Mendwell

Tag: quotes

  • What a written handyman quote should include

    A written handyman quote should tell you exactly what will be done, what will not be done, what it will cost, when it will happen and who is responsible if something goes wrong. If you can read a quote and still not answer one of those questions, it is not finished yet.

    Below is a checklist you can hold any quote against, ours included. It works whether you are in Warwickshire or anywhere else, and whether the job is one door or a week of small repairs.

    Why is a one-line quote a risk to me?

    A one-line quote is a risk because everything it leaves out gets decided later, usually on the day, usually in the trade’s favour. “Fit new door, £250” does not say whether the old door goes to the tip, whether the hinges are included, whether the edges will be painted, or what happens if the frame turns out to be out of square.

    There is also a legal difference between a quote and an estimate. Citizens Advice describes a quote as a fixed price the trade cannot change without agreeing extra work with you, while an estimate is only a rough figure. A one-line “quote” with no detail behind it often behaves like an estimate in practice, because there is nothing on paper to say what the price actually covered. The detail is what makes the price fixed.

    What should the scope say?

    The scope should list the work line by line, one item per line, in plain words. A good test is whether someone who has never seen your house could read it and know what to do.

    For a door, that means: remove existing door, supply new solid core door, hang on three hinges, fit latch and handles, plane and sand edges ready for decorating. For a fence, it means how many panels, how many posts, what the posts are set in, and what happens to the old ones.

    At Mendwell every quote follows a free site visit, because we do not price from photos. The visit is what lets the scope be that specific.

    What should be listed as excluded?

    The quote should say in writing what is not included, because those are the things people fall out over. The three that cause the most arguments are waste, decorating, and making good.

    • Waste: taking old doors, fence panels, carpet and packaging away is not automatically part of a job. On our quotes it is a priced line if you want it, and never included by default. If the quote does not mention waste, ask.
    • Decorating: fitting is fitting. We fit solid core doors with edges sanded smooth and ready for decorating, and we do not paint or treat door edges. Skirting is the same: fitting is one thing, filling and decorating is a separate priced option. A quote should say which side of that line it sits on.
    • Making good: if a job involves removing something, will the holes be filled, the plaster patched, the paint touched in? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Either is fine, as long as it is written down.

    Should the materials be named?

    Yes. A quote should name the materials well enough that you could look them up yourself: the door type, the panel style, the brand of fitting where it matters.

    We price supply against Wickes as the reference point for anything they stock, and we supply and carry materials as standard. You can supply your own if you prefer, and the quote should say plainly what changes if you do: we cannot guarantee a material we did not choose, and a wrong or short delivery becomes a lost day.

    Should it give a start date and how long the job takes?

    It should give a start date or a booking process, and a realistic duration. For us, a booked day means arrival between 9 and 10, and any job that needs more than one day is started on a whole clear day, never squeezed into a half day. Whatever the trade, you want to know when they arrive, roughly how long they expect to be, and what happens if it runs over.

    What should the payment terms say?

    The payment terms should say how much is due, when, and how. Look for three things: whether there is a deposit and what it covers, when the balance is due, and the payment method.

    Our terms are simple: where materials on a job come to more than £60, we ask for 40% of the quote up front to cover them. The balance is paid on completion by bank transfer. Card and bank details never go in a message; they go on the quote and invoice only.

    Should the quote mention insurance?

    Yes. A quote should say that the trade holds public liability insurance and for how much, and a good trade will show the certificate if asked. Public liability is what covers your home if something is damaged during the work.

    We hold £2,000,000 public liability cover with Hiscox, and any contractor working on our behalf must hold at least £2,000,000 before they step on site.

    What company details should be on it?

    A quote from a limited company should carry the registered company name and number. Gov.uk guidance says a limited company must show its registered name, company number, place of registration and registered office address on business letters, order forms and its website, and a quote is a business document. A sole trader will not have a company number, but should still give a full name and a postal address.

    Mendwell is the trading name of Life Assembly Limited, company number 13963870. You can look that up on Companies House in under a minute, and you should feel free to do the same for anyone who quotes you.

    How should changes be priced?

    Changes should be priced in writing before the extra work is done, with a line added to the quote rather than a figure added to the bill. Houses hide things, and sometimes a job genuinely grows. What matters is that you agree the change and the price first.

    If you already have a quote with none of this on it, a fair question to ask is: “Can you write that up with the exclusions and the payment terms?” A good trade will not mind.

    Who is this for?

