How to write a quote that wins the job

Two joiners quote the same kitchen. One sends a text saying "£3,400". The other sends a page listing what's included, what isn't, when they can start and how long it'll take.

The second one gets the job, and often at a higher price.

Most work isn't lost on the number. It's lost on the quote.

Speed beats cheap

The single biggest thing you can change costs you nothing: quote faster.

Somebody ringing three trades is usually anxious. They want the job dealt with. The first proper quote to land arrives while they're still thinking about it, and it quietly becomes the one everything else is compared against.

If you can get a quote out the same day, you'll win work you'd otherwise lose to someone cheaper who took a week.

Quote or estimate — they're not the same

Worth knowing, because it matters if things go wrong.

An estimate is your best guess. It can move if the job turns out different.

A quote is a fixed price. Offer it, they accept it, and you're both bound by it — you can't put it up later because it took longer than you thought.

Neither is wrong. But say which one you're giving, in writing. "This is an estimate based on what I could see" protects you on a job with unknowns. Calling it a quote and then asking for more money is how you end up in a row.

What to put in

You don't need a fancy template. You need these:

What you're doing. Not "kitchen fit". Room by room, item by item. This is the bit that stops the argument in week three about whether the skirting was included.

What you're not doing. The most valuable lines in any quote. "Does not include plastering", "does not include making good the floor", "assumes existing pipework is sound". Nobody has ever fallen out over something that was written down.

Materials — supplied by who? Say whether your price includes them, and whether you've allowed a budget figure. A tile allowance of £30/m² that becomes £70/m² is the most common quoting disaster there is.

When you can start, and how long. People often care about this more than the price. If you can't start for six weeks, say so — they'll respect it more than a vague "soon".

What happens if something unexpected turns up. One line: "If we find anything not visible at the time of quoting — rot, faulty wiring, asbestos — we'll stop and price it with you before continuing." That sentence has saved more relationships than any amount of goodwill.

How and when you want paying. Deposit, stage payments, final balance. Agreeing this before you start is much easier than raising it halfway.

How long the quote stands. "Valid for 30 days." Materials move, and you shouldn't be held to a price from last spring.

Put your reasoning in

If you're not the cheapest, say why — briefly, without being defensive.

"I've allowed two extra days here because the existing floor isn't level. Some quotes won't have picked that up, and you'll find it out when the units don't sit right."

That does two things. It explains your price, and it tells them something the other quotes didn't. You've just become the person who actually looked.

Follow it up

Most trades send a quote and wait. Then wonder.

Send it, then a short message three or four days later: "Just checking you got that quote alright — any questions, give me a shout."

Not pushy. It's a nudge, and it wins jobs, because plenty of people meant to reply and forgot.

The one that costs you nothing

Write it down. Every part of this is free. None of it requires being cheaper than the next man.

A clear quote makes you look like someone who'll turn up, do what they said, and not spring surprises. Which is what people are actually buying.

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If you're not sure your prices are right in the first place, our day rate calculator works backwards from what you want to earn. Most people find the number is higher than they've been charging.