Quotations

Turn the address into a surface schedule

Name each room or elevation, then identify the finishes within it. A front room with shutters, a high cornice and fitted cupboards needs more explanation than its floor area provides. Include close views of damaged coatings and wider views showing access. Where the background is hidden by paper or paint, record what remains uncertain before agreeing allowances.

Put access beside the decorating items

Westminster's Portman Estate audit notes the narrow entrances to local mews. At a particular property, measure the actual opening and describe the delivery route rather than relying on the street name. Ask whether protection of common parts, equipment, unloading arrangements and waste removal sit within the proposed price. Any parking suspension would need its own council application and conditions.

Sources: Westminster: Portman Estate conservation area audit; Westminster: parking bay suspensions

Separate decisions from allowances

A chosen wallpaper, a repair awaiting inspection and a window governed by a building specification are at different stages of certainty. The quotation should make those distinctions readable. Establish who selects and supplies materials, who obtains any permissions and how an unexpected defect would be priced. Review dates and payment arrangements against that defined scope before accepting it.

Compare the work behind the total

Place competing quotations beside the same marked-up room list. Check whether both include the shutter backs, cupboard interiors or old lining paper you discussed. Then compare the preparation proposed for each background and the named finish. A lower total tells you little if one allowance leaves those elements out; an agreed change should be recorded against the original scope.