Builder quote template for UK building work
Set a building quote out so the customer can see the site cost, the measured work, and the sums you have not measured yet. The figures further down are examples of that layout.
Practical notes for a UK builder writing a quote. Not legal or tax advice.
Start from the job in front of you. An extension, a loft, and a strip-out can share these sections. The stage names inside them change with the job. The UK quote template is the document around the lines: who you are, who the customer is, and the date. This page is what you write in the lines for building work.
What the price is based on
Name the drawings, the specification, or the site notes the price uses, and the date on them. If you priced from a visit and there are no drawings, say that. Write the site address, and write anything about access that changes the cost: a shared alley, an occupied house, or nowhere to stand a skip.
If the customer has not chosen the kitchen, the windows, or the bricks, put that supply in an allowance or in the exclusions. A measured rate should describe a choice that has already been made.
Preliminaries, on their own
Preliminaries are the cost of being on the job: protection, fencing, skips, welfare, scaffolding access, and the time to set out. Give them a section. A customer comparing two building quotes can then see the site cost separately from the brickwork.
- Site protection and temporary fencing for the duration you have stated
- Skip hire, with the size and whether an exchange is included
- Scaffolding, or a line that says scaffolding is by others
- Welfare, when you are providing it
- A parking suspension or permit, when you are paying for it and it is in this quote
Measured work by stage
Group the measured work in the order you build it. A single list headed labour and materials does not show which stage a figure belongs to. For building work, these stages usually need their own headings:
- Groundworks: excavation, disposal, concrete, and drainage runs you have actually measured
- Structure: foundations, walls, lintels, and beams you are supplying and fixing
- Roof: structure, covering, and edges
- Openings: windows and external doors, when they are in this quote
- First fix carpentry that has to be done before plaster
- Second fix and finishes, and only the finishes you are actually doing
Each line needs a quantity, a unit, and a price. "Extension as discussed" leaves the customer with nothing to query.
Allowances you have not measured yet
Some work cannot be measured until you open the job. Price it as a named allowance, and write what would make the figure change. The word allowance in the description keeps it distinct from a fixed measure. On some building quotes this kind of line is called a provisional sum. Here it means a stated figure for work you have not measured, to be replaced with measured lines later.
- A stated sum for a drainage connection you have not surveyed
- A stated sum for timber in a floor you have not opened
- A stated sum for bricks to match an existing wall, until the match is agreed
Work this quote does not include
Write exclusions as jobs. On building work, that means specialist design, fees, and the other trades.
- Structural calculations, and the engineer who produces them
- Building control or planning fees paid to the council
- A party wall surveyor
- Utility connections, and any reinforcement the utility asks for
- Kitchen supply, sanitaryware, and tiles the customer is still choosing
- Decoration, unless a section above prices it
- Plumbing and electrical work
If plumbing or electrical work sits outside this price, say so in that list. Those quotes are built differently: a plumber's quote splits fittings from labour and from builder's work, and an electrician's quote splits circuits, fix stages, and testing.
Programme
State the start window you are offering and how long the quoted work is planned to take, in weeks. If that duration assumes a clear site and choices made by a date, write the assumption next to the programme.
A worked example: single-storey rear extension
Example figures for layout only. The job in this layout is a single-storey rear extension, about 4m by 3m, taken to plaster. The house stays occupied, access is down the side, and the kitchen is not in the quote. Check that each example line total is the example unit price times the quantity. 28 m2 at £145 is £4,060. Nine cubic metres at £85 is £765. On a real quote, do the same check with your own prices.
| Section | Line | Qty | Unit | Example unit price | Example line total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminaries | Site protection and temporary fencing for the stated duration | 1 | item | £640 | £640 |
| Preliminaries | Skip hire, 8-yard, one exchange included | 2 | each | £280 | £560 |
| Groundworks | Excavate and cart away for the foundation trench | 9 | m3 | £85 | £765 |
| Structure | Cavity walling, block inner and facing brick outer | 28 | m2 | £145 | £4,060 |
| Roof | Flat roof, insulated warm deck, single-ply membrane, including the upstand | 14 | m2 | £210 | £2,940 |
| Openings | Lintels supplied and fixed | 2 | each | £380 | £760 |
| Allowance | Drainage connection, not measured. Replace with measured lines once the run is known | 1 | allowance | £1,200 | £1,200 |
| Example net total, layout only | £10,925 | ||||
Example net total, layout only: £10,925. This table does not add VAT. In Quotebefore, VAT is calculated on the net total.
The drainage line is an allowance, so a longer run changes that line. The wall and roof lines stay as measured. Exclusions on this example: structural calculations, the building control fee, kitchen supply, decoration, plumbing, and electrical work.
Example programme, layout only: a start within 6 weeks of acceptance, then 7 weeks on site, if the side access stays clear and the brick is chosen before week 1.
Checklist before you send a builder's quote
- The drawing, specification, or site note you priced from, with its date
- Site address, and access: alley, occupied rooms, skip position
- Preliminaries in their own section
- Measured work grouped by stage, each line with quantity, unit, and price
- Each allowance named, with what would make it change
- Exclusions written as work you are not doing, including other trades
- Who supplies items the customer has not chosen
- Start window and duration, with the assumption they rely on
Write the quote in Quotebefore
In Quotebefore, the UK PDF says Quote. The currency follows the shop country, so a UK shop is in GBP. VAT is calculated on the net total. Quotes are valid for 30 days by default, and that date can be edited. The PDF prints the VAT number, the company number and the address when those fields are filled in. Speech recognition runs on the device. No account is needed. The first 3 quotes are free, with no watermark. The app reminds you on working days 3, 7 and 12 after the quote is sent, then stops.
The lines on this page fit the UK quote template. For choosing an app to produce the quote, use the best quoting app for tradespeople guide.