The first quote for your new kitchen arrives on a Tuesday. The second one only turns up three weeks later. The third another two weeks after that. And by the time you can finally lay them side by side, you no longer remember why you had such a good feeling about that first kitchen showroom. Or why you did not.
That is how it works in practice. Comparing quotes looks like one decisive moment, but it is a process of weeks in which your memory lets you down. And there is more: as long as the three quotes describe the work differently, you are not comparing prices but three different interpretations of the same project.
This guide gives you a step-by-step method to put quotes on an equal footing, a simple scorecard, the points to watch around VAT and consumer rights that apply across Europe, and a way to keep track of how things unfold. So that in week six you still know what you were thinking in week one.
Why the lowest price is rarely the cheapest
Two quotes with the same bottom line can promise something completely different. One includes the demolition work, the other does not. One states 6% VAT, the other 21%. One names the brand and type of materials, the other settles for "insulation work as agreed". Anyone who only looks at the final sum is choosing blind.
Professional clients know this. For public procurement, Directive 2014/24/EU lays down that a contract goes to the "most economically advantageous tender", assessed on criteria that are set and weighted in advance. So not automatically to the cheapest. In European Commission tenders price regularly counts for only 25 to 30%, against 70 to 75% for quality.
Those rules do not apply to you as a private individual. The way of thinking does. Anyone renovating is effectively running their own small tender, and benefits from the same order of work as the professionals.
The method in five steps
Step 1: write down what needs to happen, and request at least three quotes
Put on paper which rooms are involved, which surfaces, which level of finish, and what the contractor should and should not do. Give that description to every candidate, so all quotes start from the same basis. European practical guides, including from Luxembourg, recommend at least three quotes. With fewer, you have too little to go on to see whether a price is normal.
Step 2: level the quotes before you compare them
Go through the quotes item by item and note what each contractor has and has not included. In the trade this is called bid levelling: first align the descriptions, only then the amounts. Where possible convert to a price per m² and put all amounts on the same VAT basis, all inclusive or all exclusive. Only after that do the totals mean anything.
Step 3: look beyond the amount
Also compare what you get for that money: material references with brand and type, the completion period, the warranties and the work that is actually carried out within this quote. Watch for the red flags that keep coming back in practical guides: large provisional sums without explanation, missing exclusions, a total price far below the rest without a reason, and a payment schedule where you pay almost everything up front.
Step 4: note the pluses and minuses immediately, not afterwards
Give every quote a score from 1 to 5 per criterion and attach a weight to each criterion. One example model from practice works with price 30%, insurance and permits 20%, completeness 15%, warranty 15%, references 10% and communication 10%. Note that this is an example from practical guides, not an official standard, so adjust the weights to your own project.
Price is one criterion out of six
Example weighting from a practical guide, not an official standard. Score every quote from 1 to 5 per criterion and adjust the weights to your project: on roofing work, warranty weighs heavier than on painting.
More important than the exact percentages is the moment at which you score. What strikes you during the conversation itself is gone a week later. Write down your impressions, the strong and the weaker points as well as any questions as quickly as you can.
Step 5: negotiate through the content, and record every change
Bluntly haggling over the bottom line rarely works. The contractor then has to recover that margin somewhere else. Negotiate on the content instead: a different material, phased execution, a part you do yourself. Number and date every new version ("Quote v2, 14 March") and ask for every agreement in writing. Verbal promises are nearly impossible to prove afterwards and are named in several sources as a major cause of disputes.
One kitchen quote, three dated versions
The amount drops not because of haggling but because the content changed. Every version keeps its number, its date and the reason for the change, so months later you still know exactly what you signed for.
VAT and consumer rights: the quiet difference makers
VAT can make the gap between two quotes bigger than the craftsmanship does. In Belgium, 21% is the standard rate and 6% applies to renovation of homes older than 10 years that are mainly used as private dwellings, provided the conditions are met. Spain has a reduced rate of 10% under conditions for certain residential construction and renovation work. Rates and conditions differ per country and change regularly, so always check the current national source for your project. One rule of thumb applies everywhere: a quote without a clear VAT statement is a red flag.
European consumer law is on your side. Directive 2011/83/EU requires clear information about, among other things, the total price including taxes and the payment and performance conditions. Directive 93/13/EEC provides that unfair terms are not binding on you, think of excessive penalties or a unilateral right of amendment for the contractor.
The hardest part: keeping the overview
Every step above assumes that you still remember what happened in step 1. That is exactly where it usually goes wrong. The price proposals come in by email, WhatsApp and on paper. In between there are phone calls and verbal adjustments. A second version follows, then a third. And six weeks later you are searching your mailbox for the amount that one supplier promised you back then.
