Marina scope unclear — "1er étage" only? | | Parquet floor restoration | €8,700 (€60/m²) | ❌ NOT INCLUDED | €7,594 (135m²) | MAJOR GAP in Marina's quote | | Staircase + handrail | €3,430 | ❌ NOT INCLUDED | €5,200 | MAJOR GAP in Marina's quote | | Demolition (entrance walls) | ~€260 (2 doors) | €1,970 | €1,150 | Marina artisan more expensive here | | Bathroom fans (2x) | €200 (fans not incl.) | €600 (fans included) | — | Comparable when normalized | | Bidet removal | €240 | €170 | — | Marina cheaper | | Balcony — clean/paint | — | €300 | — | — | | Balcony — safety railing | €1,500 | ❌ NOT INCLUDED | €2,038 | Marina contract mentions it, artisan doesn't price it | | Mezzanine guard-rail | €3,430 (combined stairs) | ❌ NOT INCLUDED | Included in stairs | MISSING from artisan | | Hood repair | €50 | €160 | — | Sonia much cheaper | | Bathroom door removal | €100 | €150 | — | — | | Sink replacement (parents) | €200 (sink not incl.) | ❌ "awaiting choices" | — | Marina deferred entirely | | Sliding door + shelves (kids room) | — | €300 | — | — | | Shower door repair | — | €80 | — | — | | Water meter hatch | — | €130 | — | — | | Transport + cleanup | — | €750 | €781 | — | | Foreman / project mgmt | Via Marina fee | Via Marina fee (€2,650) | €2,205 + 25% markup | Marina cheaper for PM | | Insurance | — | — | €245 | Only RE\|NEST explicitly covers this | --- ## ⚠️ RED FLAGS — What Marina Is NOT Telling You ### 1. FLOORS ARE MISSING — ~€7,000-9,000 UNACCOUNTED The artisan quote has zero line item for parquet floor restoration. - Sonia: €8,700 | RE\|NEST: €7,594 - Marina's contract text mentions "Restauration parquet général et escalier" but the artisan doesn't price it - This is almost certainly coming as a separate invoice later, after move-in ### 2. STAIRS/MEZZANINE HANDRAIL MISSING — ~€3,000-5,000 UNACCOUNTED - Sonia: €3,430 | RE\|NEST: €5,200 - Listed in Marina's scope document, zero in artisan quote - Safety issue — this cannot be deferred ### 3. EXTERIOR GUARD-RAIL (GARDE-CORPS) — UNPRICED - Marina's contract says "see with structural engineer and syndic" - Sonia: €1,500 + €600 gate | RE\|NEST: €2,038 - Structural engineer fees (bureau d'étude) are explicitly EXCLUDED from Marina's contract - This adds €500-1,500+ unknown ### 4. BATHROOM VANITY/COUNTER — "AWAITING YOUR CHOICES" - Completely deferred in artisan quote - This means the bathroom job is not done — she'll come back for this separately ### 5. PAINTING SCOPE IS UNCLEAR - Marina artisan says "1er étage murs et plafonds" — does this mean ONLY the first floor level? - What about mezzanine? What about ground floor? - RE\|NEST prices 255m² walls + 145m² ceilings. Marina artisan charges for "general" without specifying total m² ### 6. NO BUDGET CAP — RISK OF RUNAWAY - Marina's contract literally says "Budget alloué: € - TTC (Non communiqué à ce jour)" - She is operating with no ceiling. Every "à voir" in her scope is an open wallet ### 7. MARINA OWNS YOUR APARTMENT PHOTOS - Article 5 of her contract: Marina retains FULL intellectual property of the project - You need her WRITTEN PERMISSION to post photos, let journalists in, or use images - This is your home — push back hard on this clause ### 8. TIMELINE IS UNREALISTIC - Move-in: April 10 (23 days from contract date March 5) - Missing: floors + stairs + exterior railing + bathroom work - These items alone would take 3-4 weeks - April 10 move-in with this scope is not happening ### 9. CANCELLATION TERMS ARE BRUTAL - 40% deposit (€1,060) is NON-RECOVERABLE if you cancel - You also pay for all work done to date - No dispute mechanism, no milestones-based exit ### 10. NO VAT CLARITY - Marina says "TVA non applicable" — she's below tax threshold - Sonia adds +6% IVA explicitly - RE\|NEST doesn't mention IVA but it applies in Portugal - Add ~6-23% to any quote that doesn't show tax --- ## Real Cost Estimate (If You Use Marina) | Item | Artisan Quote | Missing Items (Est.) | Likely Final | |------|--------------|---------------------|-------------| | Marina artisan (as quoted) | €11,360 | — | €11,360 | | Floor restoration | ❌ | €7,500-9,000 | €8,250 est. | | Stairs + mezzanine | ❌ | €3,000-5,000 | €4,000 est. | | Exterior railing | ❌ | €1,500-2,500 | €2,000 est. | | Bathroom vanity/work | ❌ | €500-1,500 | €1,000 est. | | Structural engineer | ❌ | €500-1,000 | €750 est. | | Marina's fee | €2,650 | — | €2,650 | | **Realistic Total** | | | **~€30,000** | That's very close to RE\|NEST's €33,284 — which already includes all of it. --- ## Questions to Put to Marina Directly 1. **"Your artisan's quote does not include floor restoration or staircase work. Both are in your scope document. When will we receive those line items, and from whom?"** 2. **"The exterior garde-corps is listed as a priority safety item. Who is quoting this, and what is the structural engineer's fee?"** 3. **"The artisan says 'murs et plafonds 1er étage' — does this mean painting only covers one floor? What is the m² total?"** 4. **"Your artisan deferred the bathroom vanity/counter. What is the timeline and expected cost?"** 5. **"Article 5 of your contract requires your permission to photograph our home. We're not accepting that clause — please remove it."** 6. **"Can you give us a single all-in estimate covering everything in your scope document?"** 7. **"April 10 move-in — is that realistic with the current list? What's your honest assessment?"** --- ## Bottom Line Marina's artisan quote looks cheap at €11,360 vs RE\|NEST's €33,284. But Marina is missing ~€15,000-18,000 of work that RE\|NEST includes. The all-in comparison is much closer — and RE\|NEST is a single accountable entity with insurance and a foreman. Key decision: Do you trust the piecemeal Marina approach (cheaper but fragmented and full of gaps), or pay the RE\|NEST premium for a complete, insured, single-throat-to-choke delivery?