How to read a contractor’s quote
Three quotes for the same job will differ by more than you expect, and almost never for the reason you assume.
The words at the top mean different things
| Word | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Estimate | A considered figure that may move |
| Quote | A price they intend to honour |
| Bid | A price offered in competition |
| Proposal | A scope offered for your signature, with a price on it |
These are used loosely, so read the payment terms and any line about the price changing rather than trusting the heading.
Why three quotes differ
- Different scope. The commonest reason by a wide margin. One includes painting; one does not. One is taking the soffit out.
- Different quantities. One measured; one paced it out. If the square footages differ, someone is wrong.
- Different materials. Same word, very different product.
- Different exclusions. Which is the same as different scope, written down honestly.
- Different rates. The last thing to look at, not the first.
If two quotes for the same room state different square footages, that is the question to ask before any other. One of them has measured something the other has not — or one of them has not measured at all.
Better questions than "is that your best price?"
"What is not included?"
You will learn more from this than from anything else you ask.
"Were these quantities measured or estimated?"
Completely normal to ask. The answer tells you how the job will be run.
"What happens if you find something behind the wall?"
You want to hear: it stops, it gets photographed, it gets priced, you sign, then it happens.
"What are the payment stages tied to?"
Work completed, not dates on a calendar.
"Who is actually doing the work?"
Their crew, or subcontractors, and either answer is fine — you just want to know.
What a good quote feels like
It is longer than you expected, it says several things it is not doing, the quantities are on it, and nothing in it is a surprise later. That is the whole test.
A quote that is one line and a number may still come from a good contractor. It just gives you nothing to hold, and nothing to compare.
Lining three quotes up side by side
The useful exercise is not comparing totals. It is building a small table of what each one actually says, which usually explains the difference before you get to the money.
| Ask of each quote | What a difference tells you |
|---|---|
| What are the quantities? | Different square footages mean somebody measured and somebody did not. |
| Is demolition included? | Often the single biggest silent difference. |
| Is disposal included? | A skip is a real cost and it is frequently excluded. |
| Are permits included? | Varies enormously by area and by contractor. |
| Is painting included? | The scope frequently stops at finished board. |
| What material grade? | Same word, very different product and price. |
| What is explicitly excluded? | The most informative line in the whole document. |
Fill that in for three quotes and the cheapest one usually stops being cheapest.
Questions about the people, not the paper
- Who will be on site day to day, and can I contact them?
- How many other jobs will be running at the same time?
- What is the start date, and what does it depend on?
- What happens if materials are delayed?
- Can I speak to somebody whose kitchen you did last year?
None of these is on the quote and all of them affect how the job feels. A contractor who answers them easily has run a lot of jobs.
Questions people ask
- Why are contractor quotes so different from each other?
- Usually scope rather than price — one includes something another does not. The next commonest reason is quantities: if two quotes for the same room state different square footages, ask about that before you look at either total.
- Should I always take the lowest quote?
- The lowest number frequently belongs to the least complete document. Compare the exclusions and the quantities first; if those match and one price is lower, then you are comparing prices.
- Is it rude to ask whether the measurements are real?
- Not at all, and a careful contractor will have a good answer ready. "Those came off a scan and I will confirm them with a tape before we start" is a better answer than "they are accurate".
- How do I compare three contractor quotes fairly?
- Build a small table: quantities, demolition, disposal, permits, painting, material grade and exclusions. Fill it in for each quote before you look at any total — the cheapest one very often stops being cheapest once the table is complete.
- What should I ask a contractor that is not on the quote?
- Who is on site day to day, how many other jobs run at the same time, what the start date depends on, what happens if materials are delayed, and whether you can speak to a recent client. None of it is on the paper and all of it affects the job.
Where this fits with Trueline
Trueline is an iPhone app that measures a room, takes it off, prices it from your own rate book and turns it into a proposal — with every length carrying whether it was scanned, drawn or measured, right onto the document a client reads. See how it works, or take the free templates and use them with whatever you already have.