10 Things to Ask a Contractor Before You Accept Their Refurbishment Quotation
Choosing a contractor for a refurbishment is not simply a case of comparing totals at the bottom of three quotations.
Two prices can look similar while covering very different things. One contractor may have included temporary protection, waste removal, full decoration and final cleaning. Another may have excluded several of those items or priced them only as provisional allowances.
That is why the questions asked before accepting a quotation are so important.
A good contractor should be able to explain not only what the project costs, but how the figure has been built up, what assumptions have been made and where uncertainty still remains.
For homeowners, landlords and property professionals, getting this right before work starts can significantly reduce disputes, variations and budget surprises later.
1. Is this an estimate or a fixed quotation?
The first thing to establish is what type of document you are actually looking at.
An estimate is usually an informed assessment of likely cost based on the information available at the time. It can move up or down as the scope develops.
A quotation is normally based on a more defined scope and should give much greater certainty about what is included.
The distinction matters.
If drawings, specifications or structural information are incomplete, a contractor may reasonably be unable to provide a genuinely fixed price.
In that situation, it is better for both parties to acknowledge the uncertainty rather than pretend the figure cannot change.
2. Exactly what is included in the price?
A headline figure tells you very little unless the scope behind it is clear.
Ask the contractor to explain what has been allowed for in each trade or section.
For a substantial refurbishment this may include:
- Demolition and strip-out
- Carpentry and partitions
- Plumbing
- Electrical work
- Plastering
- Kitchens
- Bathrooms
- Flooring
- Decoration
- Waste removal
- Protection
- Final cleaning
The clearer the breakdown, the easier it is to compare quotations properly.
It also reduces the likelihood of arguments later about whether something was “obviously included”.
3. What has been excluded?
Exclusions are just as important as inclusions.
A quotation may look competitive because certain elements are being supplied or arranged by the client.
That is not necessarily a problem, but it needs to be visible.
Typical exclusions might include:
- Planning fees
- Building Control fees
- Structural engineer fees
- Kitchen supply
- Bathroom sanitaryware
- Light fittings
- Decorative finishes
- Specialist surveys
- Temporary accommodation
If exclusions are clearly stated, the client can build them into the overall project budget.
If they are hidden or vague, they often reappear later as unexpected additional costs.
4. Are there provisional sums or allowances?
Some parts of a refurbishment cannot be priced accurately at the outset.
A contractor may therefore include an allowance for an item that has not yet been fully selected or designed.
For example, the quotation may include a provisional figure for tiles, sanitaryware, structural steelwork or electrical fittings.
That can be perfectly reasonable.
The important thing is understanding which numbers are firm and which numbers are allowances.
If the final product costs more than the allowance, the difference will need to be added to the project.
If it costs less, the client should understand how that saving is treated.
5. What assumptions have been made about the existing building?
Refurbishment pricing often relies on assumptions because parts of the property are concealed.
A contractor may assume that existing floors are sound, drainage is usable or ceilings can remain in place.
Those assumptions should be discussed.
The older or more heavily altered the property, the more important this becomes.
Useful questions include whether the contractor has assumed:
- Existing subfloors can be retained
- Electrical circuits can be reused
- Pipework is in serviceable condition
- Walls are non-structural
- Existing plaster can remain
- Drainage routes are suitable
If those assumptions later prove incorrect, the resulting work may become a variation.
Knowing that before signing the contract makes the risk much easier to manage.
6. How will variations be priced and approved?
Changes happen on refurbishment projects.
Some come from client decisions. Others result from unforeseen site conditions.
What matters is having a clear process.
Ask how additional work will be recorded and priced.
Ideally, variations should be agreed before the extra work is carried out wherever practical.
A simple variation record should identify:
- Description of the change
- Cost impact
- Programme impact
- Who approved it
- Date of approval
This prevents the final account becoming a collection of disputed verbal instructions.
7. What programme has the contractor allowed for?
A good price is not particularly useful if the proposed programme does not suit the project.
Ask how long the contractor expects the works to take and whether there are any major dependencies.
The programme should reflect more than labour availability.
It may need to consider:
- Kitchen lead times
- Glazing manufacture
- Structural steelwork
- Building Control inspections
- Drying times
- Specialist subcontractors
- Client decisions
If the quotation promises a significantly shorter programme than everybody else, it is worth understanding why.
Sometimes the contractor has found a better sequence.
Sometimes the programme is simply unrealistic.
8. Who will actually manage the project day to day?
The person who prepares the quotation may not be the person running the site.
Before appointment, establish who will be responsible for the project once construction begins.
Ask who the main contact will be, who coordinates trades and who deals with questions or variations.
A refurbishment involving several trades needs clear responsibility.
If nobody is actively coordinating the work, the client often ends up doing it themselves.
Good site management can have as much impact on the outcome as the original price.
9. What happens if something goes wrong?
Every construction project carries some risk.
The important thing is how problems are dealt with.
Ask the contractor how defects, delays or unforeseen conditions are normally handled.
You should also understand what insurance arrangements are in place and whether specialist subcontractors are appropriately insured.
This is not about expecting problems.
It is about making sure there is a sensible process if they arise.
A contractor who is comfortable discussing risk and responsibility is generally easier to work with than one who avoids those conversations entirely.
10. Can you compare this quotation properly with the others?
The cheapest contractor is not always the lowest-cost project.
A lower quotation may become more expensive once missing items and variations are added.
Equally, the highest quotation is not automatically the best.
The objective is to compare like with like.
Before appointing anybody, review:
- Scope
- Exclusions
- Allowances
- Programme
- Management
- Specification
- Variation process
- Insurance
- Quality expectations
- Final price
If two contractors have interpreted the project differently, ask them to clarify before making the decision.
That will give you a much more useful comparison than simply choosing whichever number is lowest.
A clear quotation protects both client and contractor
Good tendering is not about trying to eliminate every possible unknown.
Refurbishment work rarely allows that.
It is about making sure both sides understand what has been priced, what remains uncertain and how changes will be dealt with.
The stronger the information before construction starts, the easier it becomes to control both cost and programme.
Bayocorp works with homeowners, landlords and property professionals across London and the South East, providing estimating, cost planning, pre-construction, project management and construction delivery.
If you are reviewing refurbishment quotations, we can help turn drawings, specifications and contractor prices into a clearer basis for comparison before you commit.
Renovate | Refit | Refurbish