How to check a quote for building work

You've just received a quote for building work for €8,000, €25,000 or perhaps €80,000.

The amount seems reasonable. The contractor appears reliable. The document is several pages long and contains enough technical terms to give an impression of professionalism.

But have you really checked what you're about to sign?

A quote for building work shouldn't just answer the question: 'Is the price right?'

Above all, it must allow you to understand precisely: WHAT IS INCLUDED? WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED? WHAT QUANTITIES ARE BEING CHARGED FOR? WHAT MATERIALS WILL BE USED? AND UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS CAN THE PRICE STILL CHANGE?

This is often where nasty surprises lie.

Here's how to check a quote for building work before you sign.

1. Don't start by looking at the total

It's the first instinct for almost everyone. You receive three quotes: €31,800, €36,400 and €43,700. And your eyes immediately go to the €31,800.

Instead, start by forgetting the total for a few minutes. Look at what each offer actually contains.

A quote for €31,800 might exclude scaffolding, waste removal or certain finishes, whereas the one for €36,400 includes them.

Comparing two amounts without comparing their content is sometimes like comparing two cars on price alone, without looking at their engine or features.

2. Check that the work is described correctly

The first part of the quote should allow you to clearly identify the work involved.

Compare 'Roof renovation: €24,000' with 'Removal of existing roof covering, disposal, inspection of substrate, supply and installation of underlay, counter-battens, battens and tile covering...'.

The larger the project, the less acceptable vague wording becomes.

3. Check the quantities

This is probably one of the easiest checks to do yourself.

The quote states 'Roof insulation: 185 m²' when your roof is actually about 145 m². Why the difference? There may be an excellent explanation, but you should ask for it.

The same goes for m² of facade, m² of tiling, metres of skirting boards or gutters, and the number of windows, radiators, electrical sockets, doors or photovoltaic panels.

A small error repeated across several items can add up to a significant amount.

4. Check the units

A line item can be charged per m², per linear metre, per item, per hour, per day or as a fixed price.

The price 'Facade treatment: €65' means nothing if you don't know whether it's €65 per m², per hour or for a specific service.

For example: 85 m² × €72 = €6,120. If the line total shows €7,250, you need to understand why.

5. Look for what's missing

Don't just ask 'What's included?' Ask: 'What is NOT included?'

For a roof: what about scaffolding, the crane, the skip, the removal of old tiles, protection against rain, timber frame repairs, chimney flashings, roof windows and interior finishing?

Sometimes, the items missing from the quote are the ones that cost the most later on.

6. Spot the words that can signal an extra charge

Certain phrases should catch your attention: 'as required', 'to be determined after opening up', 'on a time and materials basis', 'not included', 'at the client's expense', 'depending on the condition of the substrate', 'subject to', 'estimated quantity', 'possible supplement'.

These mentions are not necessarily unusual. The problem arises when a significant part of the work remains undetermined.

Then ask: 'If this situation occurs, how will the extra charge be calculated?'

7. Check the materials by more than just their brand name

'High-performance insulation'. Very good. But which one?

A professional quote should, where relevant, allow you to sufficiently identify the product: manufacturer, range or reference number, thickness, dimensions, technical characteristics, energy performance, finish and possibly certification.

The same goes for PVC windows, heat pumps, boilers, waterproofing membranes, tiles, paint and photovoltaic panels.

8. Be careful with the word 'lump sum'

A lump sum can be very practical, for example 'Site setup: €2,500 lump sum'.

But when a large part of the quote consists of lump sums, it becomes difficult to check the price. The higher the lump sum, the more you need to understand what it covers.

9. Check the VAT

The price you will actually pay must be clear. €30,000 excluding VAT is obviously not the same as €30,000 including VAT.

The rates applicable to renovation work differ between European countries and can depend on the age of the building, the nature of the work and the client's status.

In Belgium, certain renovation works on a private dwelling over 10 years old may, under certain conditions, benefit from the reduced VAT rate of 6% instead of the standard rate of 21%.

Never assume that a reduced rate applies automatically.

10. Check if the price is really fixed

Ask the question: 'Is the amount quoted a fixed and final price?' Or is there a price review clause?

For a long project, some contracts include mechanisms for adjusting certain prices. You need to know how this review works before you sign.

11. Prices for 2026 should be analysed with caution

Prices found on the internet can serve as a reference, but they are never proof that a quote is correct or incorrect.

According to Eurostat, construction prices for new residential buildings increased by 48.2% in the European Union between 2015 and 2025. After sharp increases from 2021 to 2023, growth slowed to +2.3% in 2024 and +1.3% in 2025.

A price per m² found in an article from 2020 or 2021 may be well out of date today.

The price charged by a construction company includes labour, equipment hire, transport, overheads and the company's profit margin. You need to compare recent, local prices that genuinely correspond to the same services.

12. Check the payment schedule

A quote for €60,000 might specify €20,000 on signing, €20,000 at the start of work, and €20,000 on completion. Another might specify €6,000 on order, followed by several payments corresponding to the progress of the work.

