Builder quote checker
Tick what is in the quote and what worries you about it. You will get a score, and more usefully, a list of what to ask for before you sign anything.
Last updated July 2026 · built by working UK builders
What a good quote looks like
A good quote is boring. It lists the work stage by stage, names the materials, states what is excluded, ties payments to completed milestones, and puts a real company name and a VAT number at the top. It is usually two to four pages, and reading it takes ten minutes you will be very glad you spent.
A bad quote is a number. Sometimes a very attractive number. It is attractive precisely because nobody has written down what is not in it.
How to compare three quotes properly
- Write your own schedule of work first, before you ask anyone to price it. Every builder then prices the same thing.
- Put the three quotes side by side, line by line. The gaps appear immediately — one has excluded the kitchen, another has left out the making good.
- Query every difference over £500. Not to beat them down, but to find out what they know that the others do not.
- Ignore the total until the scopes match. Comparing totals before that is comparing nothing at all.
Stage payments that protect you
Payments should follow work you can stand and look at. On a typical extension:
- Nil or a small deposit — under 20%, or nothing at all
- Foundations complete and inspected by building control
- Walls up to damp-proof course
- Roof on and watertight
- First fix complete
- Plastering complete
- Practical completion, minus a 5% retention
- Retention released 3–6 months later, once the snagging is done
That retention is the most useful five percent in construction. It is the reason the snagging list gets finished.
Checks worth thirty seconds each
- Companies House — how old is the company, and how many previous ones were dissolved?
- Gas Safe Register — search the number, not the name on the van.
- NICEIC / NAPIT registers — same again for electrical work.
- TrustMark and FMB — search the scheme's own directory.
- The insurance certificate — check the expiry date and the cover level.
- Two recent jobs — go and look, and ask the owner what went wrong. Something always did; how it was handled is what you are measuring.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a builder’s quote is reasonable?
Get three quotes and put them onto the same line-by-line schedule before comparing totals. A quote that is much cheaper is usually missing scope rather than being competitive — check the exclusions first, then the specification, then the price.
How much deposit should I pay a builder?
Nothing, or under 20%. Established builders have credit accounts with merchants and do not need your money to start. If materials genuinely need paying for up front, offer to pay the merchant directly. Large deposits are the single most common feature of jobs that go wrong.
Should I pay a builder in cash?
No. A cash discount means no VAT receipt, no paper trail, no warranty you can enforce, and no evidence if anything goes wrong. The saving is nowhere near worth what you give up, and it exposes you as well as them.
How do I check a builder is legitimate?
Check Companies House for the company and its history, verify trade scheme membership on the scheme’s own register, ask for the public liability certificate and check its expiry date, verify Gas Safe and Part P registrations on the official registers, and go and look at two recent jobs.
What contract should I use?
For domestic work, the JCT Home Owner Contract or the FMB’s domestic contract. Both are short, plain English and cost very little. A written contract protects the builder as much as it protects you, which is why good builders are happy to sign one.