Why the same plans get different prices
You send the same plans to three builders and get three different prices. It happens all the time, and it's rarely because one builder is cheap and another is greedy. Usually each quote covers a different job.
An estimate isn't a fixed price
Early on, most builders give an estimate: a price worked out from the plans and their usual inclusions. A fixed-price contract comes later, after the detailed costing, the engineering and your selections. Comparing one builder's estimate with another's fixed price tells you very little.
Allowances
An allowance is a set amount for something you haven't chosen yet, such as tiles, tapware or appliances. A low allowance makes a quote look cheaper. When you pick what you actually want, the difference is added to your price. Check each allowance against what you'd really choose.
Provisional sums
A provisional sum covers work that can't be priced exactly yet, such as rock excavation, piers or a sewer connection. If the real cost comes in higher, you pay the difference. A quote with large provisional sums carries more risk than one where the builder has already priced the work.
Exclusions
Read the exclusions first. Driveways, landscaping, fencing, retaining walls, demolition and service connections are often left out. Two quotes can look far apart until you add back what one of them excluded.
The specification
A tiled bathroom can mean floor and splashback, or floor to ceiling. Ducted air can mean one zone or five. The written specification is what you're actually buying, so ask for it with every quote and compare it line by line.
Site costs
Plans don't show the ground. Slope, soil, rock, trees, sewer lines and stormwater all change the cost of the same house on a different block. A builder who hasn't looked at the site is guessing.
How to compare like with like
Ask each builder for:
- the written specification
- every allowance and provisional sum, with the amounts
- the list of exclusions
- whether the price is an estimate or a fixed price
Then put the quotes side by side and adjust for the gaps.
How we price your plans
If you already have plans, we'll price them for free. You get an estimate based on our inclusions, with the allowances and exclusions listed so you can compare it properly. Detailed costings are a separate paid stage, quoted before we start, and the build is on a fixed-price contract.
Get a free estimate on your plans
General information only.