Why one quote comes in far below the others
If a quote is a third or half below the others for the same scope, something is almost always missing: part of the work, proper materials, permits, insurance or a real understanding of the property. Honest savings from efficiency make a difference of a few percent, not a factor of two.
For reference, our full renovations start at €1,000/m² excluding VAT at the Basic level, so from €100,000 for a 100 m² flat. If you are offered a figure well below the market for the same scope and level, go through the quote line by line before celebrating. Below is where the gap usually hides and how to find it in an evening.
Where the gap hides: five places
'Per actual measurement' and lump-sum lines. Instead of quantity and unit price it says 'plumbing as required' or 'electrics €3,000'. That line can mean anything, and it is exactly the one that grows later.
Missing items. Waste removal and a skip, protection for the lift and entrance hall, floor levelling, reveals, concealed access panels, primers, final clean. Individually they are small; together they are a visible share of the budget.
Materials with no model named. 'Ceramic tile', 'oak parquet', 'mixer tap'. The same description covers products with a fivefold price difference.
Permits and technical supervision. One quote covers the paperwork for the Ajuntament and the technician, another says nothing, and that cost lands on you.
VAT. One figure includes it, the other does not, and in a side-by-side comparison you do not notice until you read the small print.
How to check it in one evening
Take the most detailed quote you have and use it as a template. Go through every line and find its match in the cheap quote. Anything missing goes on a separate list. Then ask the contractor to confirm in writing whether each of those items is included in their price.
Ask three more questions as well. Who will actually be on site: their own crew, or people assembled for this job? Who is responsible for the project and how often will they be there? How will changes be recorded if demolition uncovers something? 'We'll sort it out as we go' answers all three.
If after that exercise the cheap quote rises to the level of the others, you have saved yourself a lot of grief. If it is still lower and the contractor explains clearly why, you now have something concrete to weigh up.
Compare timescales too. If the cheap quote promises to finish the same flat noticeably faster, ask how many people will be on site and how the programme is built. A short timescale with no explanation usually means some stages are simply missing, such as screed drying time or joinery manufacture.
How a low price turns into a high one
The most common story: the low quote wins, work starts, and after demolition 'unforeseen' items appear. The wiring has to be replaced entirely, the screed levelled, a stack moved. All of it was visible on a proper survey, but none of it made it into the quote. By the halfway point the total has caught up with the honest offers or overtaken them, except now you cannot walk away.
The second story is material substitution. No models were named, so technically nobody lied to you: there is 'oak parquet' down, just of a different grade. The third is workmanship that shows up a year later: tiles coming loose, cracks along plasterboard joints, a leak under the shower drain. Redoing work costs more than doing it right first time, because demolition gets added to the bill.
How our quote is put together
We prepare our quote after a site visit and measurements. It gives quantity and price for every item, materials with their level and, where possible, the model, labour listed separately, and what is not included. Our own crew does the work, specialist tasks go to trusted subcontractors, and one person is responsible for the project. Payment is in stages under the contract, not a large sum up front.
If you have several quotes and one looks suspiciously cheap, send them to us with a description of the flat. We reply within an hour and tell you which items are missing for a fair comparison.