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The quality of your estimate doesn’t matter until it goes wrong
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Allowances, PC Sums, Provisional Sums and Contingencies: what’s the difference?
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How do you take a holiday when you run a building company?
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An accurate building quote gives you more than numbers
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Free download: How to produce a building quote that wins work and protects your profit
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The most expensive estimate is the one that’s wrong
The quality of your estimate doesn’t matter until it goes wrong
What matters most when you need an estimate? How quickly you can get it done?How cheaply someone else can do it for you?How quickly you can get it off your desk?Or, if you do your own estimating, how little it appears to cost you? That last one is particularly easy to overlook. You do it…
Allowances, PC Sums, Provisional Sums and Contingencies: what’s the difference?
On a complex building project, not every cost can be confirmed before work starts. The customer may not have chosen their kitchen, bathroom fittings or flooring. Structural details may still need to be finalised. Some parts of the existing building may remain hidden until work begins. These costs cannot simply be ignored or guessed. At…
How do you take a holiday when you run a building company?
A holiday can be a rare event for owners of a small residential building company. It can seem like an impossible goal. There’s always so much to sort beforehand and a million more things to deal with when you come back. The HBXL Estimating Service can’t help with every issue (although our sister company definitely…
An accurate building quote gives you more than numbers
Here’s the thing about submitting a realistic, accurate building quote: it doesn’t just protect your margins. It changes the way you feel about your work – and the way clients see you. You go into every job with confidence When you know your numbers are right, you’re not quietly hoping the job doesn’t throw up…
Free download: How to produce a building quote that wins work and protects your profit
Producing a building quote should never be a rushed admin job. It’s one of the most important parts of winning profitable work. A good quote shows the homeowner you understand the project, gives them confidence in your professionalism, and helps protect you from awkward conversations later. For small builders taking on extensions, loft conversions, renovations…
The most expensive estimate is the one that’s wrong
Pay an estimating fee or pay the price? Most builders have experienced the moment. Halfway through a job, the numbers stop adding up. The materials cost more than expected.The labour takes longer than planned.Something small that didn’t seem important at the quoting stage turns out to cost thousands. And suddenly the builder realises something uncomfortable….