If you would rather not manage that in loose folders, you can give it a fixed place. In PiggyPlanr's build mode you create a quote file per part of your project: kitchen, roof, windows. Within that file you keep a timeline of everything that happens, with a date: a phone call, a showroom visit, a new price proposal. At every moment you immediately note your pluses, your minuses, your open questions and the arguments the salesperson used to try to convince you.
That is the reason you still know in week six why you dropped that one kitchen, and not just what it cost. You attach the quotes themselves to the right moment in that timeline, each with a version number and an amount. That way the full negotiation trail sits neatly one below the other, from first price proposal to latest version, and you see at a glance what the various contractors are asking for that same part. Tick the quote you are going with and the app reserves that amount on the linked budget item. If it does not fit, that item turns red while you have not yet paid a thing.
One thing the app deliberately does not do: compare automatically. No table or recommendation rolls out. The amounts sit neatly in a row and your own notes sit next to them, but the judgement stays with you. That is exactly what those pluses and minuses are for.
Common mistakes
- Comparing totals without levelling the descriptions. The lowest bottom line often hides items that come back later as extra work.
- Mixing up VAT bases. An amount excluding VAT next to an amount including VAT distorts everything.
- Only looking at price. A cheaper insulation quote with lower performance can cost you more in the long run, for example because you miss out on subsidies.
- Relying on what was said. What is not on paper does not exist in a dispute.
- Paying almost everything up front. Tie your payment moments to the progress of the work.
- Waiting to take notes until all quotes are in. By then your impression of the first one has already faded.
In closing
A good comparison starts with a levelled description of the work, runs through an assessment in which price is one criterion alongside quality and risk, and ends with agreements that are set down in black and white. But the difference usually does not lie in that one decision. It lies in what you remember from the weeks before it.
Want to keep your quotes, versions and arguments in one place, together with your building budget? Try PiggyPlanr for free: 14 days, no credit card.
Sources
- EUR-Lex, "Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement". https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/24/oj/eng
- European Commission, "EUSPA-OP-31-24, Tender Specifications" (example of price-quality weighting in EU tenders). https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/tender-details/docs/ed13910e-d9f8-4057-aeca-d07361fba8ad-CN/EUSPA-OP-31-24%20Annex%20I%20to%20the%20ITT%20-%20Tender%20Specifications_V1.pdf
- Renov.lu, "How can I compare renovation quotes in Luxembourg?". https://renov.lu/en/renovation-works/how-to-compare-renovation-quotes/
- Renov.lu, "How to compare energy renovation quotes in Luxembourg". https://renov.lu/en/energy-renovation/compare-energy-renovation-quotes/
- Quostra, "Comparing two quotes per m²". https://quostra.com/be-en/blog/construction-costs-per-sqm-belgium/comparing-two-quotes
- Multigroup, "How to Review Contractor Bids: A Property Owner's Guide". https://blog.multigroup.ca/blog/how-to-review-contractor-bids-a-property-owners-guide
- NearMeTips, "How to Compare 3 Contractor Bids Apples-to-Apples". https://www.nearmetips.com/how-to-compare-contractor-bids/
- Projul, "How to Negotiate Construction Contracts". https://projul.com/blog/how-to-negotiate-construction-contracts/
- Accountable, "The different VAT rates for construction work" (Belgium). https://www.accountable.eu/en-be/blog/vat-rates-construction/
- Strong Abogados, "VAT in Spain: A Guide for Construction and Renovation". https://www.strongabogados.com/articles/vat-in-spain-for-construction
- EUR-Lex, "Directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights" (consolidated text). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02011L0083-20220528
- EUR-Lex, "Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair terms in consumer contracts". https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/NL/TXT/?uri=celex%3A31993L0013
This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. VAT rates and consumer rules differ per country and change regularly. For a specific case, it is best to contact your contractor, lawyer or accountant.
Frequently asked questions
How many quotes should I compare for a renovation?
Several European practical guides recommend at least three quotes, each based on the same written description of the work. That lets you judge whether a price is in line with the market.
How do I fairly compare quotes per m², including VAT?
Put all amounts on the same VAT basis before you divide them by the surface area. Otherwise you are comparing calculation methods instead of prices.
What are red flags in a contractor's quote?
Among others: no VAT statement, incomplete company details, large provisional sums without explanation, no exclusions, a price far below the rest without a reason, and a payment schedule that asks for nearly everything up front.
How do I keep different versions of a quote apart?
Number and date every version and keep them all, including the old ones. For every change in price, planning or content, ask for a new written version instead of a verbal confirmation.
How do I negotiate without damaging the relationship with the contractor?
Negotiate on the content instead of bluntly haggling: propose material alternatives or phasing, and ask for an explanation of items that differ from the other quotes. Record every agreement in a new, dated version.
