From a renovation brief to a clear quotation
By Ross Alinari · Last checked · Editorial policy · How we check facts
Our pricing method: a free estimate, a site visit and a defined quotation, with scope, exclusions, taxes and changes made clear before agreement.
Start with the brief
Tell us the town, property type and changes you are considering. Plans and photographs help explain the existing arrangement and your priorities. Separate essential repairs from design preferences and identify decisions still open. This gives the first discussion a useful scope without pretending that photographs establish concealed conditions.
Free estimate, then a site visit
We begin with a free estimate, followed by a fixed-price quote after a site visit. The site discussion connects the requested work with the building, access and available information. If a technical question needs further investigation or design, it should be identified before the construction proposal relies on an answer.
Read the line items
A useful scope distinguishes preparation and protection, removal, construction, service alterations, finishes and the relevant completion documents. Check whether products are specified or still to be selected. Identify exclusions and assumptions beside the work they affect. A lower total is not a useful comparison if one proposal omits an essential part of the same job.
Technical appointments are identified separately where required. The LOE guide explains why a construction description alone does not settle whether a project or technical direction is needed.
Keep taxes and fees explicit
The current VAT conditions depend on the transaction, use, building history, material contribution and payment requirements. ICIO is a separate municipal tax with its own execution-cost base, while the relevant local tasa follows its ordinance. Read the taxes and professional fees explanation before assuming every proposal uses the same tax basis.
Agree changes against the same scope
Record a requested change, its technical implications and its effect on the construction proposal before accepting it. Keep revised drawings and quotation versions connected. This is particularly useful when you live abroad and decisions are discussed by email: everyone can refer to the same written description instead of relying on different memories of a conversation.
Why there are no indicative prices here
We do not have the verified body of completed quotations required to publish representative price figures. We therefore explain the method and the information needed for your enquiry. No room price, area rate or budget range is invented. A defined proposal after the relevant checks gives an owner a more useful basis for deciding what work to commission.