How to compare quotes from tradespeople like for like

You’ve asked three tradespeople to price the same job and the numbers have come back miles apart. One is suspiciously cheap, one is eye-watering and one is somewhere in the middle. Which one is right? Usually none of them, until you know what each one actually includes.

A number is not a quote

The most common problem is being given a single figure, sometimes by text, sometimes written on the back of a card. “£1,800 for the bathroom.” That’s not a quote, it’s a guess, and it leaves every question open. Does it include tiles? Removing the old suite? Skip hire? The electrician for the shower? Making good the plaster? Any of those can add hundreds of pounds on the day.

What a proper quote should include

• Labour, ideally with the trade and the time shown (for example, plumber, 1.5 hours)
• Materials, listed with a price for each, so you can see what’s specified and swap it if you want
• Specialist trades such as an electrician or plasterer, if the job needs them
• Waste and disposal, including skip hire if it applies
• VAT, shown clearly rather than “plus VAT” in small print at the bottom
• What’s excluded, so there are no surprises
• The guarantee, how long it lasts and what it covers
• Insurance, and the confidence that it’s current

Red flags

• A large cash deposit up front before any work has started
• “From” prices, or an hourly rate with no idea of the hours
• A quote that’s only valid if you “decide today”
• No company name, address or landline, and no written terms
• Nothing about what happens if you’re not happy with the finished job

How to compare them fairly

Write down every line from each quote in one list, then fill in the gaps by asking each trade what’s included. Once every quote covers the same things, the cheapest one often isn’t cheap any more, and the expensive one is sometimes just the honest one. Then think about the things a price doesn’t show you: how they communicate, whether they turned up on time to look at the job, and whether you’d be happy having them in your home for a fortnight.

How we do it

Every Propfix quote is itemised line by line, with labour, materials, VAT and the guarantee all shown. You pay Propfix securely online when you book, not the tradesperson. It’s the way we’d want to be quoted ourselves.

Want a quote you can actually compare? Upload a few photos through our booking page and we’ll send you a fixed price including VAT, or tell you if we need to see it first. Or call us on 01895 444 999.