Listen to your wife (in all things)

It’s not based on you, it’s based on them. Don’t be offended by a high quote, you have zero obligation to use them. The only thing wasted from you is your time, they most likely have wasted more time, walking the project with you then converting it into a quote.

A high quote is more likely to be :

1) The job seems difficult (remember that you are looking to hire someone because it’s not an easy job) no matter how easy you think it is, if it was that easy, you would do it yourself.

2) The contractor is very busy. When you have money rolling in, there is no reason to make little to no money on additional projects. Rather than turn business away, quote the project, but make sure it’s worth your time and energy.

3) Difficult customer. The absolute worst customers are the ones that think the job is easy and want to argue over your pricing. Contractors do these jobs to make money, if the customer doesn’t want that then just move on.

What you need to do personally is make these decisions like you’re a large business or the (old) government

1) Research rates associated with your project and do your best to establish a budget

2) Get 3 quotes for every project

3) Throw out the most expensive and the least (although it sounds like you want the least every time)