How do I compare quotes from different local tradespeople
Compare the same finished job before comparing prices. Check what each offer includes, who handles the missing items, the visits and access needed, and the total on the same VAT basis. Use one version of your brief for every contractor.
Describe your job to get a quote
What to compare on every quote
Describe the same work
Account for exclusions
Agree access and timing
Compare the payable total
A worked comparison: two offers for the same room
Fictional example: repaint a room with local plaster repairs. Both contractors can attend in the agreed window. The figures below are chosen to show the comparison, rather than market prices or a Tradehand customer result. All figures use the same basis before any VAT.
| Item | Quote A | Quote B after clarification |
|---|---|---|
| Labour and preparation | Quote A£400 | Quote B after clarification£380 |
| Specified paint and materials | Quote A£120 | Quote B after clarification£120 |
| Waste disposal | Quote A£20 | Quote B after clarification£20 |
| Local plaster repairs and making good | Quote A£80 | Quote B after clarification£80 |
| Comparable total before any VAT | Quote A£620 | Quote B after clarification£600 |
Quote B originally showed only £380 for labour and excluded the other three lines. Its clarified scope totals £600. The difference from A is now £20, rather than the £240 gap between the original headline numbers.
Before choosing, confirm whether VAT is charged and the final payable total. Ask both which surfaces, preparation and coats are included, who supplies the paint, how access and protection work, and whether testing or completion documents apply to the actual task. Record any excluded return visit. An uncertain item remains uncertain until the contractor answers.
Separate a survey, a repair and a change
If a leak, fault or damaged surface has an unknown cause, agree the investigation first. Ask what that stage costs, what findings you receive and what needs another decision. Permission to visit or investigate does not approve every repair found.
A fixed price depends on the agreed scope and assumptions. If new requested work changes them, record its scope, price and effect on timing before approval. The extra-work guide shows how to keep the original quote and the addition separate.
Use a brief that makes the offers comparable
| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Work and finish | RecordItem, location, quantity, specification and what still needs checking |
| Materials and disposal | RecordWho supplies them, what is included and what is removed |
| Access and visits | RecordAgreed contact, dates, hours, parking and return visits |
| Testing and handover | RecordWork summary and relevant test records, report or certificate |
| Decisions | RecordScope approver, change approver and confirmed payer |
| Price and terms | RecordFixed/estimated items, exclusions, VAT treatment and payment terms |
For rented homes, use the repair and access checklist. For shops and offices, use the commercial site brief. For regulated work, check the appropriate register and competence for the actual task; the electrician guide explains the checks for electrical work.
Keep the accepted scope revision and later approvals with the job. Describe your job to request a quote.
What needs doing?
Tell us what you need done. We'll tell you the price, then find a local tradesperson to do the job.
Blake Folgado
Blake is a co-founder of Tradehand, a UK trades marketplace More from Blake
