Comparing renovation quotes like for like

A quote is a description of the work with a price attached. Comparing totals without reading the description is how people end up paying for the same renovation twice: once in the contract, and again in “extras”.

Give everyone the same brief

Write down what you want before you ask for quotes, and send the same brief to everyone:

• the property: type, age, size, and whether it’s a new or resale flat;
• room by room: what’s being hacked, built, replaced or kept;
• finishes you’ve chosen, or a range you’re happy with;
• carpentry: what, where, and roughly how big;
• electrical and lighting points, and any plumbing or gas changes;
• when you need the works done.

If a firm suggests something different, ask them to price your brief and show the alternative separately.

What an itemised quote looks like

The Competition and Consumer Commission’s guide to the renovation industry says quoted prices should be transparent, accurate, clear and itemised, with mandatory charges stated upfront and anything that can’t be calculated in advance disclosed and estimated. It also expects a reasonably detailed description of the goods and services in the contract. In practice, each line should tell you:

• what: the item, with brand, model or material where it matters;
• how much: a quantity and a unit (an area, a length, or a number of items);
• where: the room or wall;
• the price for that line.

“Kitchen carpentry, lump sum” doesn’t let you compare anything. Ask for it broken down.

The lines that go missing

These are often left out of a cheaper quote, or priced as extras later. Ask each firm whether they’re included:

• Approvals and permits: who applies, and whether any Professional Engineer’s fee is included where one is needed.
• Protection of floors, lifts and common areas, as your HDB rules or condo by-laws require.
• Hacking and debris disposal, including how often debris is taken away. In HDB estates it has to go to Town Council sites or NEA-approved sites, never down the refuse chute.
• Making good after hacking: plastering, screeding and waterproofing, not just the new tiles.
• Electrical: the number of points, and whether new wiring and the licensed electrical worker’s certification are included.
• Final cleaning: a builder’s clean is not a post-renovation clean.
• Variations: how changes are priced once work starts.

Comparing them

Line the quotes up in a simple table, one row per item, one column per firm. Where one firm has a line the others don’t, ask the others whether it’s included somewhere else or missing. Then compare:

1. Scope: is everything in your brief priced, by everyone?
2. Specification: same thickness of board, same tile range, same fittings?
3. Exclusions: what will you pay for separately?
4. Payment terms: how much upfront, and what triggers each payment? See how renovation payments are staged.
5. Warranty and schedule: how long, and when will the works start and finish?

Only then compare totals. If one quote is far below the rest, the usual reason is missing scope, not a better deal.

Before you accept

• Don’t be rushed: taking advantage of a consumer by putting undue pressure on them to sign is an unfair practice under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act.
• Make sure the final quote becomes part of the contract. See what your renovation contract should say.

SpaceToReno is run by the team behind Junk to Clear, which also handles renovations. Where a guide links to Junk to Clear or a sister site, it’s because that step calls for the service, and the sentence says so. Enquiries sent through the form go to the same team. How SpaceToReno works