    Homeowners, landlords and letting agents across Warwickshire and the counties either side. If you are further afield, ask anyway. This checklist is for general repair and maintenance work; gas and electrical installation are not things we do, and those quotes carry their own certification details on top.

    The visit and the written quote are free with no obligation. Book at mendwell.co.uk/book or call 07472 281 663. More guides at mendwell.co.uk/guides.

    Reviewed September 2026.

  • How to choose a handyman in Warwickshire

    Most people choose a trade on price and a good feeling. Both matter, but neither tells you whether the job will be done properly or whether anyone will answer the phone in six months. Here is what to check, in the order we would check it if we were hiring someone for our own house. It applies to us as much as to anyone else.

    Where should I look?

    Start with people you know, then Google, then the directories. A recommendation from a neighbour is still the best signal there is. Google will show you a business’s profile with reviews and photos of real jobs. The directories, Checkatrade, MyBuilder, TrustATrader and Which? Trusted Traders, vet their members and carry reviews, and they are worth reading, with one caveat: trades pay to be on them, and that cost shapes the quotes you get. Nextdoor and local Facebook groups are useful for the honest word of mouth and hopeless for anything else.

    Are they insured?

    Ask for public liability insurance and expect a straight answer with a figure. If something goes wrong in your house, this is what pays for it. A trade that hesitates or cannot name the insurer is telling you something. Ours is £2,000,000 with Hiscox, and we will show the certificate.

    Are they a real business?

    A trading name, a company number or a registered sole trader, an address, a landline or a number that is answered. None of that guarantees good work, but the absence of all of it means you have no one to go back to. Mendwell is the trading name of Life Assembly Limited, company number 13963870, based in Nuneaton.

    Do they say what they will not do?

    This is the check most people miss. Someone who says yes to everything is either exceptional or about to attempt something they should not. Gas is Gas Safe registered engineers only, no exceptions. Electrical work that needs certifying, a new circuit, a consumer unit, anything in a bathroom, needs a registered electrician. The right answer is “I will bring one in and manage it” or “that is not for me”, never “I will have a go”. We wrote down our own list: who Mendwell is not for.

    Will they visit before quoting?

    A price from a photo is an estimate that will grow. A trade that visits, looks at the frame or the posts or the wall, and then gives you a fixed figure in writing is telling you they know what the job takes. Half an hour of their time before the job is worth a great deal of yours after it.

    Is the quote written down and itemised?

    A number on a text is not a quote. A quote says what is included, what is not, what the materials are, what happens if something unexpected is found, and when you pay. If waste removal, decorating or the second side of a door are not on it, they are not in the price. Which? advises the same: get it in writing, broken down, and treat the cheapest as a question rather than an answer.

    What are they asking for up front?

    A deposit that covers the materials is normal and sensible. Half the job before anyone has turned up is not. Payment by bank transfer against an invoice protects both sides; a discount for cash is a red flag, not a favour.

    What do the reviews actually say?

    Read the recent ones and the middling ones, not the star average. Look for specifics: what the job was, whether they turned up when they said, whether the house was left tidy, whether a problem was put right. Twenty reviews at 4.8 that describe real jobs tell you more than five at 5.0 that say “great guy”.

    Do they answer?

    Call or message, and see what happens. A reply within the day, a straight answer to a straight question, and a date rather than a vague “next week” are the habits that carry through into the job.

    Do you need the cheapest, or the right one?

    Both are legitimate. If the lowest number is what matters most, say so, get three quotes, and pick the lowest that passes the checks above. If you want the job done once, tidily, by someone who will still be answering the phone next year, expect to pay a little more and to be told honestly when something is not worth doing.

    Where Mendwell fits

    We are the second kind. Property maintenance for homes and businesses, based in Nuneaton, working across Warwickshire, a visit before every quote, a fixed price in writing, solid materials, the room protected, and a plain list of what we will not touch. If that sounds right, book a visit at mendwell.co.uk/book. If you are outside the towns you see us mention, ask anyway.

    Reviewed September 2026.

  • Why do handyman quotes differ so much?

    You ask three trades to price the same job and get three numbers that do not look like they describe the same work. That is the most common thing people tell us, so here is what is behind it, how we set our prices, and the honest reasons ours go up or down.

    Why can two quotes for the same job be hundreds of pounds apart?

    Because they are rarely for the same job. One quote includes the materials, one does not. One assumes a solid door, one a hollow one. One has the room sheeted up and the rubbish taken away, the other leaves both to you. A quote that says “fit door, £120” and a quote that says “supply and fit solid core door, new hinges, latch and handles, adjust, sand edges ready for paint, £215” can be for the same opening, but they are not the same job.

