Quick answer: a builders quote template is a ready-made layout for pricing a job in writing. It holds your business details, the customer, a clear scope of work, a priced breakdown, what is not included, VAT, payment terms, start date, how long the price stands and how to accept. Copy the free template below and add your figures.
Most builders lose more work to slow, vague quotes than to price. A customer who gets three quotes will usually pick the one that is clear, arrives first and is easy to say yes to. This guide gives you a builders quote template you can copy today, explains each part, and covers the consumer rules that apply when you agree a job in someone’s kitchen.
A builders quote should include everything the customer needs to compare you fairly and say yes without phoning you back. The Federation of Master Builders, in its guide to getting a quote for building work (1 August 2023), says a quote should set out the project in detail at an agreed price, with a breakdown of what is and is not included, and that it should always be written rather than verbal.
In practice, that means ten parts:
Copy the table below into Word, Google Docs or your quoting software and replace the example lines with your own. The figures are made up to show the layout; they are not a guide to prices.
| Section | What to write |
|---|---|
| Business | [Trading name], [address], [phone], [email]. Company no. [number]. VAT no. [number, or “Not VAT registered”] |
| Quote | Quote no. [Q-0001]. Date [day month year]. Prepared for [customer name], [site address] |
| Scope of work | Example: take down the existing rear wall between kitchen and dining room, fit a steel beam to the engineer’s drawing, make good the walls and ceiling ready for decorating, remove all waste from site |
| Labour | Example: two builders, five days: £2,000 |
| Materials | Example: steel beam, padstones, plasterboard, plaster and fixings: £1,150 |
| Waste and skip | Example: one 8-yard skip: £300 |
| Not included | Example: structural engineer’s fees, building control fees, decorating, flooring, electrical work |
| Subtotal, VAT, total | Example: £3,450 + VAT at 20% £690 = £4,140 |
| Payment terms | Example: 20% deposit to book the start date, balance due within 7 days of completion |
| Timings | Example: start week commencing [date], about five working days |
| Valid until | Example: this price stands for 30 days from the date above |
| Acceptance | To accept, sign below or reply in writing quoting the quote number. [Cancellation rights, if quoted at the customer’s home] |
When the job is done, the same details carry straight onto your bill. Our UK invoice template lists what an invoice must include.
Write the scope as a list of finished results, not trade shorthand. “Make good the walls ready for decorating” tells a customer what they will see; “skim and bead” may not. Three habits help:
Offering two or three options on one quote, such as a basic and a better finish, often wins more work than one take-it-or-leave-it figure, because the customer chooses between your options rather than between you and another builder.
A builders quote should state a validity period, and 30 days is a common choice for small jobs. Material prices move, and your diary fills, so a quote without an end date can leave you holding a price you can no longer afford. For bigger projects with a later start, you might set a shorter validity on materials and say they will be re-checked before work begins. Whatever you choose, put the date on the quote itself, not just in your head.
If a homeowner agrees the job with you while you are at their home, it is usually an off-premises contract under the Consumer Contracts Regulations. Trading standards’ Business Companion guide to off-premises sales (updated February 2025) sets out what follows:
The simplest fix is a cancellation notice and form attached to every quote you hand over at a customer’s home. This is general information, not legal advice; check the guide for your own situation.
Send the quote fast, make it easy to accept, and follow it up. A quote that arrives the same evening, while the customer still remembers your visit, has a better chance than one that lands a week later. Our guide to quote follow-up for trades covers when and how to chase without being pushy.
Unavoidable CRM, made by Unavoidable Studio Ltd, turns this template into a branded quote your customer views, signs and accepts online. You can put good, better and best options on one quote, pull prices from your price book in one click, and create the invoice from the accepted quote. Deposits can be taken on booking, with bigger jobs split into instalments. See the full feature list or how it works for trades businesses. Plans start at £29 a month (prices checked on our pricing page on 31 October 2026), with a 14-day free trial and no card needed.
Once the customer accepts a written quote, it normally forms the basis of the contract, so you are expected to do the work described for the price given. That is why the scope, the exclusions and the validity date matter so much. If the job changes, put the change and its price in writing before you do the extra work. This is general information, not legal advice.
Most small building firms quote for free because customers expect it, but some charge for large or design-heavy jobs and take the fee off the final bill if they win the work. If you do charge, say so before you visit, not after. Either way, a clear template keeps the time each quote takes down.
If you are VAT registered, show the price before VAT, the VAT amount and the total, so the customer sees exactly what they will pay. If you are not VAT registered, say so on the quote. The trading standards guidance for off-premises contracts says the customer must be told the total price including tax.
Yes, as long as the customer gets the full written quote, not just a figure in a message. A PDF or a quote they open and accept online gives you both a durable record of what was agreed. A one-line price in a chat is easy to dispute later.
Related: UK invoice template, quote follow-up for trades, best CRM for UK trades and the rest of the Unavoidable CRM blog.
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