Questions and answers
39 questions about checking a quote, privacy, getting other prices and how TallyBrick works for trade firms.
Clear answers to the questions homeowners often ask before agreeing to building work.
A fair quote should be detailed, close to what similar work costs locally, and easy for the firm to explain. Labour, materials, waste removal, scaffolding and VAT should be listed rather than hidden inside one total. The best way to check is to compare it with other written quotes for the same work or with typical prices for your job and area. A single number tells you very little on its own.
Three is common advice and suits most jobs. One quote gives you nothing to compare; with two, it can be hard to tell which price is unusual. Three written quotes for the same work usually show a realistic price range. For small jobs under a few hundred pounds, two is often enough. Give every firm the same description so they price the same work.
Not without checking why it is cheapest. A low quote can come from an efficient firm with its own team — or from missing items, a cheaper specification, or optimistic pricing that grows once work starts. Compare what each quote includes line by line before comparing the totals. If one quote is far below the others, ask that firm to confirm in writing everything you assume is included.
At minimum, it should describe the work, list labour and materials, say whether VAT is included, explain how long the price is valid, and give payment stages, an estimated start date and a likely duration. For larger jobs, it should also cover waste removal, scaffolding, skips, building control fees and repairs such as plastering or decorating. Do not assume something is included unless it is written down.
For many home projects, a deposit of 10–25% is common, and some reputable firms ask for nothing until materials arrive. Be cautious if a firm asks for more than a third upfront or wants the full amount before work begins. For bigger jobs, payments tied to completed stages are safer for both sides.
Mainly because the work and materials are not exactly the same. One firm may include waste removal, scaffolding and repairs; another may leave them out. Firms also have different running costs, use different teams and may price different grades of materials. A busy firm may also charge more. Compare what is included, not just the totals.
A quote is a fixed price for the work described. Once you accept it, the firm is generally held to that price unless the work changes. An estimate is the firm's best guess, so the final bill can be higher. Check which word appears on your paperwork. If it says estimate, ask what could increase the price and get the likely range in writing.
If the firm is VAT registered, yes — and the quote should say so explicitly. Firms below the VAT threshold do not charge it, which makes their quotes look 20% cheaper on paper. When comparing quotes, always confirm whether each figure includes VAT, otherwise you may not be comparing like with like.
Yes, but discuss what is included rather than simply asking for a lower total. Ask whether the price would change if you chose different materials, split the work into stages or handled waste removal yourself. A good firm will explain where the money goes.
First, compare it with other written quotes or typical prices in your area. If it still looks high, ask the firm to explain the biggest items. Difficult access, structural steelwork or more expensive materials may explain the difference. You may also be able to lower the price by changing the work. Be cautious if a firm will not explain its price.
What the service is, what it costs and what you get at the end.
TallyBrick is a free UK service that helps homeowners, landlords and letting agents understand a building or trade quote. Add your quote and we compare the total and each item with typical prices for similar work in your area. We also point out costs that may be missing and give you practical questions to ask.
Yes, for homeowners. It costs nothing to check a quote, see the comparison and get questions to ask. There is no charge at the end. Trade firms pay if they want to receive requests from homeowners looking for other quotes.
No. We show how your quote compares with typical prices and what may be missing. A price above the range may be reasonable because the site is difficult, the materials cost more or the firm is very experienced. We give you information and questions, not a verdict.
Usually a few minutes. Typing in a handful of figures is quickest; uploading a PDF or photo takes a little longer while we read it, and you get the chance to correct anything we picked up wrongly.
You can run a check without one. An account lets you save checks, return to them later, keep several quotes for the same job side by side and manage any introductions in one place.
Yes. Checking each quote separately shows which price is unusual and, more importantly, where the work differs. The cheapest quote often leaves something out.
What we can read, what we compare and how much confidence to place in it.
You can check common home building and trade jobs, including extensions, loft conversions, kitchens, bathrooms, roofing, rewiring, plastering, windows, doors, driveways, patios, heating and boilers. If your job is unusual, we will tell you when we have little price information for it.
That is very common. We compare the total against whole-job ranges for your region, and the biggest benefit is the list of items that normally appear in a quote for that job and do not appear in yours. Taking that list back to the builder usually produces a far more detailed second version.
Yes. A clear, well-lit photo of the whole page usually works. You will see everything we extracted before the comparison runs, so you can fix any figure we misread.
Each range starts with an estimate set by TallyBrick for that type of work. We adjust it for labour and material costs in your area and include VAT where it normally applies. Once enough genuine quotes have been checked in an area, we also use those real figures.
They are guides, not valuations. Every result tells you how much evidence we have. Materials, access, ground conditions, building control requirements and how busy local firms are can all move a real price outside a typical range.
Not automatically. A low price can mean an efficient firm with its own team, or it can mean the quote excludes work you assumed was in it, uses a cheaper specification, or has been priced optimistically and will grow later. Check what is written down rather than what was said.
Our ranges are shown including VAT where VAT would normally apply. Because not every firm is VAT registered, we ask you whether VAT is included in your quote so we are not comparing one with the other.
Only broadly, through the questions you answer about specification and finish. A kitchen at the top of a range may simply be a better kitchen. That is exactly the kind of difference the questions we give you are designed to surface.
Who sees your quote, and what happens to it afterwards.
Only you. It is stored privately against your account or a private result link. Trade firms never see your quote document, your figures or the name of the firm that wrote it.
No. TallyBrick is not a lead marketplace. Your details reach a trade firm only when you explicitly ask for introductions, and only the firms matched to that request.
No. We never contact the firm that wrote your quote.
We may use quote figures to improve the typical price ranges other homeowners see. Before we do, we remove anything that identifies you or the firm.
Yes. You can ask us to show, correct or delete what we hold at any time, and deleting your account removes your saved checks.
How to get alternatives, if and when you want them.
On your result page you can ask to be introduced to up to three local firms that cover your job type and area. You choose to do this. It never happens automatically, and ignoring it costs you nothing.
The job type, your area and the contact details you have agreed to share. They do not receive your quote, your price or the name of the firm that quoted.
Before a firm can be introduced to anyone we look at its company register entry, its public review presence on Google and the main trade review sites, and documents such as public liability insurance. Checks confirm the basics — they are not an endorsement or a guarantee of the work.
We do not score firms or suggest that one is best. Every listed firm must pass the same checks. Featured and Premium members can appear more prominently in the directory and receive earlier or more frequent introductions; their membership never changes your quote result or our approval standard.
No. Another quote can still help if you stay with your original builder. It can show whether the price is high or whether the first quote simply includes more work.
How the trade side works, and what it costs.
Apply through the For trades page, upload your evidence, pass our checks and start a plan. You then receive introductions only from homeowners who have asked to be contacted about your kind of work in your area.
Plans start at £39 a month, with Featured and Premium tiers above it, and yearly billing available. The first month is free on every plan and you can cancel at any time.
Featured and Premium plans include more prominent directory placement and affect how often or how early a firm is considered for introductions. This placement is clearly separate from TallyBrick's checks: paying never makes a firm look more approved and never changes a homeowner's quote result.
No. A homeowner asks to be introduced to a small number of firms, and only those firms are contacted. There is no open bidding pool.
You can decline an introduction, and you can record how each one progresses — contacted, quoted, won or lost — so you can see what the service is actually worth to you.
Still stuck? Read our homeowner guides or send us your question.
It is free, and it takes a few minutes.
