How to tell a real quote from a number in a text message

A real quote says what is included, what is excluded, what has been assumed, and what happens to the price if an assumption turns out to be wrong. A number on its own says none of those, so it cannot be compared to anything and it is the quote most likely to move once work starts. The most useful thing you can do with three quotes is not line up the totals, it is line up the exclusions.

People worry about being overcharged. In practice the far more common problem is a cheap number that was never a price for the whole job.

What should be written down?

• The scope, in enough detail that you could hand it to somebody else
• What is specifically excluded: usually decoration, flooring, electrical and heating work
• Whether fees for a structural engineer and building control are inside or outside the figure
• Who is supplying materials, and what happens if you supply them yourself
• Rubbish and disposal, which is a real cost on anything involving a rip-out
• Payment stages, and what each stage means

Why do two quotes for the same job look so different?

Almost always because they include different things, not because one is greedy. One figure has the plastering in and the other does not. One has allowed for the electrics and the other assumes you are arranging them. One includes the skip. Until you know which, the totals are not telling you anything. It is worth going back to the cheapest one and asking what it excludes, because that single question usually explains the gap.

What should I be wary of?

A price given on the spot for work nobody has investigated. A large deposit before anything has been ordered. Pressure to decide today. A refusal to put the scope in writing. And on structural work, anybody who suggests the engineer and building control are optional, or that they can handle the sign-off themselves. They cannot, and the paperwork is yours to keep.

Should I always get three quotes?

Three is a sensible habit on a big job and overkill on a small one. What matters more than the number is that they are quoting the same scope. Three quotes for three different jobs tells you nothing. If you can, write down what you want in a few lines and send the same thing to everybody.

What about reviews and trade directories?

Treat directory reviews carefully, because on several platforms the trade controls who gets invited to leave one. Reviews tied to a real profile that anyone can post to are harder to manage and worth more. Better still is asking to speak to somebody whose job is like yours, which any established tradesman can arrange and which costs nothing to request.

Why do builders not reply?

Usually because the enquiry did not contain enough to price or to judge, so it goes to the bottom of a pile. You can fix most of that from your side. A photograph, a rough measurement and a sentence about what you want done gets a straight answer far more often than "can you give me a price for a wall removal". That is the whole reason the form on this site asks for a photo rather than just a name and a number.

What is a fair way to handle the unknowns?

Say so out loud. On older houses nobody can see inside a wall until it opens, and a quote that pretends otherwise is either padded or about to change. The honest version names the assumption, says what it would cost to be wrong, and tells you before doing anything about it rather than after.