Free quote template
Builders quote template
A builder's quote covers more ground than most trades — staged payments, provisional sums, exclusions and unknowns behind the walls. Here is what to write, with a worked example.
Build a builder's quote right now
Fill it in on your phone, send it on WhatsApp before you leave the driveway.
Your details
Priced items
What the customer sees
Quote from your business TOTAL: £0 This price holds for 14 days. Happy with that? Reply YES and I'll book you in.
£0
no VAT applied
Nothing you type here is sent to us or stored — the quote is built on your phone and goes straight into your own WhatsApp or Messages app.
Worked example: single-storey rear extension
A realistic worked example you can copy line for line, then change the numbers to your own. Total: £46,800 plus VAT.
| Item | Detail | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Groundworks | Excavation, footings, concrete, muck away | £9,400 |
| Structural shell | Blockwork, cavity, steel beam and padstones | £14,200 |
| Roof | Flat roof structure, GRP covering, two rooflights | £7,600 |
| Windows and doors | Bi-fold set and one window, supply and fit | £6,300 |
| First and second fix | Studwork, plasterboard, skim, joinery | £5,900 |
| Plant and waste | Scaffold, skips, welfare | £2,100 |
| Provisional sum | Drainage diversion if required | £1,300 |
What every builder's quote must contain
Miss any of these and you leave yourself open to an argument about price when the job is done.
- A stage-by-stage payment schedule with the amount due at each stage
- Provisional sums, clearly labelled as provisional rather than fixed
- Who is responsible for building control, structural calculations and planning
- What is excluded — decoration, flooring, kitchen supply, landscaping
- Scaffold, skips and welfare, priced in or explicitly excluded
- A start date window and a realistic programme in weeks
- VAT treatment, including any reduced or zero-rated works
Notes for this trade
Never quote an extension as a single lump sum with no breakdown. Customers who cannot see where the money goes assume they are being overcharged, and it makes any variation impossible to price fairly later.
Put the unknowns in writing before you start: "Price assumes existing foundations are adequate and no asbestos is present. Any additional work will be priced and agreed with you before it is carried out."
Stage payments protect you both. Something like 10% on start, then payments at damp course, plate height, roof watertight, first fix and completion keeps your cash flow sane and gives the customer visible milestones.
If you are relying on a structural engineer's design or a building control decision, say so — you cannot be held to a price for something another party specifies after you have quoted.
Quoting questions
How much deposit should a builder ask for?
For domestic extension work, 10% to 20% on commencement is normal, with the rest tied to stages. Asking for a large upfront payment before any work starts makes cautious customers walk away, and rightly so.
Should a builder's quote include VAT?
If you are VAT registered, show the net figure, the VAT and the gross separately. Some work, such as certain conversions and renovations of long-empty properties, qualifies for a reduced rate — check before you quote rather than after.
What is a provisional sum?
An allowance for work that cannot be priced accurately yet, such as a drain diversion that may or may not be needed. Label it clearly, state what it covers, and confirm the real cost with the customer before spending it.
How long should a building quote stay valid?
Thirty days is sensible. Materials prices move quickly and a quote accepted four months later can wipe out your margin entirely.