Differing deadlines, prices that range from simple to double, items with little or no detail, or, conversely, a host of details… Comparing work quotes is no small feat. Here are the main keys to properly assessing the price proposals of building companies and choosing the best service for your renovation project.
How many different quotes do you need to have in your hands to choose a craftsman?
We recommend comparing three job quotes ideally. This is more than enough, and comparing more would make the analysis much more complex. These three quotes will allow you, at first, to identify yourself in relation to the cost of your work.
Of course, it doesn’t always happen that way. You may come across craftsmen who are all on the same price list. You can also come across extremes. This is why it will be necessary, in a second step, to go into the details of each estimate and ask the craftsmen for explanations.
What are the first elements to look at when studying a quote?
First, it is important to validate that the craftsman with whom you plan to work is well insured. Conscientious professionals indicate the information relating to their insurance policy on their quotes, and can, if necessary, give you a document certifying that they are insured for your site.
You must also find proforma invoice format in pdf, in a serious estimate, a date of validity. This date commits the professional to the proposed rates for a given period. If you are late invalidating an estimate and there was no validity date on the initial estimate, the craftsman will be entitled to present you with other prices.
Payment terms are also very important. The fact that they are stipulated on the estimate avoids future misunderstandings. What is the amount of the deposit? How many payments are expected by the craftsman and at what times? All of this needs to be clarified. As for the amount of the balance, it must be between 5 and 10% of the total amount of the estimate.
Finally, if this does not appear, ask the professional to stipulate the estimated duration of the work. Often craftsmen do not like this because it implies possible late penalties, which must also appear on the signed estimate to be valid. Nothing prevents them from taking a margin to be sure of being on time, or from adding the mention subject to… if it is ever a renovation site and they fear unpleasant surprises.
What are the reassuring elements of a work estimate?
Seeing the craftsman’s certifications appear on the quote is reassuring. Is the professional RGE? Is it Qualibat? You can of course ask him for the certificates that prove it. We spoke earlier about energy-saving work. Some professionals indicate on their quotes the amount of the CEE (Energy Savings Certificates) that they plan to recover and deduct from the invoice. When comparing work quotes, this transparency is also a good sign.
Some professionals also attach technical data sheets and photos of the selected products to their quotes. A radiator remains a radiator, but it has a decorative side. A boiler can be imposing… The technical data sheets can allow you to visualize the products and thus avoid unpleasant surprises.
Conversely, what are the elements to be wary of?
From experience, having to follow up with a craftsman several times to get his quote does not bode well. No more than being faced with a craftsman who does not follow you up to ask you what you thought of his proposal, or who, on the contrary, harasses you. Runaway from professionals who refuse to explain their quotes and those who say no when you ask them for their insurance policy: you are entitled to ask for it to check that the trades for which you are calling on the craftsman are there. registered.
And then, of course, turn your back if the professional refuses to detail his black-and-white estimate. In an estimate, everything must be specified: the brand of a material, the thickness of glass wool, the standards related to an electrical panel, etc.
Finally, do not commit on the basis of an estimate made Online quotation maker: if it is possible to estimate the price of a renovation fairly precisely on the basis of a questionnaire completed on a website (as we offered our recommended site only a proper inspection of your future site will ensure that you have a coherent, well-costed and well-detailed service, corresponding to the reality of the work to be carried out to carry out your project.
How to react when, for similar work, the tariff proposals go from simple to double?
A priori, this should not scare you. On the other hand, it is necessary to go into the details of the services and supplies that are offered. Hence the interest of having well-detailed estimates in hand, with a clear distinction between materials and labor! In the case of tiling for example, which may explain why we go from simple to double, it is quite simply the material offered.
The big difference in final price can also be related to the structure of the company itself. A small company with a small number of workers and few sites will not charge the same prices as a large structure. The subcontracting of certain positions by a general building company will also have an impact on the invoice.
What is the place of the relational in the choice of the craftsman?
The relationship is essential when comparing work quotes, both for you and for the craftsman. A craftsman who, in all serenity, takes the time to validate an estimate with you and explains to you what he is going to do, is a craftsman with whom, a priori, you will not have any relationship problems during the construction site.
