You send a one-line £6,200. They think you are hiding. You send a 40-line merchant dump. They cross out the silicone and ask why you are 80p over Screwfix. Both quotes can lose. The job is to show enough, not everything.
A working rule
| Show | When |
|---|---|
| One job total | Tight scope, repeatable install, they did not ask |
| Labour + materials two lines | Most bathrooms, kitchens, decorating |
| Materials list (grouped) | They supply some kit, or VAT is in play |
| Every SKU | Almost never — that is a shopping list, not a quote |
Labour in UK English. Your hourly rate and markup stay in your workings. The customer buys a job, not a lecture on overheads.
Worked layout
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Labour — strip, first and second fix, make good (as scope) | £3,200 |
| Materials — suite, wastes, vinyl, sundries (incl. wastage) | £2,400 |
| Total (no VAT) | £5,600 |
If they want to buy the pan themselves, you can drop that materials line and keep labour. If they then bring a Facebook pan with no fittings, that is extra labour — not a row they already crossed out.
What people miss
Itemising so they can reverse-engineer your rate. Hours × rate on the page invites “my cousin does it for less.” Keep hours in your notebook.
Hiding materials in labour to look cheaper per hour. Then they supply the tiles and expect the same total. Split it.
VAT surprises. If you are registered, say plus VAT on each total or on the grand total. If you are not, say the figure is no VAT.
Letting them pick lines off a quote you still warrant. If they supply it, they own the delay and the spec. Write that.
Related guides
FAQ
- Will a lump sum look like I am hiding something?
- Sometimes. Two lines — labour and materials — usually kills that without handing them a shopping list.
- Should I show my hourly rate?
- You do not have to. Many quotes never do. The rate is for you.
- What if they insist on every merchant line?
- You can. Then the quote is cost-plus. Your markup still sits in the materials total, and extras are still extras.
- Labour or labor?
- Labour on the quote. The page URL says labor because that is the slug. Customers in the UK read labour.
