Two tradies can look at the same job and give you very different prices without either quote necessarily being unreasonable.
One could be a sole trader with low overheads who can handle the job personally. Another could run several crews, carry more equipment, have office staff and be able to mobilise quickly. A larger company could also have purchasing power or specialist equipment that makes certain work cheaper or faster.
Don’t compare the final dollar amounts first; work out whether the businesses are quoting the same job, under comparable conditions.
Three Tradies Can Quote the Same Job Very Differently
Say you need work done at home and ask three tradies to quote on the job. They all inspect the same property, hear the same concerns and know what you want done. A few days later, you have three very different prices in front of you.
| Quote | Business | Coverage |
| Quote A — $6,800 | Local sole trader | The owner quotes and completes the work personally, with a fairly straightforward scope. |
| Quote B — $8,100 | Small local company | A four-person crew completes the work, with removal, disposal and reinstatement included. |
| Quote C — $9,000 | Larger company | Labour and specified materials, removal and disposal, a larger crew, full reinstatement and cleanup. |
Looking only at the totals, Quote A is $2,200 cheaper than Quote C. But that doesn’t necessarily tell you that you’re getting the same job for less. According to the plumbers from Fluid Plumbing Newcastle, differences between quotes can come down to what’s included in the work, how many people are needed on-site and how quickly the company can schedule the job.
If one tradie is considerably cheaper or more expensive than another, there is more to investigate than the price itself. Work through the following details to see where the quotes differ.
1. The Cheapest Quote Could Be Covering Less Work
Say you’re comparing quotes for a hot water system replacement. One tradie might quote for supplying and installing the new unit, while another includes removal of the old system, disposal, new connections, testing and cleanup.
A $4,000 quote and a $5,000 quote aren’t necessarily $1,000 apart if the second includes work you would otherwise need to organise or pay for separately. Look for differences in areas such as:
- Labour and materials
- Removal and disposal
- Access equipment
- Electrical or plumbing connections
- Cleanup and reinstatement
Once the scopes are closer to matching, the totals become much more useful to compare.
Ask What Each Quote Is Trying to Fix
One professional plumber might quote to clear the immediate blockage. Another might recommend high-pressure water jetting and a CCTV drain inspection to clear the drain and investigate why it keeps blocking. A third could find damaged pipework and quote for repairing the affected section.
When the proposed solutions differ, ask each tradie what they found and why the work they’ve quoted is necessary.
- What problem did you find?
- What do you believe is causing it?
- What part of your quote addresses that cause?
- Is the proposed work a repair, investigation or temporary fix?
- Did you inspect or test anything before recommending the work?
- Is there anything you couldn’t inspect before preparing the quote?
- What happens if only the immediate problem is repaired?
- Could additional work be needed once the job starts?
All three quotes relate to the same blocked drain, but they aren’t necessarily trying to fix the same thing. One addresses the blockage you have now, another investigates the recurring cause, while the third allows for work on a problem identified within the pipe itself.
Ask Who Quotes, Supervises and Completes the Job
With a local sole trader, the person who answers your call, inspects the job and prepares the quote could also be the person who comes back with the tools. A small local company could have an owner or supervisor quoting while another member of the crew completes the work. Larger companies can have separate estimators, project coordinators, supervisors and several crews working across different jobs.
That can look something like this:
- Local sole trader → quotes the job → completes most or all of the work → deals with you directly
- Small local company → owner or supervisor quotes → assigns a small crew → owner or supervisor oversees the work
- Larger company → estimator prepares the quote → project coordinator schedules the job → assigned crew completes the work → supervisor manages the project
None of these structures is automatically better. It’s also worth asking who will be on-site. The experienced tradie who inspected your home and discussed the work with you might not be the person completing it. Apprentices and less experienced workers can legitimately form part of a trade crew, but you should understand what work they’ll be doing and who will supervise them.
Compare How Soon Each Tradie Can Start
There are plenty of situations where waiting isn’t practical. A failed hot water system in a home with young children or an elderly family member could need quicker attention. The same goes for a blocked toilet when it’s the only one in the house or an electrical fault affecting appliances or an air conditioner that stops working during a stretch of very hot weather.
When comparing quotes, look at the proposed timing alongside the total:
- Urgent job → How soon can they attend or start?
- Large project → How long will the work take once it starts?
- After-hours or weekend work → Are additional charges included?
- Flexible job → Would waiting longer give you more options to compare?
If the job isn’t urgent, you have more room to compare availability and pricing.
Use Reviews to Assess the Tradie, Not the Quote
Reviews can tell you a lot about how a tradie has performed for previous customers. You can look for comments about communication, punctuality, workmanship, cleanup and how the business handled problems after the job was finished.
What reviews don’t tell you is whether the quote sitting in front of you covers everything your particular job needs.
A business could have hundreds of positive reviews and a well-known name, but you still need to look at the proposed solution. The same applies to a smaller local tradie with fewer reviews.
When reading reviews, look for experiences that are reasonably close to the work you need. If you’re replacing a hot water system, feedback about similar installations is more useful than a five-star review for fixing a leaking tap. For a larger renovation or complicated repair, look for comments about how the business handled jobs of a similar size.
Better Questions Make Quotes Easier to Compare
Comparing tradie quotes properly gives you a better idea of what you’re agreeing to before anyone starts work. Instead of wondering later why something wasn’t included, why another charge appeared or why a different person turned up to complete the job, you have the opportunity to raise those questions while you’re still comparing your options. That puts you in a much better position than reaching the end of the job and complaining about something that could have been clarified from the beginning.
