Make This Useful

Updated · Make This Useful

Is this contractor quote fair? Check the scope and price

A quote is fair when it prices the work you need close to local price cards for the same unit, and writes down the scope, extras and payment terms. A $300 quote to clean 180 feet of two-story gutter sits inside HomeGuide's $135–$360 for that length and Richmond Gutter Cleaners' $200–$400. Then check the lines add up and ask what is excluded.

Check my quote

Your information

Information to assess

Mark what the quote includes, then review its details and totals.

Check the amounts

Enter dollars without a $ sign. Include tax in other charges. Leave unknown amounts blank; use 0 only for a confirmed zero.

1. Work and quantities

The work, quantities, and location are stated clearly enough to compare.

Your answer for work and quantities

2. Materials and allowances

Models, materials, or a named allowance are recorded where relevant.

Your answer for materials and allowances

3. Included and excluded work

The estimate says who handles preparation, cleanup, disposal, and exclusions.

Your answer for included and excluded work

4. Timing and dependencies

The proposed start, duration, or scheduling conditions are written down.

Your answer for timing and dependencies

5. Payment and changes

Payment stages and the process for approving extra work are recorded.

Your answer for payment and changes

6. Estimate identity and contact

A date, version or reference, and a way to ask the estimator questions are recorded.

Your answer for estimate identity and contact
Review my assessment

Your editable assessment

Estimate Grader

Still to check

6 still unknown.

How this check works

You check the estimate and report which details are recorded. The tool counts those choices and checks the arithmetic you enter; it does not read the estimate, judge a fair price, assess contractor qualifications, or establish code compliance.

No applicable items checked; no percentage assigned.

Method: each recorded item counts once. Divide recorded items by recorded plus confirmed missing items. Unknown and not-applicable answers are excluded. The score describes your supplied answers.

Estimate questions

Estimate details you supplied

Work and quantities
Unknown / not checked

No supporting text supplied.

Materials and allowances
Unknown / not checked

No supporting text supplied.

Included and excluded work
Unknown / not checked

No supporting text supplied.

Timing and dependencies
Unknown / not checked

No supporting text supplied.

Payment and changes
Unknown / not checked

No supporting text supplied.

Estimate identity and contact
Unknown / not checked

No supporting text supplied.

Entered amounts (dollars)

Amount check unknown. Enter labor, materials, other charges (including any tax), and quoted total. Use 0 only for a confirmed zero; no missing amount is assumed.

Labor

Not entered; amount unknown.

Materials

Not entered; amount unknown.

Other charges, including any tax

Not entered; amount unknown.

Quoted total

Not entered; amount unknown.

Questions to resolve before comparing

Which amount is still unconfirmed? Enter a zero only when it is explicitly confirmed; ask for any missing charge or total.

Work and quantities
Unknown / not checked

First check whether this is recorded or applies; the answer remains unknown. Ask for the work and quantities in writing so you can compare the same scope.

Materials and allowances
Unknown / not checked

First check whether this is recorded or applies; the answer remains unknown. Ask which materials or allowances are included and what can change the price.

Included and excluded work
Unknown / not checked

First check whether this is recorded or applies; the answer remains unknown. Ask what is excluded and who handles preparation, cleanup, and disposal.

Timing and dependencies
Unknown / not checked

First check whether this is recorded or applies; the answer remains unknown. Ask for the proposed timing and any dependencies that could change it.

Payment and changes
Unknown / not checked

First check whether this is recorded or applies; the answer remains unknown. Ask how payments and written approval of extra work will work.

Estimate identity and contact
Unknown / not checked

First check whether this is recorded or applies; the answer remains unknown. Keep the estimate date or version and the estimator’s contact with this comparison.

My assessment note

No additional note supplied.

Edit my assessment note

My next steps

Check whether “Work and quantities” is recorded or applies. It remains unknown until you check. Check whether “Materials and allowances” is recorded or applies. It remains unknown until you check. Check whether “Included and excluded work” is recorded or applies. It remains unknown until you check. Check whether “Timing and dependencies” is recorded or applies. It remains unknown until you check. Check whether “Payment and changes” is recorded or applies. It remains unknown until you check. Check whether “Estimate identity and contact” is recorded or applies. It remains unknown until you check.

Edit my next steps

Your entries stay in this tab.

The blank-tool link starts their own assessment. Review a filled copy above to share your answers.

See a worked public example

Authored public example · starter

Fictional fence repair estimate

3 recorded. 2 confirmed not recorded. 1 still unknown.

You check the estimate and report which details are recorded. The tool counts those choices and checks the arithmetic you enter; it does not read the estimate, judge a fair price, assess contractor qualifications, or establish code compliance.

Entered amounts: labor 320.00, materials 180.00, other charges including tax 25.00, quoted total 550.00 (dollars).

Amount check: Entered amounts add to $525.00; the quoted total is $550.00. Difference: $25.00 above the entered sum. Ask what explains the difference.

Work and quantities — Recorded
Replace 12 feet of damaged fence with matching height panels.
Materials and allowances — Recorded
Two cedar panels and replacement fasteners.
Included and excluded work — Not recorded — I checked
No supporting detail supplied.
Timing and dependencies — Unknown / not checked
No answer established in this example.
Payment and changes — Not recorded — I checked
No supporting detail supplied.
Estimate identity and contact — Recorded
Example estimate F-104, dated September 9, 2026.

