The Contractor Quote Comparison Worksheet

Everyone tells you to get three quotes. Nobody tells you that three quotes for different scopes of work are three different questions — and the cheapest answer to the smallest question wins every time.

The bid that comes in low is often low because something is missing from it: the permit, the disposal, the making-good afterwards, the fixtures you assumed were included. You find out in week three, when it becomes a change order and the price you compared has quietly stopped existing.

7 pages, print-ready.

WHAT'S INSIDE

• The five checks every bid should pass — licence number, proof of insurance, references actually checked, a stated workmanship warranty, and the lowball test

• How to run the lowball test: compare within a trade, take the median, flag anything 30% below it — and what to ask before you reject it

• Seven questions that expose a vague quote, including the one about what happens when a wall comes open

• Three printable comparison sheets — eleven lines per bid, three bids side by side, one sheet per trade

• A plain note on deposits, and when a deposit stops being a deposit

WHO IT'S FOR

Homeowners hiring their own trades, on a renovation big enough that a bad choice costs thousands.

IF YOU WANT THE RUNNING TOTAL DONE FOR YOU

RenovaTrack stores these quotes side by side, flags the five checks automatically, and compares your actual spend against the estimates for work that has actually been invoiced — so it gives you a forecast at completion instead of the false comfort of "under budget so far". 14 days free, no card, then $29 one-time. pkpublishing.com/tools

General homeowner reference only, and not legal or contractual advice. Licensing, insurance and permit requirements vary by state and municipality.