When three builders return three very different prices, it is tempting to take the middle figure as a safe compromise. But the prices may describe different projects. One may include decoration, another may allow only for a shell, and a third may have made assumptions about items that are still undecided.
A fair comparison starts by establishing what each contractor has priced. Once the scope is aligned, the differences become easier to explain and the decision becomes less dependent on instinct.
Give every builder the same information
Issue the same drawings, specification and project notes to each contractor. Include the drawing revision, your intended finish, access constraints and whether you expect to remain at home.
If you clarify something during one site visit, share that clarification with the others. Otherwise a useful conversation can unintentionally give one builder information that the remaining quotations do not reflect.
Keep a record of what was issued and when. A quotation based on an earlier layout should not be compared directly with one based on a later, more detailed design. Ask for revisions where necessary before making a decision.
Create a simple comparison schedule
Set out the major work packages in rows, with one column for each contractor. Use categories that make sense for your project: site setup, groundworks, structure, roof, glazing, services, plastering, kitchen installation, finishes and handover.
Mark each item as included, excluded or requiring clarification. Add a separate section for professional fees and homeowner purchases. Do not enter zero against an excluded item; enter the allowance you will need to fund it elsewhere.
The purpose is not to turn you into a quantity surveyor. It is to expose the differences that a single total conceals. For a complex project, professional help with this exercise can be valuable.
Put every total on the same basis
Check whether VAT is included and how it has been applied. Identify provisional sums, estimated quantities and any sums that depend on final selection or investigation.
Consider this simplified example. Quote A is £90,000 excluding VAT and excludes £15,000 of work. Quote B is £105,000 excluding VAT and includes that same work. If the scopes and tax treatment otherwise match, the apparent £15,000 difference disappears before you assess quality or programme.
That example does not prove the higher quote is better. It shows why adjusted totals are more useful than headline totals. Keep the original quote and your comparison assumptions side by side.
Examine allowances carefully
An allowance for glazing may be based on standard units while your drawings suggest a bespoke opening. A bathroom allowance may suit a basic product range while your selections sit elsewhere.
Ask what each allowance includes, what evidence supports it and how the final amount will be reconciled. Find out whether labour, delivery, waste and VAT are treated separately.
A quote with more allowances is not automatically wrong. It may simply reflect an early design stage. The important question is whether you are comfortable committing while those amounts remain uncertain, or whether further design would produce a stronger basis for pricing.
Compare the proposed delivery
Ask who will run the site, how often that person will be available and who handles decisions. Establish whether you are appointing one main contractor or coordinating several separate contracts.
Request an outline programme that shows major stages and dependencies. An unusually short duration deserves explanation, especially if it assumes materials or approvals that are not yet secured.
Discuss how the team will protect occupied areas, manage deliveries and communicate interruptions. These practical arrangements are part of the service you are comparing. A quotation that allows for them may reasonably differ from one that assumes unrestricted access to an empty house.
Check relevant experience
Look for completed work that resembles your proposed project in its practical demands. Experience with an occupied terrace, difficult access or substantial structural changes may be more relevant than photographs of a very different type of build.
Ask whether you can speak to a previous client about communication, changes and completion. Useful questions include how problems were handled and whether outstanding items were resolved. A project does not need to have been problem-free for the builder to have performed well.
Verify the contracting entity, appropriate insurance and the proposed contract arrangements. Make sure the business named in the quote is the business you understand you will be appointing.
Clarify before negotiating
Send a short, numbered clarification list. Ask each builder to respond in writing and incorporate agreed changes into a revised quotation or schedule.
If you need to reduce the price, discuss specific scope changes. Ask what could be simplified and what consequences follow. A general request to “do it cheaper” can produce a discount without explaining whether the underlying assumptions have changed.
Once you select a contractor, retain the agreed scope, drawings, clarifications and exclusions as part of the contract documentation. A good tender comparison is useful only if its conclusions survive into the agreement you sign.
Choose on a complete picture
The strongest quote is one you understand and can fund, delivered by a team you have reason to trust. Price matters, alongside clarity, relevant experience and a workable delivery plan.
For the information each quotation should contain, read what a building quote should include. If you would like Hutch to consider your project, send us the same drawings and brief you are using to obtain prices.
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