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.