How to read a renovation quote, and why two quotes for the same flat differ twofold

When the gap between quotes is large, it almost always comes from a different scope of work, not different pricing for the same work. One quote included a full bathroom tear-out down to the concrete, a pipe replacement and fresh waterproofing. The other planned to keep the existing pipework and tile over it, so it came out much cheaper. Both are legitimate, but they aren't the same job, and you can't compare them as they stand.

A second source of the gap is the level of finish and materials. Tile in one size, a narrow grout joint, wall-hung fixtures and recessed lighting cost differently from the basic alternative. A quote that doesn't state the material level leaves that open, so the number is low on paper but fills up with add-ons once work starts.

A third source, and the most dangerous, is what's simply missing. A quote that doesn't mention waste removal, protection of the existing floor, hidden electrics and plumbing, or prep work, isn't necessarily cheaper. Usually it's just incomplete, and the missing parts come back as a later payment.

A BOQ is the renovation broken down into items. Each item is a line: what's done, in what quantity, and at what price. Instead of one line that says bathroom renovation, there's a line for tear-out, a line for waterproofing, a line for tiling by the square meter, a line for fixtures, and so on. That way both sides see what was agreed.

A real quantity is measured in units, not estimated. Tiling by the square meter, plumbing by the point, drywall by the linear or square meter. When the quantity is written down, you can check it against the flat, and you can understand what happens if the number actually changes. A quote that only states a lump sum per section doesn't give you that handle.

A good BOQ also includes what you don't see in the end: prep work, tear-out and removal, protection of what stays, and the hidden electrical and water infrastructure done before the finish. These are the items easiest to leave out of a quote, and they're the ones that cost the most to fix later.

Some contractors give one price for the whole renovation with no breakdown. It's easy to read, but it hides all the information you need to compare or check. When the price is a lump sum, you don't know how much of it is the bathroom and how much is the tiling, and you can't tell what happens when you change one item midway.

A lump sum also makes change management harder. Something comes up in every renovation: you want a different tile, you find old pipework under the floor, you decide to move a wall. With a BOQ, a change like that is an update to one line in quantity or price, and you see the difference exactly. Without a BOQ, every change turns into renegotiating one big number.

We work with a detailed BOQ for this reason. It's transparent to you before work starts, it defines precisely what was agreed, and it turns changes during the job into an orderly update rather than an argument. Transparent pricing isn't only fair, it's also what prevents surprises along the way.

A proper comparison doesn't start from the final number but from the scope of work. Lay the quotes side by side and go item against item: what each one includes in tear-out, waterproofing, plumbing, tiling. If one quote includes a pipe replacement and the other doesn't, you've marked the main reason for the gap before you even looked at the price.

After you align the scope, look at what's missing. In almost every comparison you'll find that one quote left out waste removal, or floor protection, or electrical points, or prep work. Add the missing items to both quotes in your head, and only then do the numbers describe the same work.

Finally, check the assumptions. What does each quote assume about the condition of the existing infrastructure, about what turns up when a wall is opened, and about who's responsible for unforeseen repairs. A quote that addresses that uncertainty in advance is worth more than one that ignores it, even if its number is slightly higher.

A few things in a quote should set off an alarm. The first is a quote far cheaper than the rest with no explanation. Sometimes that means real efficiency, but usually it means something was left out or the number will open up midway. When a quote breaks away from the rest on the low side, look for what it doesn't include before you celebrate.

The second is a demand for a large payment up front. A reasonable deposit is a normal part of the work, but a request for most of the sum before anything starts moves all the risk onto you. Healthy payment tracks the pace of progress on site, by defined milestones, not paid in advance for work not yet done.

More signs: refusing to break the quote into lines, no mention at all of a written warranty on wet work, no schedule or clear mechanism for handling changes, and pressure to sign quickly before you've understood what's written. None of these alone is an absolute deal-breaker, but several together say it's worth stopping to ask.

In almost every flat renovation something turns up after you open things. Old pipework under the floor, damp behind a wall, an uneven base. That isn't a failure of the quote, it's the nature of working in an existing flat. What separates one contractor from another is how the quote addresses that uncertainty in advance.

An orderly quote states up front what's included and what will count as an extra, and how an extra is priced when it comes up. With a BOQ, a mid-job discovery is a new line with a quantity and price that you approve before work continues, not a surprise on the final bill. That way you control the cost the whole way through.

For us every extra goes through you before it's done, priced the same way as the rest of the items. You see the difference, you decide, and only then do we continue. When the base is transparent, the changes stay transparent too.