Builder Quote Clarification Email Template (UK)

The short answer

Ask for the missing scope, the VAT position, the allowances, the exclusions and the payment milestones in one clear email, and identify the exact quote version you are asking about. Keep the wording neutral: you are making the quote comparable, not accusing the builder of getting it wrong. Most builders answer a tidy list of numbered questions far faster than a phone call they have to summarise from memory.

Before you send it

Have the quote in front of you and note its reference number and date, or the file name and the date it arrived. If you have had two versions, say which one you are working from. Then read it once and mark only the points you genuinely cannot answer yourself — a five-question email gets a better reply than a twenty-question interrogation. If you are still deciding what to ask, the questions to ask before accepting a quote and how to compare builder quotes in the UK cover the ground this email turns into a message.

The free clarification email template

Replace anything in square brackets, delete the questions that do not apply to your job, and keep the numbering so the builder can answer point by point. Send it to each builder separately — never forward one builder’s full commercial quote to another. If you want a competitor’s scope covered, describe the item in your own words instead.

Subject: Clarifications on your quote for [project] — [quote reference/date]

Hi [builder's name],

Thanks for taking the time to quote for [project]. Before I make a decision, I'd like to check a few details so I understand the scope and can compare the quotes fairly.

Could you please confirm the following points, where they apply?

1. Scope and drawings: Which drawing/specification revisions does the price cover? Please confirm whether [specific task or finish] is included.
2. Materials: What products, quantities or supply allowances are included? Which items would I need to buy separately, and is fitting them included?
3. VAT: Are you VAT registered? Please confirm the total amount payable, including any VAT that applies, and identify any figures that exclude it.
4. Allowances: Which items are provisional sums or estimates rather than fixed prices? What assumptions sit behind them, and how would any difference be priced?
5. Site arrangements: Does the price include access equipment, waste removal, protection and making good? Please list any exclusions or responsibilities that fall to me.
6. Payments and programme: What deposit and stage payments are proposed, what does each payment cover, and what are the expected start date and duration? Please identify any dependencies or lead times.
7. Changes: How would we record and agree the price and timing of any change before the additional work goes ahead?

A revised written quote or a clearly referenced clarification schedule would be helpful so we are both working from the same information.

Thank you,
[homeowner's name]

If only one thing is missing

A single omission does not need seven questions. Something like this is enough: “Hi [name], thanks for the quote dated [date] for [project]. Could you confirm whether [item] is included in the price, and if not, what it would cost as a separate item? A short written confirmation is fine.” Short, specific and answerable in one reply.

Keep a clarification log

Answers arrive by email, text and doorstep conversation, and they get lost. Keep a simple five-column log so you can see what actually changed:

• Question — the numbered point you asked
• Builder’s answer — in their words, dated
• Price effect — added, included, or to confirm
• Programme effect — days added, lead time, or none stated
• Updated document — the revised quote or schedule that now says so

A worked example, and this is a made-up job rather than a real customer: you ask whether kitchen fitting is included. The builder confirms fitting of the units is included, but worktop templating and installation are excluded because the worktop supplier does that visit separately. Price effect: worktop fitting to confirm with the worktop supplier. Programme effect: a gap of several days between units going in and worktops arriving. Updated document: revised quote version 2, which now lists “worktop templating and fitting by others”. Nothing about the builder was wrong — you simply now know who is doing what, and when.

Unanswered questions are not answered questions

If a point comes back blank, treat it as unresolved rather than assuming it is included. Ask once more, in writing, and if it still does not get answered, write down what you have assumed and price it as a risk in your own budget. The same applies to allowances: an allowance is an estimate, not a fixed price, which is exactly why provisional sums deserve their own question.

What this email is and is not

It is a request for clearer information so you can compare quotes fairly and know what you are buying. It is not a building contract, an acceptance of the quote, or confirmation of any legal right. Citizens Advice recommends getting quotes in writing and agreeing the work in writing before home improvements start — their guidance on before you get building work done is written for England, so if you are in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland choose your nation on their site. For anything contractual, take advice from someone suitably qualified.

The Builder's Brief UK provides practical homeowner guidance based on real trade experience. It is not legal, financial, architectural, structural engineering, planning or building-control advice, and is not a replacement for project-specific guidance from suitably qualified professionals.