A quote can be neatly laid out, priced per square metre, with a logo at the top, and still leave out work you will end up paying for. Most of the overruns we see on renovations here were sitting in the quote from day one. Nobody read it closely enough to find them.
The usual gaps
- Scaffold and the street licence (ocupação de via pública). The Câmara charges for it and it takes time to issue.
- Waste removal and skips.
- Protection of what’s staying, and making good afterwards.
- Strip-out priced as if nothing will turn up behind the plaster.
- Provisional sums with nothing behind them, especially for structure, roofs and drainage.
- Open specification: “tiles” or “windows” with no make, model or price per m².
- Services priced as repairs when the building needs a full rewire or replumb.
- Licensing and design fees left out on the assumption someone else is paying them.
- IVA. The rate depends on the work and the property. The quote should say which rate applies and why.
The payment terms
Watch for a large deposit up front, stages tied to dates instead of inspected work, no retention held back, and no programme. The money should follow the work. More on that in how to pay a builder without paying ahead of the work.
Extras
Every job has variations (trabalhos a mais). A good quote sets out how they will be priced, with day rates and unit rates. Without them, you end up negotiating each extra after the work is already done.
Who you’re contracting with
Check the company holds an alvará on the IMPIC public register, that the name on the quote matches it, and that they have insurance. More checks here.
Our Quote Check
Send us the quote and any drawings. We go through what’s included and what isn’t, where quantities or allowances look light, and how the payments are set up. You get written notes within 48 hours, with the questions to put to the builder before you sign.
€220 + IVA for one quote. €120 + IVA for each extra quote compared side by side. €490 + IVA with a site visit. How the Quote Check works. Comparing several? Read why three builder quotes are never comparable.
Thinking of buying — or stuck with a problem?
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