How to compare renovation quotes fairly

Why is the total the wrong place to start?

Two quotes for the same flat can differ widely in total and both be honest. One may renew the plumbing; the other may assume it is fine. One may include debris removal, materials and a final clean; the other may list them as exclusions on the last page. One may show prices with VAT, the other without. In each case, the lower total is not cheaper — it is smaller.

Comparing totals first also anchors your judgement. Once you have seen a low number, every other quote looks expensive, and the questions you ask become about price rather than content. The method below reverses that order: content first, price last. It takes an hour with a pen and the documents side by side, and it is the most valuable hour of the whole project.

Step one: does each quote cover the same scope?

Make a simple table with the rooms of your property in rows and the quotes in columns. For each room, write what each builder proposes: refresh, surface renovation or deep renovation. Then add the cross-cutting items: plumbing, electrics, floors throughout, painting throughout, windows, doors.

Gaps appear quickly. You may see that one builder has included new internal doors and another has not, or that one is renewing the wiring in every room and the other only in the kitchen. Do not assume the missing item is included somewhere. Ask in writing: “Does your quote include X? If not, please add it as a separate line.” Send the same questions to every builder so the answers are comparable. Our page on cost factors helps you see which differences in scope matter most.

Step two: compare chapter by chapter

Spanish itemised quotes are organised by chapters in the order of the works. Even if two builders use different chapter names, you can usually map them: strip-out, plumbing, electrics, masonry, plasterboard, floors, tiling, carpentry, painting, fittings, cleaning.

Write the chapter subtotals of each quote side by side. Large differences in one chapter point you to where the scope or the assumptions differ. A much lower plumbing chapter often means reconnection instead of renewal. A much higher masonry chapter may include partitions that the other builder has not noticed. A missing cleaning chapter is a small amount but a useful signal about how complete the quote is.

If one quote has no chapters at all — a single page with a few lines — ask for a breakdown. Our itemised quote page explains what a complete one contains.

Step three: check units, quantities and descriptions

Within each chapter, compare the quantities. If two builders measure the same bathroom wall tiling and one says noticeably more square metres than the other, one of them may be including the ceiling, or the area behind the bath, or simply rounding up. Ask.

Then read the descriptions. “Tiling, m²” and “supply and laying of porcelain tiles with flexible adhesive, including cuts and corner trims, m²” are not the same line, even if the quantity is identical. The second tells you what is included; the first leaves it open.

Finally, count the lump sums (PA). A few for small items are normal. Many, especially on major chapters, mean the quote cannot really be compared or used to manage changes later.

Step four: materials, VAT and exclusions

• Materials: is each line “supply and fit” or “fit only”? If one builder includes tiles and another assumes you buy them, the comparison is meaningless until you align it. Where materials are not yet chosen, ask each builder to use the same allowance.
• VAT: are totals before or after VAT, and at which rate? The rate depends on conditions set by the tax agency (AEAT) and on how you use the property — see VAT and grants. Make sure every quote applies the same rate before comparing.
• Exclusions: read the last page. Furniture, appliances, licence fees, technical project, debris, cleaning, anything hidden behind walls. Put the exclusions in your table too.

Step five: conditions, schedule and the builder

Two quotes with similar content can still differ in conditions. Compare the validity of the prices, the payment stages, how changes are approved, the indicative schedule, and whether the contractor works with a guarantee and public liability insurance. A quote asking for most of the money before work starts is riskier than one that links payments to completed stages — see payment schedule.

Consider the builder as well as the document. Who will be your contact during the works? Who carries out electrical and gas work, and are they authorised? Are the trades coordinated by one person, or are you expected to manage them? These questions do not appear in a total, but they decide how the project feels.

What should you do when one quote is much lower?

Do not dismiss it, and do not accept it without questions. Go through the table: is the scope the same, are the quantities similar, are materials and VAT treated the same, are the exclusions longer? In most cases the gap is explained by one or two of these points. Once you know what the difference is, you can decide whether you want it.

Sometimes the explanation is efficiency — a builder who works nearby, has a team available, or proposes a sensible alternative method. Sometimes it is a scope that will grow during the works. Our blog posts on why quotes differ and cheap versus expensive renovations look at both cases. If you would like a second opinion on how quotes are structured, send them with your request to us.

Official sources

• AEAT – What rate applies to works on dwellings? Renovation or repair (page updated 13 October 2026, checked 5 November 2026)
• Consumo Responde, Junta de Andalucía – Derecho de desistimiento en contratos a distancia y fuera de establecimiento (last modified 12 December 2025, checked 5 November 2026)