Useful next steps

  • Entered amounts add to $525.00; the quoted total is $550.00. Difference: $25.00 above the entered sum. Ask what explains the difference.
  • Ask what is excluded and who handles preparation, cleanup, and disposal.
  • Ask how payments and written approval of extra work will work.
  • Check whether “Timing and dependencies” is recorded or applies. It remains unknown until you check.

Estimate questions

Estimate details you supplied

Work and quantities — Recorded
Replace 12 feet of damaged fence with matching height panels.
Materials and allowances — Recorded
Two cedar panels and replacement fasteners.
Included and excluded work — Not recorded — I checked
No supporting text supplied.
Timing and dependencies — Unknown / not checked
No supporting text supplied.
Payment and changes — Not recorded — I checked
No supporting text supplied.
Estimate identity and contact — Recorded
Example estimate F-104, dated September 9, 2026.

Entered amounts (dollars)

Entered amounts add to $525.00; the quoted total is $550.00. Difference: $25.00 above the entered sum. Ask what explains the difference.

Labor
320.00
Materials
180.00
Other charges, including any tax
25.00
Quoted total
550.00

Questions to resolve before comparing

What explains the difference between the entered line amounts and the quoted total? Keep the estimator’s actual reply with this note.

Included and excluded work — Not recorded — I checked
Ask what is excluded and who handles preparation, cleanup, and disposal.
Timing and dependencies — Unknown / not checked
First check whether this is recorded or applies; the answer remains unknown. Ask for the proposed timing and any dependencies that could change it.
Payment and changes — Not recorded — I checked
Ask how payments and written approval of extra work will work.
Starter exampleCompleted exampleOne next step

These examples are fictional. Your own entries never go into these public URLs.

How do I tell whether a quote is fair?

Check three things in order: the work it covers, the arithmetic, then the price against local price cards for the same unit. A $300 gutter quote that names 180 feet, two stories, downspout flushing and haul-away is easy to judge. "Gutter cleaning, $300" is not, because you can't tell what you are buying.

Read the job description before the total. Look for the measured length, area or count, the material or finish, the prep, and the cleanup and disposal. A price can look low because it covers less work than you expected. Then check the dates, the payment stages and how extra work gets approved. The checker below adds up the lines you enter and turns anything missing into a question to send.

Can I use a published cost range to judge my quote?

Yes, once the unit matches. HomeGuide prices window cleaning at $8–$16 per window inside and out, so 20 double-hung windows come to $160–$320. Squeegee Guys in Corona, California charge $12.50 per pane inside and out, and the same 20 windows are 40 panes, or $500. Count panes or windows the same way on every quote before you compare.

Roofs are priced per square of roof (100 square feet of roof surface), which is a different number from the house's floor area. Cleaning packages are often a total for several rooms. If your quote is above the published range, ask which part of the work makes the difference. If it is below, ask what is left out before you count the gap as savings.

What should I ask about a short or incomplete quote?

Ask about the one missing detail most likely to change the total, and ask for the answer in the quote itself. For a painting quote that says only "living room walls", ask about patching and prep, how many coats, whether trim and ceiling are in, and who moves the furniture. Then compare again.

Send this: Thanks for the quote for [job]. Before I accept, could you confirm: 1. Does the total include [the prep, material or disposal item]? 2. When would you start and finish? 3. What are the payment stages, and how do we agree any extra work? Please add those to the written quote. What matters most to me is [the result or the date].

Which warning signs should I check before signing?

A large payment up front, no written scope, pressure to sign today, or a contractor who won't give a business name and license number. In California, a home improvement down payment can't exceed 10% of the price or $1,000, whichever is less, so $1,000 on a $12,650 roof.

The FTC's home improvement guidance says to get written estimates, check licensing and insurance, and avoid paying the whole job in advance. Look up the license with your state's contractor board, ask for a certificate of insurance, and have any promise made in person added to the written quote before you sign.

How does the free quote checker work?

Tick what the quote includes (scope, materials, exclusions, timing, payment terms, a contact) and enter its amounts. The checker adds the lines, shows any gap between them and the quoted total, and lists the missing items as questions you can edit and send. Print the result or keep it beside the quote.

With two or three quotes, run each one and compare the same rows side by side; Excel or Google Sheets helps on a longer list. The comparison guide shows how pricing one excluded item, the disposal, can change which quote is lower. Choose on the written scope and the total, and keep the accepted quote with any changes you approve later.

Frequently asked questions

Does a higher quote mean I am being overcharged?

A higher total may include preparation, materials, access or disposal that another offer leaves out. Ask the contractor to explain the difference, then compare prices for the same finished work.

Should I ask for an itemized quote?

Ask for enough detail to understand the scope and compare meaningful differences. Named quantities, materials, exclusions and payment terms usually help more than a single total with no description.

Can I keep the result of this quote check?

Yes. The checker keeps your entered details together and provides a printable assessment. Review the notes and use the questions when asking the contractor for a clearer written quote.

Sources