building contractors quote

miss indecisive

Hi

Just recieved a quote from a building contractor, its the first to be returned. The quote has just the final price each particular is listed but not individually priced. When the builder was asked about a more broken down quote he said we would have to pay 500E towards the cost of his quantity surveyor to do that. I had assumed that the quote would be more comprehensive. Is this usual ? or am i just very green

Carlow52

Wouldn't worry too much about the individual bits that add up to the big number: one figure is normal.

Even if u do pay the 500E, what will it do for you?

What is more important that the spec is detailed enough not to allow too much wriggle room in relation to what materials will be used and what levels of insulation etc will be achieved

miss indecisive

hi carlow52

ya there is deffo wiggle room with the quote, plus the quote was much higher than what we were expecting (architect and engineer had given rough estimate of what they thought it would cost). thats why i was querying the specifics of it. I have heard good reviews of this builder and were prob goin to go with them but he was very vague when questioned bout things so we just kinda confused

paddy147

miss indecisive wrote: »

hi carlow52

ya there is deffo wiggle room with the quote, plus the quote was much higher than what we were expecting (architect and engineer had given rough estimate of what they thought it would cost). thats why i was querying the specifics of it. I have heard good reviews of this builder and were prob goin to go with them but he was very vague when questioned bout things so we just kinda confused

Architect or engineer dont give good quotes as they aint builders.

They are not builders,so they shouldnt be giving you quotes in the 1st place.

Pick a builder on local knowladge and work you have seen done,also get at least 5 quotes then play each builder agianst the other to see who is willing to drop down just to get the work off you.

You will be surprised how well this will work for you in this cuttent climate.

sinnerboy

Wait for your other prices to come in first . Yes - QS's do cost - but some builders refuse not to use them . So you may find other qoutes come with 20-30 pages of itemized costs . If your 1st price is still lowest after all others have come in - insist on a breakdown across the build items .

In particular with respect to electrics - you don't need a complete schedule - simply ask - how much per item if we look for extra
-power points
-lights

In the case of plumbing - ask how per extra
rad
towel rail
sanitary fitting

you then know what to expect if you change these items

mr_edge_to_you

Hi miss decisive, we've just finished this stage, thank god. The first quote we got from a contractor shocked us, thought the price was off the wall. We were working off a figures and guideline prices on this and as it turns out the quote was pretty much in the same price bracket as the other 5 quotes we got. So don't get too excited that the prices will be any less with other builders. When you get a few more you will see how much wiggle room there actually is. Just make sure that they are quoting you for what you asked.with 4 of our quotations, the builders didn't quote for the garage even though we specified it on our list of instructions and gave them a copy of the plans!

pseudo-tech

If your tender drawings and specification is tight (as it should be) ask your contractor to enter into a fixed price contract!

In relation to you not receiving an itemised breakdown, most contractors don't like doing this as they may loose their competitive advantage if their competitors are aware of how they price a project. As mentioned above, this would not worry me, if your documents were water tight!

miss indecisive

Thanks for all the advice!

When we first met this contractor he ensured us that he priced the build with a quantity surveyor so was expecting the quote to be itemised. So its good to hear from others that pricing varies.

Also the contractor quoted for items that we said we did not need a price for, he said he can deduct these prices from the total but how do we know he will deduct the real amount he had quoted for these. Suppose we just have to believe he is honest! :eek:

pseudo-tech

miss indecisive wrote: »

Also the contractor quoted for items that we said we did not need a price for, he said he can deduct these prices from the total but how do we know he will deduct the real amount he had quoted for these. Suppose we just have to believe he is honest! :eek:

If the contractor has priced for items that you explicitly asked him not to price for, then ask him to either remove them from his price or show you the costs that he has put against them. Also ask him do the price include for supply and installation of the items in question. These can be removed from the contract prior to commencement of the development or can be left in as PC sums allowing you to choose how you want those items addressed within that price. However, if you go over that price your contractor is entitled to an extra and conversely if you choose below that price it is a reduction.

Your Architect/ Engineer/ Agent should be advising you of all of this!!

chavis

miss indecisive wrote: »

Hi

Just recieved a quote from a building contractor, its the first to be returned. The quote has just the final price each particular is listed but not individually priced. When the builder was asked about a more broken down quote he said we would have to pay 500E towards the cost of his quantity surveyor to do that. I had assumed that the quote would be more comprehensive. Is this usual ? or am i just very green

hi,
i think its not usual , the quote is generally more comprehensive

alfaromeo84

I have got my planning, etc, mortgage sorted, now i need to go about starting and pricing. Can i ask you how you went about doing this, may sound like a stupid question, but i am a little lost with all this.

picorette

You should ask your Architect (or whoever secured your Planning Permission for you) to detail the drawings, and provide a Specification of works and the send these out to Builders. He may also have recommended Builders, which would be a bonus.