How to quote a renovation job (so you win it and still make money)
Renovation quotes are harder than new work. Here is a practical way to win the job and still make money on it.
Quoting renovations is harder than quoting new work. You are pricing a job in someone else's home, with walls you cannot see behind, and a homeowner who is comparing you with others. Price too high and you lose it. Price too low, or leave something out, and you end up doing part of the job for free. Here is a simple way to get it right more often.
Know the job before you go
A quick call before the site visit can save a wasted trip. Find out what the homeowner wants, the rough budget, the timing and who makes the decision. If the budget and the wish list are miles apart, it is better to find out on the phone than after you have spent an evening on a quote.
Get the scope right on site
- Measurements for every room or area, plus photos from a few angles.
- The age and condition of the house, and signs of trouble like damp, movement or old wiring.
- What is staying, what is moving and what is coming out.
- Plumbing, drainage, electrical and gas, and what needs to move or be upgraded.
- Access, parking, where the skip goes and how rubbish gets out.
- Strata rules or approvals that might apply.
- What the homeowner wants, in their words, including fixtures and finishes.
Price from your own numbers
The most reliable quotes are built from the same numbers every time. Keep a price book with your materials, labour rates, subcontractor prices, waste and your margin. When prices go up, update it once and every future quote is right. Do not price off what you think a competitor charges. You do not know their costs or what they have left out.
Allow for what is behind the walls
Renovations are full of surprises. Think rot, water damage, old pipes, and floors and walls that are not straight. You cannot price what you cannot see, so do not pretend to. Use allowances, provisional sums or clear exclusions, explain them in plain language, and say how anything unexpected will be priced and agreed. Homeowners would rather hear it upfront than halfway through the job.
Price in the sequence, not only the trades
A kitchen or bathroom involves a string of trades, one after another. Price in the time each one takes, the gaps between them and your own time coordinating it all. Days lost between trades cost you money too.
What a good renovation quote includes
- Your business name, ABN, contact details and licence number.
- The scope, room by room or stage by stage, in plain language.
- The fixtures, fittings, materials and finishes allowed for, and who supplies them.
- What is included, such as demolition, waste removal, protecting the rest of the house and clean up.
- What is excluded, and any allowances or provisional sums.
- Who organises approvals, if any are needed.
- The expected start date and how long the job should take.
- Payment terms, how long the quote is valid for and how variations will be handled.
Rules on written contracts, deposits and home warranty insurance vary by state and by the value of the job. Check what applies to your work with your state regulator.
Make it easy to say yes
Homeowners compare quotes at the kitchen table, without you there to explain them. Write yours so it makes sense on its own. Options help too, such as a standard and an upgraded finish, or a core scope plus a few extras. Options let the homeowner choose how much to spend without going to someone else.
Speed matters
A quote that arrives while the homeowner is still excited has a much better chance than one that turns up weeks later. Quote as soon as you can after the visit, then follow up a few days later to answer questions.
Review your wins and losses
Every few months, look back over the jobs you quoted. Which ones did you win, and which did you lose? Did the jobs you won make the margin you expected? If a type of job keeps running over, your numbers for it are wrong. Fix the price book and the next quote is better.
Where BettaConnect fits
A quote is easier to get right when you know the job before you price it. BettaConnect pre-qualifies each enquiry before it reaches you, confirming scope, budget, timing and real intent to build. You get it as an exclusive quote opportunity, matched to your trade and service area, so you are quoting on a project the homeowner has already thought through and not racing other builders to the same phone call.
