How to write a clear quote for a renovation or trade job

What a clear quote for a job includes

A quote is the page your customer reads to decide whether to hire you, and the page you both return to when the job changes. Keep it short, specific, and clear enough that someone who was not on site could follow it.

1. Describe the job in plain words: what you will do, where, and what the result looks like. Put in any measurements, and say whose they are.
2. Split the price into parts: labour, materials, subcontractors, and other costs such as permits, delivery and disposal. The parts must add up to the total.
3. Say what is not included, such as moving furniture, repairs to hidden damage or anything the customer supplies.
4. Write your assumptions, such as "price assumes the existing subfloor is sound".
5. Set out how payment works: a deposit to book, any stage payments, and the balance.
6. Show tax as Tax A and Tax B lines. Type the name and rate from the Canada Revenue Agency or your provincial site. Do not copy a rate from an old quote.
7. Add a date the quote is valid until, because material prices change.
8. Add a line for the customer's name and the date they accept.

Worked example: a small deck repair (made-up figures)

Example costs: materials $1,400, a subcontractor $800, your labour $1,600, and disposal and permit $200. Your costs are $4,000 before margin.

You choose a 20% margin. In the price calculator, $4,000 in costs at a 20% margin gives a price of $5,000, before Tax A and Tax B.

On the quote you show four cost groups that add up to the total, a deposit of $1,000 to book, the balance of $4,000 on completion, a list of exclusions, your assumptions, and the valid-until date. That is a one-page quote.

Read it back as the customer

Can they find the total? Does the first paragraph say what they are getting? Is there anything they could read two ways? Save a copy with the job name and date. You will need it when the work changes.

Work out your price first. Type your costs and the margin you want in the price, margin and markup calculator, then copy the total into your quote. If you charge by the hour, check your rate in the hourly rate calculator.