For anything beyond routine work we survey it, then quote in writing with the items separated out. Anything found once work starts is discussed before it happens rather than appearing on an invoice.
How quoting works here
- Describe the jobBy phone or email. Photographs help. For genuinely routine work we can often price it there and then.
- We survey anything beyond thatBecause a figure given without seeing the job is a figure that will change, and neither of us benefits from that.
- You get it in writing, itemisedAppliance or fittings, labour, materials, certification, making good, removal – separated, so you can see what you are paying for.
- You take your timeThere is no expiring discount and no doorstep decision. A job of any size deserves thinking about.
- Anything found later is discussed firstBefore it is done, with what it is and what it costs – not added to an invoice afterwards.
The things that actually determine the price of most jobs are invisible from a description: the flue route, whether the gas pipe is adequate, the condition of the floor under the bathroom, whether the discharge pipework can be routed compliantly, what the base under the oil tank is really like. A quote that did not establish those is a quote that will change.
What a good quote should contain
Whoever you are getting quotes from, these are what to look for:
- Itemised, not a single figure. You should be able to see what each part of it is for.
- What is included, specifically – system cleaning, controls, certification, making good, removal of the old appliance.
- What is excluded, stated rather than implied.
- What would be extra, and in what circumstances.
- How long it will take, realistically.
- What you will be left holding – certificates, benchmark records, warranty registration.
- Who is doing the work, and what they are competent to do.
- How long the quote stands.
The single most informative question on any boiler quote: what size, and why? An answer that references a heat loss calculation is a different quality of quote from one that references the old appliance’s data plate.
Comparing quotes properly
On almost any job, the difference between two quotes is not the appliance. It is the work around it – and that is exactly where things get left out.
| Job | Where quotes actually differ |
|---|---|
| Boiler replacement | System cleaning, magnetic filter, controls, gas pipe upsizing, flue and condensate routing, certification, making good, removal |
| Oil tank replacement | The base, whether containment is now required, oil recovery and disposal of the old tank |
| Bathroom | Floor preparation, tanking, boarding, and what happens if something is found at strip out |
| Unvented cylinder | Whether compliant discharge pipework is included, and whether the heating system needs sealing |
| Heating system | Radiator changes following the heat loss calculation, system cleaning, and balancing |
| Air conditioning | Nitrogen pressure test and verified vacuum, condensate routing, and whether a pump is being used where gravity would work |
Ask each quote what it includes for those items. It is the most useful ten minutes you will spend on the decision.
What we will not do
- Quote a price for work we have not seen, beyond genuinely routine jobs. It is how people end up with a figure that changes on the doorstep.
- Pressure you. No expiring discounts, no ‘if you sign today’, no doorstep decisions.
- Add things to an invoice that were not discussed first.
- Publish price figures we cannot source – see what things cost.
- Quote for something you do not need. If the answer is that your boiler has years left, that is what you will be told.
What to tell us
- What you want done, or what problem you want solved – the second is frequently more useful.
- What system you currently have, if you know.
- Photographs, which help enormously – the appliance, the position, the data plate, the oil tank, the room.
- Any timescale you are working to.
- Access – parking, and when somebody can let us in.
- Whether you are a landlord or letting agent, because the obligations differ.
- Anything you have already been told by somebody else, and what you thought of it.
That last one is genuinely useful. If somebody has already quoted and something about it did not sit right, tell us – it is frequently the most informative thing in the conversation.
Call 07506 070316 or email with what you need. For anything substantial we will survey it and put it in writing.
Questions we get asked about this
Will you quote over the phone?
For genuinely routine work, yes. For anything else, a figure given without seeing the job is a figure that will change, and we would rather survey it.
Do you charge for a quote?
You will be told what a visit costs before we set off. For larger works the survey is part of producing a quote you can actually rely on.
How long does a quote stand?
It will say on the quote. Material costs move, so quotes cannot stand indefinitely, and you will not be chased.
What if you find something once you start?
You are told before it is done, with what it is and what it costs. It is never added to an invoice afterwards.
How do I compare your quote with another?
Not on the headline. Ask both what is included for system cleaning, controls, certification, making good and removal – that is where the difference almost always is.
Will you tell me if I do not need the work?
Yes, and it happens regularly. A quote for something you do not need is a quote we would rather not give.
Need this doing?
Call and describe the problem — you will speak to an engineer, not a call centre. Written quotes, no estimates over the phone.