Having a building quotation checked: what does your assignment really include?

1. Check the provider and operative document version

Compare business name, address and details on quotation and correspondence. Who is your contracting party, and who only performs or intermediates? Note quotation number, date, validity and all schedules. A new quotation may replace or supplement an earlier version; have the contractor confirm clearly which papers together form the final assignment.

Keep the complete accepted version locally with your records and acceptance email. A download changed later on the website is not the same document. Send earlier versions containing relevant promises to your adviser too. They may explain negotiations without automatically becoming the final agreement.

2. Turn your renovation wishes into workable performance

Read the specification as though someone unfamiliar with your home must assess the work. Are rooms, quantities, dimensions, materials and finish identifiable? “Complete” says little if painting, connections or repairs to adjoining parts remain unclear. Request included/excluded performance rather than only an attractive final image.

Link the text to numbered, dated drawings. A plan does not itself show who supplies structural calculations or connects an installation. Clarify choices still open and their effect on price and schedule. Obtain written confirmation of an orally promised extra task before accepting.

3. Record boundaries between contractor and other parties

Architects, structural engineers, installers and contractors often work alongside one another. Describe information duties and who checks interfaces. If buying materials yourself, ask about transport, storage, suitability and execution consequences. This prevents problems falling between parties without anyone organising a solution.

If the quotation includes a permit application, clarify precisely what work that means. Merely submitting forms differs from preparing all drawings or guaranteeing the outcome. A private agreement with the contractor also does not automatically grant public-law building permission. Record what happens if a required decision does not arrive.

4. Check price and payment milestones together

Ask whether the amount is fixed, a guide price or charged on actual costs. Check allowances for open choices and extra-cost references. ConsuWijzer advises considering these when comparing quotations. A lower total is not necessarily better when essential work reappears elsewhere as separate additions.

Tie instalments to clear performance and examine how much you pay before value is delivered. Paying on “start of construction” can differ from paying on completed foundations. Ask what the invoice must demonstrate and how disputed parts are handled. For large prepayments, assess risk and any security separately.

5. Give start, end and changes meaning

An indicative starting month, execution duration and fixed completion date are different arrangements. Ask what starts the programme, what dependencies exist and how delays are reported. Record site availability and timely client selections too. A period without a clear starting condition is difficult to use in later disputes.

Agree written change descriptions with price and schedule effects. State who may decide for the client. Different residents expressing conflicting wishes on site may accidentally create uncertainty. Ask the contractor to confirm unclear instructions first and preserve acceptance with the right drawing and price versions.

6. Read terms and acceptance before becoming bound

ConsuWijzer warns that signing a quotation often forms an agreement. Email acceptance can matter too; waiting for a formal contract book does not mean you remain free. Obtain applicable terms before accepting and check precedence for contradictions. Clearly state reservations if not yet giving final agreement.

Have liability, completion, guarantee, termination and dispute clauses assessed carefully. A trade-association logo does not itself establish your guarantee or available dispute committee. Request scheme name, conditions and actual project coverage. Under pressure to sign immediately, first request time and documentation; pressure does not make unclear agreements clear obligations.

7. Fictional example: extension including finish?

Suppose a private client compares two extension quotations. The first gives a total “including finish”; the second separately lists plastering, painting and floor. Questions reveal the first contractor means only the connection to the existing wall, excluding floor and painting. The initially cheapest quotation therefore does not cover the same task.

A comparison table per performance makes the difference visible. The client can then request one confirmed description and matching price. This fictional example predicts no dispute or liability. It shows why scope comparison before signing is more valuable than comparing only bottom-line amounts.

8. Checklist for quotation review

Give your adviser both desired outcome and actual quotation. Ask them to identify open responsibilities, conflicting schedules and risk allocation. Incorporate necessary clarification before acceptance and then preserve the complete final set.

• Correct contracting party, quotation number, validity and final version.
• Clear specification with drawings, quantities and quality selections.
• Excluded work and responsibility allocation with other contractors and advisers.
• Pricing model, provisional sums, extras and specific payment milestones.
• Schedule, change procedure, terms, guarantee and dispute scheme.