A schedule of works and specification, from £359
Ask three builders to price a job described in a sentence and you get three different jobs. A schedule of works lists each item of work, and a specification says what materials and standard apply. From £359, no VAT to add.
- From £359, no VAT to add
- Itemised, room by room
- Works for extensions, lofts and refurbishments
What does a schedule of works cost?
A schedule of works and specification starts at £359, with no VAT to add and no survey fee. We turn your drawings, or a brief for a refurbishment, into an itemised list of the work and a written specification, with a blank price column for each builder to fill in. The fee is confirmed in writing before we start, once we have seen the size of the job.
Structural calculations, engineering design and formal inspections are provided only through an appointed professional, such as a structural engineer or a building control surveyor. These reports do not replace them: where a report finds something that needs one, it says so and names the kind of professional to appoint.
What the £359 covers
- An itemised schedule of works, in the order the job will be built, with a blank price column
- A written specification: materials, finishes, fittings and the standard of workmanship expected
- Provisional sums and exclusions listed, so nothing is silently assumed
- A finishes and materials schedule for kitchens, bathrooms and decoration
- A short note on how to compare the returned prices item by item
Why does a schedule make quotes comparable?
Because every builder reads the same list. When quotes differ by thousands, the usual reason is that one included the new radiators and the next assumed you would buy them. A schedule fixes the question: the radiators are line 47, and each builder prices line 47 or marks it excluded.
You can then compare the totals and the lines. A low total that is silent on twelve lines is easy to spot.
What goes in a schedule of works, and what goes in the specification
The schedule is a list of tasks: strip out, excavate, foundations, walls, roof, windows, first fix, plaster, second fix, decorate, clear site. The specification says how each is done and with what: the brick, the insulation, the window make, the tile.
Where the job is a refurbishment, such as a landlord’s works to a rented house or a full redecoration after a repair, the same two documents apply. The schedule becomes a list of rooms and works, with the specification setting the standard.
- Preliminaries: access, protection, welfare, waste
- Structure and envelope, by element
- Services: plumbing, electrics, heating, ventilation
- Finishes by room, with the fittings named
- Provisional sums and items the client supplies
- Exclusions, so nothing is assumed
Scope, specification and finishes: three documents or one?
Most people ask for one of three things: a scope of works, a specification of works or a finishes schedule. They are three parts of the same document. Ours is a single schedule with a specification behind it, so the scope, the materials and the finishes are consistent with each other.
The fee is the same whether you want all of it or only the finishes, as the work is in reading the job properly.
Who is responsible for the work once it is priced?
The builder you choose, to the standard the specification sets, and in law with reasonable care and skill (Consumer Rights Act, s.49). If more than one contractor will be involved, the client must appoint a principal designer and a principal contractor in writing (regulation 11D). For a domestic job, HSE explains how the client duties pass to the contractor (HSE).
A schedule does not replace a contract, a quantity surveyor’s valuation, or an engineer’s design. Where the job needs one, we say so in the schedule and name the kind of professional to appoint.
The step up: the tender package
When you want drawings, a specification and a pricing schedule together for several builders, the tender package at £899 covers construction drawings as well. If your drawings need more detail before they can be priced, start with construction detail drawings, or a construction drawing review. When the prices come back, the builder quote comparison checks them against the schedule. See also builder’s and construction reports and the reports index.
What the law says about the work and the client
- Reasonable care and skill
- Every contract to supply a service is treated as including a term that the trader will perform it with reasonable care and skill, and a schedule says what the service is. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49
- Workmanlike
- Building work must use adequate and proper materials and be carried out in a workmanlike manner, and a specification is where those materials are named. Building Regulations 2010, regulation 7
- Suitable arrangements
- A client must make suitable arrangements for planning, managing and monitoring a project, and a written scope is one such arrangement. Building Regulations 2010, regulation 11A
- More than one contractor
- Where more than one contractor is or may be involved, the client must appoint a principal designer and a principal contractor in writing. Building Regulations 2010, regulation 11D
- Single contractor
- On a one-contractor domestic job the client duties normally move to the contractor, so the schedule should say who is that contractor. HSE, CDM 2015: domestic clients
- 5 weeks
- A full-plans building regulations application is decided within 5 weeks, or 2 months with your consent. gov.uk, Building regulations approval: how to apply
Schedule of works questions
Is a schedule of works the same as a quote?
No. A schedule is the list of work; the quote is the builder’s price against it. We write the first so you can get the second on equal terms.
Do I need drawings before you can write one?
For an extension or loft, yes: the schedule is read from the drawings. For a refurbishment, a brief and a visit to the property can be enough, and we say what we need.
Can a landlord use it for repairs and refurbishment?
Yes. It lists the works room by room, and the specification sets the standard, so contractors price the same scope.
Does it cover health and safety duties?
It names who is the contractor and notes the client duties, but it does not replace appointing the right people. On a domestic job the duties normally pass to the contractor.
Source: HSE, CDM 2015: domestic clients
Will it fix the final cost?
No. It makes the prices comparable. Provisional sums and later changes can still move the cost.
Other services people book with this one
Get every builder pricing the same job
Send your drawings or a short brief. We confirm the fee in writing before we start.