SIISTANDARD
INTEGRITY
INSTITUTE

Before opening up walls or floors

Renovating an older home?Find the costs still left open.

If a quote says “priced after opening up”, ask more than how much extra to expect. Identify what cannot yet be checked, how it will be assessed, how changes will be priced and who must confirm the work.

Separate four scope and cost states Get the ten-question request

Some conditions may remain hidden until work begins. That does not prevent you from agreeing how findings and proposed changes will be handled.

SII / Change-confirmation notes

“Priced after opening up” needs a follow-up.

Locate the uncertainty: Which room, layer or service run still needs checking?
Record the condition: Who supplies photographs, measurements and a proposed response?
Describe the change: What work, pricing basis and schedule impact are proposed?
Keep the decision: Who confirms which version, and when is the work scheduled?

An illustration of questions to ask—not a site finding, diagnosis or authorization for extra work.

Illustration / not an actual quote or site record

A total price can contain several kinds of uncertainty.

Ask for the scope and cost status of each item. If something is unclear, mark it for confirmation—not as included, excluded or free.

Clearly priced

The location, work and pricing basis are described. Check the attachments for protection, making good and finishing included in that amount.

Keep: the item, scope attachment and version

Provisional amount

An estimate is allowed for, but how will it be adjusted: measurement, a further quote or another agreed basis? Confirm the timing and rules for additions and deductions.

Keep: assumptions and adjustment rules

Condition unconfirmed

A survey, test or opening-up may be needed. Name the location, question, person and confirmation point—not just “extra work charged on site”.

Keep: what needs checking and the process

Expressly excluded

List only work explicitly excluded. Establish who will undertake it, how it connects with the quoted work and whether a separate price is needed.

Keep: exclusions and responsibility split

One item may contain both a priced scope and an unconfirmed part. Separate them. A status label is not agreement to an extra charge.

Check these eight parts of the scope.

Start with the work you are commissioning, not assumptions based on the property’s age. Open the relevant topics. Appropriate professionals must assess site conditions and suitable methods.

Removal, protection and waste

Which areas and layers are removed? Identify walls, floors, frames and equipment to retain.
How are passages, stairs, lifts and retained finishes protected? Who makes good after removal?
How are bagging, handling and waste loads or quantities priced? Are site handling and final cleaning included?

Conditions revealed by opening up

Which locations cannot yet be assessed? List questions to investigate; possible leaks, corrosion or hollow areas are not confirmed findings.
Who records the location, photographs and measurements, and proposes a response when the condition differs from what was assumed?
How will affected work be arranged, priced and confirmed before proceeding? Agree contacts and records for urgent or safety-related action too.

Electrical, plumbing and existing services

Is this a partial alteration or renewal within a defined scope? Locate and count sockets, switches, circuits and water/drainage points.
Are cable, pipe and equipment brands and specifications stated and consistent with the service drawings?
Which existing services stay, are removed or are taken out of use? Allocate connections, testing, openings and making good.

Waterproofing and leak repairs

Identify the location and intended repair scope, then request suitable materials, methods and conditions from the relevant professional.
How are substrates, corners and joints addressed? Does the quote describe extents, heights, layers and associated making good?
How are drying, testing and completion checks arranged? Locate the warranty scope, start date and contact process.

Masonry, levelling and junctions

Identify areas of base repair, plastering and levelling. A finish-material name does not describe all the underlying work.
Where drainage or falls matter, request the applicable design/work description and checking method. This guide does not prescribe site-specific values.
Who finishes thresholds, window and door surrounds, wall/floor junctions and interfaces between old and new materials?

Windows and exterior interfaces

Are frames, glazing, hardware and dimensions specified? The price “per window” alone is not a like-for-like comparison.
Are removal, handling, lifting, installation, sealing and surrounding repairs included or separately charged?
Who investigates and defines work at leaking window or exterior-wall interfaces? “All waterproofing included” does not describe that responsibility.

Materials, quantities and substitutions

Can each brand, model, size, colour or grade be matched to a work item? What counts as an acceptable equivalent?
Are quantities, units, measurement basis and pricing method explained? A lump sum can still refer to a scope attachment.
Who proposes and confirms a substitution or quantity change? Document both added costs and deductions before the change is made.

Payments, completion and warranty

What can you check before each payment? Separate material delivery, work completion and the agreed payment trigger.
What will be checked at completion, and how will outstanding items be recorded? Set out the agreed final-payment and correction arrangements.
Which new work is covered by warranty, from when, and with what contact and response process? List drawings, equipment information and warranty documents to hand over.

When extra work is proposed, keep one readable record.

Agree the process before dealing with individual changes. Photographs show a condition; they do not, on their own, define the work, price or authorization.

Identify the difference
Record the location, date and original item, with photographs, measurements and questions still open.
Describe the response
List proposed work, materials, quantities, exclusions and its connection to the original scope.
Set out cost and time
State additions or deductions, their pricing basis and any schedule effect. Label what remains uncertain.
Confirm, then arrange
Follow the agreed process; record the person, date and accepted version before arranging affected work.

