Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Feb 22, 2011 1:44 pm I'm renovating my house and have received my first quote from a builder. I'm surprised how little information is given to arrive at a total estimate. There's the estimated cost per square meter for wall and floor tiles, estimated cost for joinery and bathroom fittings. Other than that, there's no breakdown for each room or for building materials, labour, painting, that kind of thing. There's just a grand total. Is it normal to receive a quote with so little offered to show how the total is reached? Would you expect to have to meet again and discuss materials etc in more detail to get a clearer idea of where the money is going? Do you need to give the builder a list of everything you want to see the cost calculation for to get this information? I'd appreciate any advice from anyone who's done this as I'm surprised by how vague it all looks... Oh, also how long would you expect a builder to take to come back with a quote? What's reasonable? Thanks. Re: Builders quotes - how much detail to expect? 2Feb 22, 2011 3:12 pm Its very unlikely you'll get a complete breakdown for materials or room by room as the way they purchase materials can affect the cost. If they were to quote room by room you would find that the material costs would be higher as the point they get a price break wouldn't apply. Unfortunately you shouldn't get your hopes p for a detail quote from any builder doing a reno, you can ask but most won't come through. Average turn around for quotes for us was 3 weeks and we had to chase them for it. Estimating tile and flooring costs is usually only to match existing fittings. You can specify any tiles you like but you'll have to pay for them. Estimating joinery is difficult as if they aren't doing it them selves (sub letting that part of the job) they may not know the rates of the people they will end up using. Are you saying that these consultants are involved at key-points of the building, and perform site inspects at the stages, or only after building is completed to point… 4 8970 The irony. I'm starting to wonder if this a Bimguys second account. 84 29227 Like with any service, they don't have to compete on price. They know the market rate for a particular service and offer it for a relatively same price. I am not a sparky… 1 3689 |