The 12 parts of a builder's quote
- Your business details: trading name, address, phone, email, company number and VAT number if registered.
- The customer's name and the site address.
- A reference and a date, plus a version number if it's a revision.
- A plain-English description of the work — what you will build, to what stage.
- The specification: foundations, walls, roof, windows and doors, insulation, finishes.
- A price breakdown by stage of work, so the customer can see where the money goes.
- Provisional sums for anything that can't be priced firmly yet, with what they cover.
- The assumptions the price relies on (ground conditions, access, existing drainage).
- Exclusions — what is not included, stated clearly.
- VAT: whether it's included, at what rate, or that you are not VAT registered.
- Payment terms and stage payments in pounds, not just percentages.
- How long the quote is valid for, and how the customer accepts it.
Estimate or quotation?
An estimate is a guide price that can change; a quotation is a fixed offer for the work described. Customers — and the courts — treat them differently, so say which one you are giving. BuildLegend lets you send a budget estimate early and a firm quotation once the open items are resolved.
Why a template on its own isn't enough
A Word or Excel template makes the quote look tidy, but the number inside it still has to come from somewhere — and that's where the skip, the scaffold, the second lift of blocks or the building control fee gets missed. BuildLegend builds the estimate from your answers and fills every section of the quotation from it, so the document and the price always agree.
Questions builders ask
What should a builder's quote include?
Your business and VAT details, the customer and site, a description and specification of the work, a price breakdown, provisional sums, assumptions, exclusions, VAT, stage payments, payment terms, validity and how to accept.
Is a builder's quote legally binding?
A quotation accepted by the customer generally forms a contract for the work described at the price stated, which is why the scope, exclusions and provisional sums matter. An estimate is a guide. This is general information, not legal advice.
Should a builder's quote include VAT?
If you are VAT registered, domestic customers expect to see the price including VAT, with the VAT shown separately. If you are not registered, say so. BuildLegend prints the right wording for standard, reduced, zero-rated or not-registered work.
Is there a free builders quote template?
You can lay one out yourself using the 12 parts above. BuildLegend's 14-day free trial produces complete, branded quotations from your estimate, with nothing to install.