Immediate hazards or urgent protection need assessment by appropriate professionals. Agree contacts, necessary action and follow-up records in advance. This page does not give on-site safety instructions.

Send these ten questions with your quote.

Add the quote name and version, remove answered or irrelevant questions, and ask for the reply to be added to the documents. Opening or closing topics above never changes the full copyable request.

Allowances and exclusions
Newly revealed conditions
Additions and deductions
Removal and making good
Services to retain or renew
Waterproofing and testing
Substitutions
Stage payments
Completion and final payment
Handover and warranty

Keep the reply with these documents.

The complete quote, notes, allowances and exclusions, with dates and versions.
Drawings, material schedules, site photographs and any existing inspection records. Identify their sources; a photograph is not a professional diagnosis.
Each change’s scope, price, schedule and confirmation record, with the payment and handover arrangements.

Full ten-question request (selectable text)

Hello, I would like to clarify this older-home renovation quote: [quote name / date / version]. Please answer the following points and mark any that do not apply.

1. Please identify the clearly priced, provisional, unconfirmed and expressly excluded parts of each item. For provisional amounts, state the assumptions, confirmation point and adjustment basis.

2. If opening up reveals a condition different from that assumed, who provides photographs, measurements and a proposed response, and how is affected work arranged? How are urgent matters communicated, handled and recorded?

3. Who may propose and confirm changes? Please explain how the scope, added or deducted price and schedule effect are set out and confirmed before work is arranged, including deductions for omitted work.

4. Please confirm the areas and layers to remove, protection of retained items, handling and disposal, making good, finishing and final cleaning. For separate charges, state the scope and pricing basis.

5. Is electrical/plumbing work a partial alteration or renewal within a defined scope? Please provide points, quantities and specifications, identify retained, removed or unused services, and allocate connections, testing and making good.

6. Please identify waterproofing/leak-repair locations, extents, substrate preparation, materials and methods, together with drying, testing, completion checks and warranty arrangements.

7. If materials, windows or equipment need replacing with alternatives, how are brands/models, specifications, quantities and added or deducted prices confirmed? Will written confirmation be recorded before work proceeds?

8. Please list each payment amount or percentage, its trigger and the deliverable I can check. How are payments handled when work is incomplete or requires correction?

9. Please set out completion checks, the correction process and timing, and final-payment arrangements, including any agreed retention or other arrangement.

10. Which drawings, service/equipment records and warranty documents will be delivered? Please confirm each warranty’s scope, start date, contact and response arrangements.

Please add the confirmed details to the dated or versioned quote, drawings or attachments. This is a request for clarification, not acceptance of additional charges or authorization to start work. Thank you.

This page does not send messages or store your quote or personal details.

STANDARD INTEGRITY INSTITUTE
READ → COMPARE → DISCUSS

Have the documents, but unsure what to ask next?

SII reviews the quote and attachments you provide for Transparency, Consistency, Reasonableness and Executability. Start with Free Key Results, then decide whether a Complete Risk Report would help.

Upload a quote for Free Key Results Read criteria SII-R001–SII-R030

Questions about older-home renovation quotes.

Why can’t every cost be fixed before opening up?

Concealed areas or existing services may require a survey, test or opening-up before they can be assessed. Uncertainty still needs explanation: identify locations, assumptions, checking methods and how later proposals will be priced and confirmed.

Should I reject a lump-sum quote?

Not because of that label alone. Look for attachments defining locations, inclusions, exclusions, the quantity basis, materials, completion conditions and adjustment rules. This guide helps identify questions; it does not decide whether you should sign.

How should unknown conditions appear in the quote?

Separate known scope from matters still to investigate. Record locations, assumptions, who will check and when. If a provisional amount is included, state how it will be adjusted. Once a condition is assessed, add the evidence, proposed scope, price and schedule effects, and confirmation record.

What should I compare when two prices differ widely?

Start with removal layers, service-renewal scope, waterproofing and substrate work, materials, waste handling and making good, plus each quote’s allowances and exclusions. Flag scope differences before comparing prices. An unpriced item is not zero; a higher price does not establish completeness or workmanship.

What should I provide when asking someone to review the quote?

Provide the complete quote and attachments, current drawings and material schedules, available photographs and inspection records, payment terms and written clarifications. Identify what you intend to retain or change and what is undecided. Mark missing information rather than guessing it.

Can SII confirm that a price matches market rates?

SII reviews how supplied documents describe and connect scope, quantities, pricing and conditions. This is not a market valuation, lowest-price certification or price guarantee. Reviewing Reasonableness in documents does not replace a site assessment.

Can SII diagnose leaks, certify safe services or rate contractors?

Document review cannot replace a site survey, design, supervision, engineering appraisal or legal advice. SII evaluates documents, not vendors or people. LEVEL 1–5 describes Document Maturity, not workmanship or safety. Appropriate professionals should assess site-specific issues.

Use this guide to organize documents and questions, not as a diagnosis, construction instruction or legal opinion. Complete answers do not make a project risk-free.