Quote checklist
What should a builder's quote include?
A good builder's quote is written, itemised and specific: who the builder is, exactly what work is included and excluded, the price for each section, whether VAT is included, any provisional sums, the payment schedule, the start date and duration, and who handles building control. If yours is a single line and a single number, ask for a breakdown before you compare it.
The checklist
| Item | What to look for |
|---|---|
| The builder | Company or trading name, address, phone, and public liability insurance |
| Scope of work | A written description, ideally against drawings, saying exactly what will be built |
| Price by section | Preliminaries, demolition, groundworks and foundations, walls, roof, windows and doors, electrics and plumbing, plastering, finishes |
| Exclusions | A clear list of what is not included, so you can price it elsewhere |
| Provisional sums | Allowances for work not yet designed, such as steelwork; each one is a cost that can grow |
| Prime cost sums | Allowances for items you choose later, such as tiles or a kitchen, with the amount allowed |
| VAT | Whether the total includes VAT, and the builder's VAT number if they charge it |
| Payment schedule | Stage payments tied to finished work, not to dates; a modest deposit at most |
| Programme | Start date, how long the job takes, and working hours |
| Approvals | Who arranges building control, the structural engineer and any party wall notices |
| Changes | How variations are priced and agreed, in writing, before the work is done |
| Waste and making good | Skips, clearing the site and repairing anything disturbed |
| Validity and guarantee | How long the price holds, and any guarantee or warranty on the work |
Why a breakdown matters
A breakdown by section, sometimes called a schedule of works, lets you compare builders section by section rather than total against total. It shows where a price is high, what is missing, and what a change would cost. The Estiquote app builds a schedule of works for your project that adds up to the typical range, so you can hold each quote against it.
Next
Check the total with the free quote checker, read what preliminaries are, and compare quotes with the quote comparison worksheet.