Why three builders quote three very different prices

Why the gap is usually not greed

When people get three quotes for the same job, a spread of 30-60% is completely normal in the UK. The instinct is to assume the highest one is chancing it. Usually something more boring is going on.

The five things that move the number

• Scope. One builder includes making good, waste removal and decoration; another quotes bare works and prices extras later.
• Specification. Mid-range tiles versus premium tiles, or standard versus fire-rated materials, can move a job by thousands.
• Contingency. Experienced trades price the risk of what they will find behind the wall. That looks expensive until it is needed.
• Programme and labour. A firm with employed staff and full insurance carries costs a sole trader does not.
• Appetite for the work. A busy builder who does not really want the job prices it high on purpose.

How to compare properly

1. Ask every builder to price the same written scope, not their own interpretation.
2. Ask what is excluded — that sentence is where the money hides.
3. Check whether VAT is included, and whether materials are a provisional sum.
4. Compare payment schedules, not just totals. Large up-front deposits are a risk, not a discount.
5. Ask how variations will be priced if something unexpected appears.

Common mistakes

• Choosing on total price alone, then paying for the missing items later.
• Accepting a verbal quote. If it is not written down, it cannot be compared.
• Assuming the cheapest quote used the same materials.

Questions to ask each builder

• What is specifically excluded from this price?
• Is this a fixed price or an estimate?
• Who removes waste and makes good afterwards?
• What is your day rate if extra work is needed?

Next steps

Line the quotes up side by side and mark every item that appears in one but not the others. That single exercise explains most of the difference — and gives you something concrete to negotiate on.