Renovation and building quote

A renovation has many items and many questions. Put them in order, price them and give your client a clear quote as a PDF or on paper. No sign-up.

How to structure a renovation quote

• Start from the site visit. The quote should say it is based on what you saw: the state of the walls, existing plumbing, measurements. If something changes, the price changes.
• Group by room or stage (for example “Bathroom: strip-out”, “Bathroom: tiling”). Put the room in each item’s text so the client can follow it and so can you when a question comes up.
• Give measurements. Square metres of tiling and flooring, linear metres, units. That is what lets the client compare quotes and lets you justify a change.
• Materials: who chooses and who pays. If the client chooses the tiles, give a reference price per square metre or say they are extra. It is the number one source of differences at the end.
• Trades that are not yours. Plumbing, electrics or joinery may be subcontracted or arranged by the client: write down which and how they are coordinated.

What to put in the terms

• Unforeseen problems: whatever turns up during strip-out (pipes, damp, poor substrates) is reported and quoted separately before you carry on.
• Changes: any change to what was quoted is agreed in writing before it is done.
• Permissions and approvals: who arranges and pays for them. They differ by country and type of work.
• Rubble and cleaning: whether a skip and a final clean are included.
• Estimated timescale, noting that it depends on materials and unforeseen problems.
• Staged payments tied to milestones: part on acceptance, part halfway and the rest on completion.

Tax on renovation work

In some countries different tax rates apply to certain home renovation work. The tool does not decide which applies to you: you can change the rate and the tax name, and it is a good idea to check with your accountant.

How to use this template

The items come with example prices for a bathroom: replace them with your own and add what you need (flooring, partitions, waterproofing, help for other trades). For a large renovation, make one quote per room.