Building Estimates and Quotations

As a professional builder I often come across house buyers and homeowners who have found their longed for building project has turned into a series of problems and delays. Typically these are:

•  Problems obtaining planning permission and expensive repeat submissions (link this to previous articles)
• The cost of the finished project exceeds original estimates and quotations
• The time taken exceeds the time agreed

I decided to pass on some advice based on my 30 years of experience in the building trade. To start with let’s get a few legal points out of the way. When you employ a builder or building company you can expect and are entitled to:

• Work being carried out with reasonable care and skill
• Finished in a reasonable and agreed time
• Provided at a reasonable cost  to an agreed specification

Sometimes, additional work is required to make sure your project is carried out safely and correctly. The very nature of building means unforeseen problems can occur which may affect the final price

The simple way to overcome this is to have a contingency budget and make sure you agree with the builder that any further work will only be completed by agreement. A truly professional building company would not think of carrying out extra work without explaining the necessity for it and how much extra it will cost.

Estimates

It is important you know about the difference between a quotation and an estimate. Usually an estimate is an approximation of how much your building project will cost. Estimates are useful in the early stages in order to establish an initial budget cost. An estimate is not an agreed price. If an actual price for your building project was not agreed you may legally have to pay the difference if the builder asks for more money at any stage of the contract.

A quotation should be a detailed assessment of the work to be carried out. This should include the time required and the material specification to complete the work. A quotation from a professional builder will include this information. This isa good way to tell if your building company is professional and reputable.