Pre-quote site survey: what a contractor should do and hand over

Do you need a site visit before a renovation quote?

Yes. A quote without a visit and measurements is only an estimate: the contractor cannot see the risers, the electrical panel, the geometry of the walls or the floor structure, and those are exactly what move the price. A per-square-metre figure is fine for a first conversation; the contract is built on numbers produced after seeing the flat or house in person.

BCN YARD's reference points are: Premium from 1,000 €/m², Luxury from 2,000 €/m², Signature from 3,000 €/m², excluding VAT. The exact price appears in the quote after the visit and measurements. There is a factor of three between tiers, but even within one tier the spread can be wide. Take two 110 m² flats in the Eixample. In one, the wiring is recent, the floors are dry and the walls are plumb. In the other, the panel is old, there is a stain under the bathroom, and the walls drift by centimetres. Same area, different scope of work, and an estimate by square metre will not show it.

What does a contractor check at the pre-quote survey?

In short: room geometry, services, the condition of floors and structure, damp, and the building's rules. A mid-sized flat usually takes a few hours; a villa with a plot takes more than one visit.

Measurements are taken with a laser rangefinder or scanner, in every room and not just one. The surveyor records ceiling heights, floor level differences (in older Eixample buildings the floor can wander by several centimetres per room), wall deviation from vertical and corner angles. For concealed doors, slatted panels, marble slabs and fitted furniture these numbers decide the outcome: a 3 cm slab does not forgive a crooked wall.

Then the services. In the electrical panel (cuadro eléctrico) they look at age, residual-current protection and spare modules, and compare the expected load with the contracted power (potencia contratada): an induction hob, air conditioning and an EV charger use up the margin fast. For water and drainage they identify pipe and riser (bajantes) material. Risers are common property, and replacing them goes through the comunidad de propietarios. They also check the kitchen extraction, ventilation shafts, space for outdoor climate units, and logistics: lift, stair width, truck parking.

The last block is structure and damp. They find out what the floors are made of: timber beams, steel, Catalan vault (bóveda catalana). A moisture meter goes along walls near bathrooms, windows and terraces, looking for leaks from above and mould in corners. Any intervention in structural elements requires a technical project, and who may sign it is covered in a separate article. Before the visit, ask the building administrator (administrador de fincas) for the community statutes, works rules, noise hours, and the conditions for the deposit and skip.

What should you receive after the site survey?

A minimum package of four things: a measured plan, a list of findings with photos, a budget range, and the list of decisions you need to make to get an exact price. If all you get after the visit is a figure and a duration, the visit was a formality.

The measured plan shows real dimensions, not those from the old layout drawing in the registry: walls, openings, heights, the position of risers and the panel. The findings list describes what was found point by point: what is fine, what will have to be replaced, what needs to be opened up for checking. Photos are tied to rooms so that a month later nobody argues about the starting condition. There is a separate article on this site about recording the state before demolition.

The budget range gives you a direction. It names the interval and explains what drives the upper end: chosen materials, riser replacement, moving a bathroom, floor reinforcement. The exact price arrives in the quote, after your decisions.

The last document is the most underrated: a list of open questions. Whether the layout is approved, whether the kitchen stays where it is, which materials you choose yourself and which go in as a provisional sum. Until those questions have answers, the quote remains a range.

Is a site survey paid, and is it credited against the contract?

It depends on the contractor, so ask before the visit and get the answer in writing. In practice, a simple visit to prepare a quote for a flat is often done without a separate fee, while a detailed technical survey with openings, instruments and a final report is billed as its own service.

The difference is easy to see in the result. A survey for a quote gives the contractor information to price the job. A technical survey gives you a document: an opinion on floors, damp and services, sometimes with an independent technician. That report is yours; you can show it to an architect or another company, and it is useful when the building is old and the structure is an open question.

Before booking, clarify four things. What the visit costs and what it includes. Whether the fee is credited against the contract if you order the renovation. Who owns the measurements and photos. How long the package takes. First red flag: a paid survey tied to an obligation to hire the contractor. Second: a fixed price within 24 hours without anyone setting foot in the property.

How long does it take from the survey to the quote?

In practice, from a few days for an indicative range to several weeks for a detailed quote. The time depends on what you bring to the meeting: whether there is a design, whether the layout is closed, whether materials are chosen. The estimator's speed matters less.

If layout and materials are undefined, only a range comes out quickly. A detailed quote rests on measurements, drawings and a specification: the estimator calculates quantities for each item and asks suppliers and subcontractors for prices. Items you have not chosen yet (stone, lighting, sanitaryware) go in as provisional sums, and how to do that properly is covered in another article.

There is also an article on this site about choosing between a fixed price and measured quotes. What matters here is different: a price named in two days, with no design and no materials list, either carries a huge reserve or promises what will not be delivered. Ask which assumptions it is built on.

How is a quote after a survey different from an estimate?

In a quote after a survey, every figure is tied to a document: measurements, the visit report, the specification. In an estimate, figures come from experience with similar flats.

Check five signs. Quantities are given in metres, units and square metres, not one line saying bathroom renovation. There is a section on what is excluded. Assumptions are listed, for instance full new electrics, risers stay. For unchosen materials there is an amount and the conditions if it is exceeded. There is a reference to the survey document and a date. Without these, the price was drawn, not calculated.

Typical errors without a survey look like this. A broken screed turns up under the tiles and the floor build-up changes. Opening a wall reveals a riser that was not on the plan. The panel cannot carry the new load and a new line from the intake is needed. Each finding moves both schedule and budget, and the dispute is settled by the wording of the contract. The more detailed the survey, the fewer surprises later.

How do you arrange a survey if you live outside Spain?

There are three working options: fly in for one day, leave the keys with a trusted person, or run the survey by video call with someone on site. The first is more accurate, the third is cheaper. For complex properties the first is better, and the rest can be finished remotely.

A checklist for non-resident owners. Before travelling, gather the property documents: the registry plan, the nota simple, the community statutes, recent electricity bills. Agree access to the entrance and the roof with the building administrator. Decide who will make decisions for you when you are away and which language you want documents in.

BCN YARD runs projects in Russian and Spanish and answers an enquiry within an hour. After the visit and measurements a quote is prepared, and one person is responsible for the project and stays in touch with you. Payment follows the contract, in stages. If you are planning a flat like our Urgel project in the Eixample (109,80 m², four bedrooms, two bathrooms, open kitchen, herringbone parquet, slatted wood panels and a marble wall), finishes like these go into the price only after exact measurements. Write to us and we will agree a date for the visit.