Updated
Two plumbing quotes can have different totals because they describe different jobs. Before deciding which offers better value, make the scope comparable. The cheapest number is hard to interpret if key work is missing.
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Give everyone the same starting point
Share the same fixture models, photos, drawings and schedule. Identify whether fixtures are moving and which finishes will already be removed. If a product changes, send the revision to everyone preparing a proposal.
Compare the included work
Read each quote against a simple list.
- Products and who supplies them.
- Disconnection, removal and disposal.
- New connections and changes to existing piping.
- Access, testing and cleanup.
- Return visits and coordination with other trades.
Mark exclusions and allowances
Find anything described as an allowance, optional item or owner responsibility. Ask how concealed damage, failed shutoffs or unavailable parts would be handled. A fixed fixture selection and an open product allowance are not the same commitment.
Clarify payment and warranty terms
Read the terms supplied with the quote and ask about anything unclear before accepting. Request the applicable product and workmanship warranty information. Do not assume two companies use identical payment stages or cover the same follow-up work.
Resolve gaps in writing
Ask each contractor to clarify the few differences that materially affect the result. Keep the accepted scope and later approved changes together. That record is more useful than comparing totals while the assumptions remain different.
Start with one version of the job
Give each contractor the same drawings, fixture models, photographs and desired result. Add a date or version to the package. If you later change the sink, relocate a toilet or decide to keep existing pipework, send that change to everyone still preparing a proposal. Otherwise, differences in price may simply reflect different instructions.
Read each description before comparing its total. Government of Canada: planning renovations and written agreements recommends a clear written renovation agreement. Ask a contractor to explain what the proposal assumes about existing conditions and what still needs to be confirmed. A short offer can be perfectly understandable, but missing scope should be clarified rather than silently filled in by the customer.
Compare products, connections and adjacent work
Check the actual model and what comes with it. “Supply and install a sink” may leave questions about the faucet, strainers, shutoffs, accessories and counter work. Identify who supplies each item and whether an owner-supplied product changes responsibility for delivery, compatibility or missing parts. Keep a substitution from being treated as equivalent until its effect on the finished result is understood.
Look beyond the visible fixture. Ask about disconnection, removal, access, disposal, connection materials, operating checks and restoration of finishes. One proposal may include an item another deliberately excludes. Write those differences in a comparison list instead of assuming the cheaper total delivers the same scope.
Distinguish a defined item from an allowance or uncertainty
Ask which amounts relate to selected work and which depend on later decisions or discoveries. If a product has not been chosen, establish what the allowance represents and how the final selection will be reconciled. If a concealed flange, pipe or shutoff cannot yet be assessed, ask how a finding will be priced and approved.
Do not treat every unknown as a reason to replace more than necessary. Request the difference between a confirmed repair, a precautionary option and work that may be required if a particular condition is found. That distinction lets you compare the same base job and consider optional improvements separately.
Read the working arrangements as part of the comparison
Confirm proposed timing, access requirements, water interruptions and the expected stages. Check whether the payment arrangements, taxes and any stated coverage are clear in the written proposal. Do not assume an advertised warranty applies to every product or labour item; ask for the applicable terms and exclusions.
Canadian Home Builders’ Association: the renovation process describes written change orders as part of a managed renovation process. Ask each provider how a change becomes part of the accepted scope and who may authorize it. Keep the accepted version, options and later revisions together. If an offer cannot yet define the work because investigation is needed, compare that assessment scope with other assessment proposals rather than treating it as a completed installation quote. The aim is an informed choice about equivalent work, not a rule that the lowest or highest total must be right.
References
- Government of Canada: planning renovations and written agreements
- Canadian Home Builders’ Association: the renovation process
Your next step
Request an estimate with the location, scope and timing, or call 506.696.7000 to discuss the project.
Related services
Kitchen & Bathroom Renovation Plumbing · New Construction Plumbing