How to get quotes for a small job, and compare them fairly
A small job — a new basin, a few doors hung, one room repainted — does not need a full tender. It does need the same clarity you would give a big project, in a fraction of the words.
Write a three-line brief
- What needs doing, in plain words: "Replace the basin and taps in the downstairs loo."
- Size or quantity: room size in square metres, or the number of items.
- Materials: are you supplying them, or is the trade? This single line causes most of the price differences between quotes.
Ask two or three trades, not six
Small jobs are won and lost on availability. Two or three local trades who actually cover your postcode will give you a usable spread. Six invitations mostly buys you silence.
What a good small-job quote contains
- A total price, and whether VAT is included.
- Days on site, and the earliest start date.
- What is included: materials, waste removal, making good, isolating water or electrics.
- What is excluded: tiling, decorating after, replacing anything found to be rotten or leaking.
Comparing fairly
Put the quotes side by side on the same three questions: price including VAT, days on site, and what is excluded. The cheapest number with three exclusions is usually the most expensive job. Ask each trade the same follow-up question and judge the answer, not the charm.
Before you book
- Confirm the trade is insured, and for gas or electrics, that they are Gas Safe or Part P registered.
- Agree how payment works: no large deposits for a one-day job; materials up front is reasonable.
- Get the start date in writing, even if it is just a message.
- Agree who lifts and disposes of the old unit, flooring or waste.
What to do next
Write the three-line brief, send it to two or three local trades, and hold them to the same four questions above. On BuildWise you can create a small job, suggest local trades, and keep the quotes and the checklist in one place.