# How do I compare estimates when one excludes disposal?

> A fictional $1,840 and $2,010 repair comparison shows how a $230 disposal exclusion changes known arithmetic without settling the contractor decision.

[Canonical article](https://makethisuseful.com/articles/compare-estimate-exclusions-example)

By Make This Useful. Published 2026-09-09; updated 2026-09-10.

Prepared with AI assistance. Worked examples are original fiction, not customer records or professional findings.

![Match scope before comparing totals. A written exclusion and an unanswered question stay visible beside the supplied price.](https://makethisuseful.com/articles/media/estimate-compare.svg)

Original explanatory diagram. Match scope before comparing totals. A written exclusion and an unanswered question stay visible beside the supplied price.

When one estimate excludes an item that another includes, show that difference before comparing the totals. You can calculate the known gap while leaving the excluded item's price unknown. Only add a price when it is actually supplied for the relevant scope.

This repair example uses fictional estimates and amounts in US dollars. It illustrates comparison arithmetic, not market pricing or a contractor recommendation.

## The first comparison

| Field                   | Estimate A, edition 1       | Estimate B, edition 1       |
| ----------------------- | --------------------------- | --------------------------- |
| Described work          | Repair the supplied section | Repair the supplied section |
| Stated total            | $1,840                      | $2,010                      |
| Disposal                | Explicitly excluded         | Explicitly included         |
| Other scope equivalence | Not yet confirmed           | Not yet confirmed           |
| Tax statement           | Not supplied                | Not supplied                |

The stated totals differ by $170: $2,010 − $1,840. Because disposal differs, the first usable summary is “A has the lower stated total, with disposal still excluded and unpriced.” The comparison is incomplete for a combined repair-and-disposal job. That does not make either supplied total false.

## A clarification changes the arithmetic

Suppose A's contractor supplies a revised written reply: disposal for this scope adds $230. Record the reply against A's estimate rather than altering B. A's known combined amount is now $1,840 + $230 = $2,070. B's stated amount is $60 lower than that amount: $2,070 − $2,010.

The revised note should still say that other scope equivalence and tax treatment are unconfirmed. A $60 arithmetic difference does not resolve materials, timing, access or terms. Do not mark those fields complete because one exclusion has been priced.

## The finished working note

> **Repair estimate comparison — after disposal clarification**
>
> A: $1,840 repair plus $230 confirmed disposal = $2,070 in known supplied amounts.
>
> B: $2,010 stated, including disposal. B is $60 lower for these currently compared amounts.
>
> **Still to confirm:** The same repair scope and materials; each estimate's tax statement; the proposed completion timing.
>
> **Question to both recipients:** Please confirm whether your stated amount covers the same described repair section and materials, and specify the tax treatment and expected completion timing in the current written estimate.

This follows the practical reason for comparing written scope as well as price; the [FTC's contractor guidance](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-home-improvement-scam) identifies those fields for written estimates. The worked figures and request are original.

[Check your own estimate](https://makethisuseful.com/start/estimate-grader): read one estimate, choose each checklist answer and enter its amounts. Keep an unanswered disposal price unknown until you have the answer. The tool produces a question sheet; this two-estimate comparison remains an authored demonstration.

## Use this with your own information

[Check my estimate](https://makethisuseful.com/start/estimate-grader)

The tool works without an account. The example's people and values are not transferred to your work.

[Download the estimate comparison and questions sheet (text)](https://makethisuseful.com/articles/downloads/estimate-compare.txt)

## Sources and this edition

Original fictional examples reviewed for supplied facts, arithmetic, unknowns, source attribution and a usable blank-tool destination. This is an editorial check, not an inspection, clinical review or professional endorsement.

- [FTC: How to avoid a home improvement scam](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-home-improvement-scam): The FTC recommends several written estimates and checking work, materials, completion timing and price. Our amounts and comparison decisions are constructed examples, not market prices or legal advice. Checked 2026-09-09.

September 10: clarified the guided self-assessment interaction and task-specific takeaway. All people, prices, items and household situations in the worked examples are fictional. Their facts are not transferred when you start your own tool.