We are often asked what a job “should” cost, and the honest answer is that it depends on things
that are not visible in the description. Two quotes for what sounds like the same work can differ
enormously, and it is usually not because one firm is greedy and the other is generous.

Here is what actually moves the price, and where spending a little more really does save money
later.

Access is often the biggest single item

People are frequently surprised by this. Any work above ground floor level needs safe access,
and scaffolding has to be erected, hired for the duration and dismantled. On a house, that can be
a substantial part of the total cost of a roof, render or high level painting job.

It is also why doing all the external work at once is so much cheaper than doing it in stages.
The scaffold goes up once and gets used for the roof, the gutters, the render and the painting,
instead of four separate visits each carrying its own access cost.

If you are getting a quote for external work, ask what else is worth doing while the scaffold
is up. It is usually the cheapest work you will ever have done.

Preparation is most of the labour

On decorating, rendering, tiling and joinery, the visible finish is a small part of the time.
Filling, sanding, caulking, stabilising, stain blocking and priming are what decide whether the
result still looks right in three years.

This is where two quotes most often differ without either firm saying so. A cheaper price for
“decorating a room” may assume two coats over whatever is there. A higher price may include
repairing the plaster first. They are not the same job, and only an itemised quote makes that
clear.

What is behind the wall or under the floor

On any older property there is a limit to what can be seen before work starts. Once a floor
comes up or plaster comes off, it is common to find perished wiring, notched joists, rot at the
end of a joist built into a solid wall, or damp that was hidden behind a finish.

A realistic quote acknowledges this and includes a sensible allowance, saying what it is for. A
quote that ignores it entirely is not cheaper, it is just less complete, and the difference tends
to appear later.

Materials, and where they matter

Sometimes the cheaper material is a perfectly sensible choice, and sometimes it guarantees the
job fails. A few examples from work we do constantly:

• Mortar for repointing. Using cement on a soft old brick wall costs the same as
  using lime and will destroy the brick faces over the following years. This is not a place to save
  money.
• Tanking in a shower. A waterproof membrane behind the tiles adds very little
  to a bathroom and prevents the leak that costs thousands.
• Fence posts. Concreting posts to the right depth costs a little more than
  knocking them into the ground and is the difference between a fence that survives a gale and one
  that does not.
• Exterior paint. On a coastal elevation, a finish made for exposure lasts
  several years longer than a general purpose one.

Ground conditions on building work

For extensions and new builds, what is under the ground can change the cost significantly
before anything is visible above it. Shrinkable clay, made up ground, a high water table or a
large tree near the foundations all mean deeper or engineered foundations.

Drainage matters just as much. Building over or close to a public sewer needs agreement and
sometimes a diversion, and moving a manhole is a job in its own right. These are worth
investigating early rather than discovering on site.

How much glass, and how complicated the roof is

On extensions specifically, two of the same size can differ enormously depending on the
specification. Bifold doors, sliders and roof lanterns cost far more per metre than wall, and they
need structural support above them. A simple flat or mono pitch roof is considerably cheaper than
a hipped roof with valleys tying into the existing one.

If a quote is more than you expected, these are usually the most productive places to look for
savings, rather than trying to reduce the size.

Why the cheapest quote is often not the cheapest job

The two most common reasons one quote is much lower are that it does not include the same work,
or that it does not include the same preparation. Occasionally it is because corners are going to
be cut in places you cannot inspect: no tanking behind the tiles, no membrane under the floor, no
sub base under the paving.

Those are the parts nobody sees on handover day and everybody notices two years later. When
comparing quotes, the useful question is not “why is this one more expensive” but “what is in this
one that is not in the other”.

Where it is worth spending more

As a rule, spend on the things you cannot easily redo: foundations and sub bases,
waterproofing, the right mortar, drainage, insulation, and anything that will be buried behind a
finish. Save, if you need to, on the things that are easy to change later: paint colours, tile
choice, worktops and fittings.

How we price

We look at the job before quoting rather than pricing over the phone, and the quote is written
and itemised so you can see what each part costs. Where something is hidden we say so and include
a realistic allowance rather than quoting low and raising it later. If we find something
unexpected, we stop, show you and agree it before carrying on.

Quotes are free and carry no obligation. Ring us on 01323 671001
or send a photo and a postcode and we will tell you what is involved.