BuildVerify Quote audit Quote Audit · USD 49
A competent quote with four exclusions that will become variations
One contractor quote read line by line for what it covers, what it excludes and what it leaves undecided.
This is a better quote than most. It is itemised, the contractor has clearly visited, and the stage payments are reasonable. It also contains four exclusions and three undecided items that, on a job of this type, reliably turn into extra cost later. None of that makes it a bad quote. It makes it an incomplete price.
The quoted USD 68,400 is realistic for the work described. Four excluded items are near certain to be needed and are not priced, and on comparable jobs they add USD 6,000 to USD 11,000. Get them priced now, while you still have competitive leverage.
What is good
The parts that do not need attention
Worth stating, because most of this quote is fine and you should not go into the conversation as though it is not.
- Itemised by trade rather than one lump sum
- Structural steel specified with sizes, not just allowed for
- Stage payments tied to completed stages, not to dates
- Waste removal and skips included and named
- Making good after first fix is explicitly included
- Contractor has visited and references the actual joist spacing
- Start and duration stated, with a weather allowance
- Insurance details and registration number on the document
Exclusions
What is not in the price
| Excluded item | Will you need it? | Typical cost | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structural engineer calculations and drawings | Yes. Required for the steel and for sign-off | USD 900 to 1,600 | Certain |
| Fire door upgrades to the existing landing | Yes. Standard requirement for a loft conversion at this height | USD 1,400 to 2,600 | Certain |
| Electrical certification | Yes. Needed for completion and for any future sale | USD 350 to 600 | Certain |
| Flooring finish | Yes, unless you are leaving boards | USD 1,800 to 3,400 | Likely |
| Decorating | Quote says bare plaster finish | USD 1,500 to 2,800 | Likely |
| Relocating the water tank | Depends. The quote assumes it stays | USD 800 to 1,900 | Possible |
| Range if all four certain items apply | USD 6,050 to 11,000 |
Exclusions are not dishonest. Every contractor excludes things, and a quote that excluded nothing would be a quote with padding in it. The risk is comparing this against another quote that includes some of these, which is how two honest quotes end up looking thousands apart.
Ambiguity
Wording that will be argued about
| Phrase in the quote | What it could mean | Ask |
|---|---|---|
| Allowance of USD 2,400 for staircase | A budget, not a price. Yours to overspend | What staircase does USD 2,400 actually buy, with a product reference? |
| Velux windows, two, standard | Size, glazing and blind provision all unstated | Which model, what size, and is a blind included? |
| Insulation to current standards | Which standard, and who confirms it | What U-value, and will you certify it? |
| Subject to access | Undefined. Could cover almost anything later | What access are you assuming, and what would change the price? |
| Plastering to a paint-ready finish | Reasonable, but paint-ready is subjective | Skim finish throughout, or patch and fill? |
| Client to supply sanitaryware | Clear, but no deadline given | By what date do you need it on site? |
The allowance line is the most common source of dispute in a loft conversion quote. An allowance transfers the price risk to you, and until you know what it buys you do not know what the job costs.
Action
What to send back
One email, all questions together. Contractors answer a single consolidated list far better than six separate messages, and asking now costs nothing while asking later costs a variation.
- Before anything
Ask for the four certain exclusions to be priced
Engineer, fire doors, electrical certification, flooring. You are not committing to buy them from this contractor. You are finding out the real number.
- Same email
Ask the six ambiguity questions in section 03
Verbatim. The answers become part of the contract whether or not anyone intends that.
- Same email
Ask what is excluded that is not listed
An open question. Good contractors answer it honestly and the answer tells you a lot about who you are dealing with.
- Before signing
Confirm who deals with building control
The quote does not say. On a loft conversion this matters and it is a real amount of work for somebody.
- Before signing
Get the revised total in writing
Original plus priced exclusions, as one document with a date. That is the number to compare against other quotes and to hold the contractor to.