How to quote a job comes down to one rule: a good quote starts before you price anything. Ask the right questions on the phone, measure and photograph on site, write the scope in plain words, then put the price under it. If the scope is vague, the price is a guess, and you cover the guess.
A missing question causes most underpricing, more than bad maths does. This is the sequence, in order.
Questions to ask before you visit
A site visit costs you an hour or two plus travel. Spend five minutes on the phone first so you do not visit the wrong job. The same questions are in how to qualify building enquiries. For a quote, add these:
- What exactly do you want done, and what is the end result you picture?
- Do you own the property, and is anyone else involved in the decision?
- Do you have drawings, a council approval or a body corporate sign-off, or is that still to come?
- When do you want it started and finished, and is that date fixed or flexible?
- Who else is quoting, and have you had a price already?
- Is there a budget in mind? You are not asking to pitch up to it. You are asking whether the job and the money are in the same suburb.
Write the answers down. They go into the scope later, and they stop a quote from turning into a different job by the time you send it.
What to look at and photograph on site
Take a tape, a torch and your phone. Photograph the whole area before you touch anything, then the problem spots close up. Dated photos protect you if the job later is said to include something it did not.
Check the things that move the price and never appear in the homeowner’s description:
- Access: can a truck, skip or machine get in, or does everything go by hand?
- Services: where are power, water, gas and drainage, and what is in the way?
- The ground and structure behind the surface: damp, rot, old wiring, asbestos-era materials, uneven slabs.
- Neighbours, boundaries, trees and anything that needs a permit or approval before work starts.
- Where materials will be stored and where waste will go.
Ask the homeowner to walk you through what they want while you are standing in it. Most scope changes start with "while you are here, could you also". Note each one and say whether it is in or out.
Writing the scope before the price
Write the scope first, then price it. If you price first, you will write a scope that fits the number.
The NSW Government says a written quotation should include all the work to be done, list all the materials to be used and reflect the homeowner’s specifications (NSW Government, getting quotes). Consumer Affairs Victoria tells tradespeople to say whether a quote covers transport, materials, labour, call-out fees and weekend or public holiday rates (Consumer Affairs Victoria, giving quotes). The field-by-field layout is in our quote template; this section is about getting the content right.
A scope that holds up has four parts:
- Inclusions. What you will do, room by room or stage by stage.
- Materials and finishes. Brand or grade where it matters, and who chooses and buys them.
- Exclusions. What the price does not cover: approvals, removal of hidden problems, repairs to existing work, painting after tiling, and so on.
- Assumptions. The things you are relying on being true, such as clear access or an existing sound substrate. If one is wrong, the price changes.
Queensland’s regulator tells homeowners to compare quotes like for like, and to ask whether contingencies, certifications, inspections and fees are included (QBCC, seeking and comparing quotes). Homeowners are being told to ask those questions. Answer them before they ask.
Pricing it and checking it
Price from your own costs, not from what the neighbour paid. A simple build-up looks like this:
- Labour hours for each stage, at your real cost per hour, including your own time on the job.
- Materials at current supplier prices, with an allowance for waste.
- Subcontractors, with written quotes.
- Plant, tip fees, permits and insurance that belong to this job.
- Your overheads and margin, added on top as their own lines in your working.
Then check it three ways. Run the numbers backwards: does the total divided by the area or the days look like jobs you have done? Ask someone else on your team to read the scope and say what is missing. And ask what happens if the job takes 20 per cent longer than you think. If the answer is that you lose money, the allowance is too thin.
For provisional items, where you genuinely cannot know the cost until work starts, say so in the quote and say who carries the difference. Keep the number of these small. A quote full of allowances is not really a price.
Sending the quote so it is read
Do not email a PDF and hope. Call, say it is on its way, and book a time to go through it. Then send:
- The scope on the first page, the price after it.
- The exclusions and assumptions in plain words, not small print.
- How long the price holds, and what the deposit and payment stages are.
- One next step: sign here, or call me on this number.
Deposit and contract rules differ by state, and past a price threshold a job needs a written contract on top of the quote. For a state-by-state starting point, see building contract deposit limits by state.
Say in the quote how changes are handled. The NSW Government says all variations must be in writing and signed by both parties, and Consumer Affairs Victoria tells tradespeople to agree before work starts how changes, delays and late payments will be handled. Both are good habits whatever your state. This is general information, not legal advice: check with your regulator or a solicitor for your situation.
What to do the next day
Silence loses most quotes. Follow up the next day with something useful, not a nudge: a question you thought of after the visit, or a note that you have held the date. Then follow the steps in follow-up email after a quote.
Quoting takes hours. It pays to spend them on homeowners who want the work done, are in your area and make the decision. Wherever your enquiries come from, run the same sequence. If you would rather someone else chased the quotes once they are out, see the quotes page.
Common questions
How do I write a quote for a job?
Write what you will do, the materials, what you will not do and your assumptions, then the price, how long it holds and the payment stages. Scope first, price second.
Should a quote be free?
For small jobs, usually yes. For large builds where design or site investigation is needed first, some builders charge for that early work under a separate agreement.
What is the difference between a quote and an estimate?
A quote is a firm price for a defined scope. An estimate is your best guess and can move. State which one you are giving, in writing. Terms vary by state, so check your regulator’s wording.
How many hours should a quote take?
Job size decides it. The useful measure is hours spent per job signed. Track it, and cut the time where the phone questions can remove a visit.