Start with what you’re going to build
Describe the room or part of the building you’ll be working on. “Bathroom renovation” is less clear than a breakdown of demolition, pipework, tiling and final fittings. Include the measurements and material choices that determine your price.
Include these details
- Your company details, the customer’s details, the site address and an identifiable quote number.
- The date, validity period and version of the quote.
- The work, quantities, materials and agreed finish.
- The price breakdown, VAT and total amount. Make the VAT-inclusive total clear for a private customer.
- The schedule, dependencies and payment arrangements.
- What falls outside the scope and how you’ll agree changes.
Explain what you can’t know yet
Do you need to open up the floor before assessing what’s underneath? Say so. Explain your assumption and when you’ll check back with the customer. A provisional sum or estimate should be clearly labelled; don’t present it as a fixed final price.
Make approval easy to find
Ask for approval of one clearly identified version. If the customer changes something, send the updated agreement and keep the earlier version. Discuss your terms before accepting the job and make sure the customer can read and save them.
A useful final check
Read the quote as if you’d never seen the site. Can you tell what’s included for the price, what the customer still needs to arrange and when payment is due? If not, fill in the gaps before sending it.