What a good builder quote includes

A quote is not a price. It is a description of the work someone is willing to do for that price, and the difference between two quotes is almost always a difference in what has been described.

What should be written down

A quote you can rely on names the scope room by room or element by element, states what is excluded, sets out provisional sums where a choice has not been made yet, and explains how changes will be priced later.

Exclusions matter more than the total

Most of the painful surprises on a home project were sitting in the exclusions all along: making good, decoration, waste removal, scaffolding, temporary works, drainage diversions, or finishes shown as prime cost sums.

Questions worth asking before you accept

Ask what happens if the ground opens up differently than expected, who pays for a delay caused by materials, how variations are priced, and what the payment schedule is tied to — dates or completed stages.