    The second reason is how the trade works out the number. Some price by the hour and guess the hours. Some price by the job and know what it takes because they have done it many times. The second kind is usually higher on paper and cheaper by the time the job is finished, because nothing gets added on the day.

    How does Mendwell set a price?

    We visit, then we price the job, not the hours. Every job type we do has a written method behind it: what is involved, what materials it takes, what protects your home while it happens, and what it should cost at the standard of a reputable, insured local trade. The figure on your quote is that method applied to your house. It is fixed in writing before we start, and it does not move unless we find something on the day that could not have been seen at the visit. If that happens we stop, tell you, and agree it before carrying on.

    We deliberately do not price to be the cheapest. We price to do the job once, properly, and to still be here when you need something else doing.

    Why do you visit before quoting instead of pricing from a photo?

    Because the photo does not show the things that decide the price. It shows the style of a door, not whether the frame is square. It shows a fence, not whether the posts are soft at the ground line. A visit takes about half an hour, and it is the difference between a fixed price and an estimate that grows.

    What is the service rate, and why do you steer people away from it?

    The service rate is £80, and it exists for the small, mixed jobs that cannot be priced ahead: a list of odd things around the house, a fault we need to open up to understand. We are honest that it is not the cheap option. It also means turning up without a plan, without the right materials in the van, and guessing how long things take. A priced, planned job is nearly always better value, which is why we will always try to give you a fixed price first.

    What makes a job cost more than the headline figure?

    • Materials that are better than the cheapest option. We fit solid core doors, not hollow ones. Three hinges, not two. That is part of the price and part of why it lasts.
    • Access. First-floor windows, a loft hatch, a narrow side passage, no parking nearby. Anything that adds carrying, ladders or time.
    • What is found when the old thing comes out. A rotten frame behind a door, a broken post behind a panel. This is the variation we tell you about before doing anything.
    • Protecting your home. Sheeting the floor and the furniture, taping off, cleaning up. It is in every price and it is not free.
    • Waste removal. Taking the old door, the old fence, the rubble away is never included by default. It is a priced line on the quote if you want it, so you can compare like with like.
    • Managed trades. Where a job needs an electrician or a plumber, we bring one in and manage it. You get one quote and one point of contact, and that management is in the figure.

    What makes a job cost less?

    • Bundling. Several small jobs on one visit are cheaper than three separate visits, because the set-up and the travel are paid once.
    • Clear access. The area cleared, the car moved, the key arranged if you are out.
    • Doing the finishing yourself. Our doors come primed. Plenty of people paint them.
    • Booking ahead. Weather-driven work booked six to eight weeks early is easier and cheaper than the same work in a January storm.

    Why do your prices change over time?

    Three reasons, and we will always say which one it is.

    Materials move. Timber, hardware and paint prices change through the year. When a supplier price moves enough to change what a job costs, our published figures move with it, and the date at the bottom of every cost guide tells you when the figure was last checked.

    We learn the job better. Every job we do teaches us something about how long it really takes and what goes wrong. When that changes the method, the price changes to match, sometimes down.

    The standard goes up. When we add something to every job of a type, say sheeting the windows on a flooring day because we should have done it last time, the price carries it.

    What does not change a price is who is asking. Every customer gets the same method and the same figure for the same work.

    Do you take a deposit, and when do I pay?

    Where a job needs materials worth more than about £60, we ask for a deposit of 40% before we order them, so the materials are bought for your job and not a guess. The balance is paid on completion, by bank transfer, against an invoice. The price on the quote is the total you pay. Nothing is added on top.

    Why is the cheapest quote often the most expensive?

    Because the number you are shown is not the number you end up paying. A cheap quote is usually cheap because something is missing: the materials, the protection, the second coat, the third hinge, the rubbish, or the return visit when the door drops. You pay for those later, either to the same trade as extras or to a second trade to put it right.

    We would rather you had the honest figure at the start. If that means we are not the cheapest, that is fine, and we will say so.

    Want a proper price?

    Book a visit at mendwell.co.uk/book. About half an hour, and you get a fixed price in writing.

    Mendwell is property maintenance for homes and businesses, based in Nuneaton and working across Warwickshire for people who want a job done properly rather than quickly. If you are outside the towns you see us mention, ask anyway.

    Prices and policies on this page reviewed September 2026.