Always ask yourself: how much will I have paid in relation to the work actually completed at that point?

In Belgium, certain contracts falling under the scope of the loi Breyne are subject to specific rules: in particular, the advance payment upon signing the contract cannot exceed 5% of the total price, and subsequent payments must correspond to the value of the work already carried out.

13. Check the timescale... and not just the start date

'Planned start: October'. Very good. But when is the project due to be finished?

A quote should allow you to understand the planned start date or period, the estimated duration and any conditions that could alter the schedule.

A project that starts is not necessarily a project that finishes quickly.

14. Check how long the quote is valid for

A quote may be valid for 15, 30 or 60 days. This is particularly important when the price of certain materials is fluctuating.

If you sign three months after an offer valid for thirty days was issued, ask for written confirmation of the price.

15. Check the general terms and conditions

They may contain clauses concerning late payments, interest, cancellation of the project, extra charges, acceptance of the works, timescales, liabilities, claims, unforeseen circumstances and price reviews.

So don't just read the lines with numbers on them.

16. Ask for details on preparatory work

A beautiful tiled floor depends on the substrate it's laid on. A beautiful paint finish depends on the preparation of the wall. Good waterproofing depends on the substrate.

A quote might offer 'Tile laying: €55/m²', but does the substrate need to be levelled? Does the old flooring need to be removed? Does waterproofing need to be applied? Are skirting boards included?

The price of the visible finish sometimes represents only part of the real cost.

17. Ask how additional work will be approved

Before signing, ask that any significant extra work be described + priced + approved before it is carried out.

If a contractor discovers a problem that requires €4,500 of additional work, you would rather receive this information before the work is done than a surprise invoice three weeks later.

18. Check for consistency between pages

Large quotes can contain contradictions. Page 3: 'Waste removal included.' Page 11: 'All landfill costs to be borne by the client.'

Or: Page 4: 'Estimated timescale: six weeks.' General conditions: 'The timescales mentioned are purely indicative and are not binding on the company.'

When an offer consists of several documents, check that they all tell the same story.

19. Pay special attention to handwritten changes

An amount is crossed out, a quantity is changed, an item is added by hand. This can be perfectly valid.

But make sure both parties have exactly the same version. For a large quote, it's better to ask for a clean, corrected version.

20. In Europe, the rules are not the same

There is no single template for a construction quote that is valid in the same way across Europe.

Contractual rules, VAT, guarantees, compulsory insurance and the information that must appear on the document vary between Belgium, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands.

But the principle remains universal: before signing, the consumer must understand precisely what they are buying and how much it will cost them.

21. Do the 'disappearance test'

Imagine that the contractor disappears tomorrow and another professional has to take over based on your quote.

Could they understand precisely what needed to be done, with what materials, in what quantities and with what finishes?

If the answer is no, your quote probably lacks precision. A good quote should almost be the technical and financial identity card for the project.

22. The ECV checklist before you sign

Before accepting a quote for building work, check at least the following:

1. Exact identity of the company
2. Precise description of the work
3. Quantities
4. Units and unit prices
5. Materials and important references
6. Work included
7. Work explicitly excluded
8. VAT
9. Total amount
10. Deposit
11. Payment schedule
12. Start date or planned period
13. Estimated duration
14. Validity period of the quote
15. Method for calculating extra charges
16. Price review conditions
17. General terms and conditions
18. Arrangements for additional work.

The more expensive the project, the more important this check becomes.

23. The most frequent Google searches about construction quotes

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The real need is to know: 'What am I actually agreeing to?'

24. ECV: analysing what's behind the total

A quote for building work can contain dozens, or even hundreds, of lines.

For a homeowner who doesn't work in construction, spotting an unusual quantity, a missing service, an inconsistent price or ambiguous wording can be difficult.

This is precisely the logic of Euro Construct Verify – ECV. You have to put everything into perspective: the quote + the services + the quantities + the materials + the prices + the information available about the company.

Because a well-presented quote is not automatically a good quote. And a €40,000 quote deserves more than a five-minute read before being signed.

Conclusion: check what's written... and especially what isn't

To check a construction quote properly, don't just look for a pricing error. Look for the areas of uncertainty.

What's missing? What could be charged as an extra? What materials will actually be installed? Are the quantities consistent? When will you have to pay? How will unforeseen issues be handled?

A good quote should reduce uncertainties before the project begins.

Because in building work, the most costly disputes often arise less from what was clearly written down and more from what each party thought was included without it ever being specified.

European and official sources

• Eurostat — European statistics on construction prices: price trends for new residential buildings in the European Union.
• FPS Economy Belgium — rules relating to quotes: company identity, details of services and supplies, price, date, validity period and estimated duration of the service.
• FPS Economy Belgium — Guidelines 2026 on information obligations in renovation works and CASCO projects.
• FPS Economy Belgium — Loi Breyne and protections applicable to projects falling within its scope.
• FPS Economy Belgium — Guidelines 2026 relating to general terms and conditions and unfair clauses in renovation contracts.