Guides
How to compare renovation quotes fairly
Quotes can only be compared when they describe the same work, and they almost never do.
A renovation quote is not a price for a property; it is a price for a described scope. Two contractors looking at the same room will describe different amounts of work, because they have made different assumptions about what is behind the wall, what will be reused and who is supplying the finishes. Comparing the totals directly compares those assumptions, not the value.
Decision guides set out how to judge a quote, a programme or a contractor fairly, so the comparison is made on like-for-like information.
The way through is to reduce the quote to a small number of comparable lines. Strip-out and disposal, first fix, waterproofing and testing, finishes, joinery and any allowances. Once those sit side by side, the differences become visible — and usually one quote is simply missing something rather than being cheaper.
What matters most on this page
Find the strip-out line
Demolition, disposal and protection are either priced or assumed. If they are missing, they are not free.
Compare first fix to first fix
Pipework, drainage, cabling, cooling and the testing that follows. This is where scopes diverge most.
Look for allowances and provisional sums
A sum for tiles or joinery is a placeholder. Two different placeholders produce two incomparable totals.
What to line up side by side
Exclusions
Appliances, loose furniture, authority fees and sometimes the making good of common areas are commonly excluded. Each should be named.
Assumptions
Where the quote assumes the existing floor is sound, the ceiling void is free or the walls are plumb, that assumption is a future variation.
The programme
A cheaper quote with a longer sequence may cost more in rent or in disruption than the difference in price.
A fair comparison in four steps
Normalise the scope first
Rewrite both quotes into the same headings before looking at any total.
Price the gaps
Where one quote excludes something the other includes, get the missing item priced rather than guessing.
Check the allowances are realistic
An unrealistically low allowance is a discount today and a variation later.
Ask how variations are priced
The answer should be a rate or a mark-up, not a conversation.
Questions we are often asked
Why is one quote so much cheaper?
Usually because it describes less work, excludes more, or allows unrealistically for materials. It is rarely cheaper for the same thing.
Should I share one quote with another contractor?
Sharing the scope, not the price, is the useful move. It lets the second contractor price the same work rather than guessing.
What is a provisional sum?
An allowance for work that cannot be defined until it is opened up. It is a reasonable tool, but it has to be spent transparently.
Related guides
- Renovation payment scheduleAnother decision worth settling at the same stage.
- Renovation snag listAnother decision worth settling at the same stage.
- Living at home during a renovationAnother decision worth settling at the same stage.
- Villa renovation costThe next question people ask about the same work.
browse the guides, or see all renovation and fit-out services. We work on homes and commercial premises across Dubai.
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Tell us what you are deciding between and what you have been given so far. We will tell you what is worth checking next.
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Next step
Have your quotes read alongside ours
Send what you have been given. We will point out where the scopes differ before you decide on a total.