Our published guide figures are £20–£40 an hour with an average around £24, £200–£350 a day, £20–£50 per m² for repointing, £1,500–£3,000 to remove a load-bearing wall including calculations and Building Control, and £4,600–£14,700 for a general project with an average around £8,593.
- A day rate tells you almost nothing. A faster trade at a higher rate often costs less.
- Compare exclusions, not totals. Most large gaps between quotes are scope.
- Provisional sums distort comparison badly. Normalise them before judging.
- Preliminaries — skips, scaffold, welfare, protection — are real and should be itemised.
Our published guide prices
These are the figures we publish across this site. They are planning ranges; every job is surveyed and quoted.
| Job | Typical Coventry guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Builder, hourly | £20–£40/hr (avg ~£24) | Skilled trade |
| Builder, day rate | £200–£350/day | Varies with firm size |
| Repointing | £20–£50 per m² | Brick condition dependent |
| Remove load-bearing wall + steel | £1,500–£3,000 | Includes calcs & building control |
| General building project | £4,600–£14,700 (avg ~£8,593) | Scope dependent |
The range on the general project figure is wide because "building work" covers everything from a day of repairs to a full refurbishment. The per-item rates are more useful for sense-checking a specific job.
Why a day rate is the least useful comparison
Day rates get compared because they are a single number, and they are close to meaningless on their own.
An experienced bricklayer at the top of the range who lays a wall in a day costs less than someone at the bottom taking two. The rate is an input; the job is the output.
The rate also conceals what is included. Is it per person or per team? Does it cover materials? Travel? Waste removal? Setting up and clearing down? Two identical day rates can produce very different invoices.
Where a day rate genuinely matters is on work that cannot be scoped — stripping out, chasing a problem, repairs of unknown extent. There it is the honest way to charge, and the protection is a cap or a review point rather than a lower rate.
What actually drives a building quote
| Factor | Effect | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Large | Rear gardens with no side gate change the method entirely |
| Condition of the existing building | Large | Older and neglected property hides more |
| Scope definition | Large | A vague brief gets priced cautiously |
| Working around occupation | Moderate | Slower than an empty property |
| Specification | Large on finishes | The shell costs what it costs |
| Preliminaries | Moderate | Skips, scaffold, welfare, protection |
| Programme pressure | Moderate | A compressed timescale costs more |
| Structural content | Large | Calculations, propping, Building Control |
Preliminaries are the line people forget. Skips, scaffold, site protection, welfare and management are real costs on any job above a day or two, and a quote that does not show them has either absorbed them or forgotten them.
Comparing quotes that are thousands apart
Building quotes vary more than any other trade, and the difference is nearly always scope rather than margin. The approach that works is mechanical rather than intuitive.
- List every item that appears in any of the quotes, down the left of a sheet.
- Mark which quotes include each. The gaps are where the difference lives.
- Identify the provisional sums and note the figure each builder has allowed. These are placeholders, not prices.
- Normalise — set the provisional sums to the same figure across all quotes.
- Check who supplies what. Kitchen, bathroom, flooring, glazing, sanitaryware.
- Check the preliminaries — skips, scaffold, protection, welfare.
- Check whether making good and decoration are in, and to what standard.
- Confirm the VAT position on each.
- Then compare. The gap is usually much smaller than it looked, and occasionally it reverses.
If one quote is still far lower after that exercise, take its scope back to the others and ask what they would drop to match it. The answers are specific and they settle the question.
Where a cheap quote is cheap
- Preliminaries excluded. Skips and scaffold reappear as extras.
- Making good not included, or included at "filled" rather than "plastered and decorated".
- Optimistic provisional sums that will be replaced by larger real costs.
- No allowance for the unexpected, so every discovery becomes a variation.
- Structural work priced without calculations, which is a different and worse problem.
- Building Control fees excluded and not mentioned.
- A scope the builder has not fully understood, which is the one that hurts everyone.
VAT, and when it does not apply
Worth knowing because it is a material part of the figure and the rules are not intuitive.
Most domestic building work is standard-rated. There are reduced and zero-rated categories — certain conversions, some work on properties that have been empty for a long period, and particular adaptations — where a lower rate can apply.
The rules are specific and the evidence requirements matter, so it is a conversation to have with the builder and, where there is a real prospect of a reduced rate, with an accountant. It is not something to assume.
What matters practically when comparing quotes: confirm whether each figure is inclusive or exclusive of VAT, and whether the builder is VAT registered at all. A quote from a non-registered sole trader and one from a registered company are not directly comparable.
Paying for building work
Payments should follow completed work so you are never substantially ahead of the builder.
A modest deposit covering materials ordered specifically for your job is normal. A large proportion of the total before anything happens is not, and it is the most consistent feature of jobs that are abandoned part-finished.
On a larger project, stage payments against identifiable milestones — foundations complete, damp-proof course level, roof watertight, first fix, plastering, completion — with a small retention held for a short period afterwards to cover snagging.
That retention is what gets the snagging list dealt with promptly. Once the final payment has gone, you are relying on goodwill.
Bring us the others. We will tell you what the gaps are, including where we would be the more expensive option and why.
Frequently asked questions
What is a typical builder day rate?
Our published guide figure is £200–£350 a day, with hourly rates of £20–£40 and an average around £24. The rate on its own tells you little though — a faster trade at a higher rate often costs less for the same job. Compare estimated totals rather than rates.
Why are building quotes so different?
Scope, almost always. Different builders include different things, and provisional sums distort comparison badly because they are placeholders rather than prices. List every item, mark which quotes include each, normalise the provisional sums, and the gap usually shrinks dramatically.
What are preliminaries?
The costs of running the job rather than building anything: skips and waste removal, scaffold, site protection, welfare facilities, and management time. They are real on any job beyond a day or two, and a quote that does not show them has either absorbed them into the rates or left them out.
Should building quotes include VAT?
Confirm it explicitly on each quote, because it is a material difference. Most domestic building work is standard-rated, though reduced and zero rates exist for certain conversions and long-term empty properties. Also check whether each builder is VAT registered — a sole trader below the threshold and a registered company are not directly comparable.
How should I pay a builder?
In stages against completed work, so you are never significantly ahead. A modest deposit for materials ordered specifically for your job is normal; a large proportion of the total up front is not. Hold a small retention for a short period after completion — it is what gets the snagging list dealt with.
Is the cheapest builder ever the right choice?
Sometimes, when the scope genuinely matches. More often it is cheaper because preliminaries are excluded, making good is not included, provisional sums are optimistic, or the builder has not fully understood the job. That last one is the worst outcome for both sides.
We will help you read the other quotes
Bring us what you have been given. We will show you where the gaps are, even where that means telling you another quote is the better deal.