Guide · Quoting
Flooring quote template: what to put on a builder quote
A good flooring quote answers the builder's questions before they ask them: which plan it is based on, which rooms are in, what the price includes and what it does not. Here is a template laid out section by section, then a filled in example you can adapt.
The sections of a flooring quote
1. Your details and the quote's identity
- Business name, contact name, phone and email. In Australia, most businesses also show their ABN and whether prices include GST.
- A quote number you can find again, the date, and how long the price is valid, for example 30 days.
2. The job
- The builder, and the contact who asked for the quote.
- The lot number and site address, exactly as they appear on the plan.
- The plan revision and date, and the selections or colour schedule revision, that the quote is based on. This one line settles most disputes later.
3. Scope, one line per finish
For each floor covering, give the product, range and colour from the selections, the rooms it goes into, the quantity you have priced and the amount. Showing the quantity you buy (packs, or lineal metres off the roll) rather than only the net room area explains why your figure is higher than the floor area on the plan.
4. Trims, stairs and extras
Trims at doorways and sliding doors, stair treads and nosing, beading, floor preparation, removal of existing floors and travel each get their own line, even when the amount is small. A builder comparing quotes will ask what is included; separate lines answer that.
5. Exclusions and assumptions
- Areas by others: tiles in wet areas, garage and alfresco.
- Floor preparation beyond a standard sweep, unless priced.
- Moving furniture or appliances.
- That quantities are taken from the plan and are subject to a check measure before ordering.
6. Totals and terms
- Subtotal, tax and total, labelled so there is no doubt whether tax is included.
- Payment terms, what happens if the plan changes (a variation, priced at your rates), and the site conditions you need before you can start.
The template
Copy this outline into your quoting software, spreadsheet or document template and fill in the brackets.
| Section | What to write |
|---|---|
| Header | [Business name] · [ABN or company number] · [phone] · [email] |
| Quote | Quote [number] · Date [date] · Valid for [30] days |
| Prepared for | [Builder] · Attention [contact] |
| Job | Lot [number], [site address] |
| Based on | Working drawings rev [letter] dated [date]; selections rev [letter] dated [date] |
| Scope lines | [Finish]: [product, range, colour]. [Rooms]. [Quantity bought] at [rate] = [amount] |
| Trims and extras | [Item]: [quantity] at [rate] = [amount] |
| Excluded | [Areas by others]; [floor preparation]; [furniture moving] |
| Assumptions | Quantities taken from the plans above, subject to check measure before ordering |
| Totals | Subtotal [amount] · [GST or VAT] [amount] · Total [amount] |
| Terms | [Payment terms]; variations priced at the rates above; site to be clean, dry and lock up |
A filled in example
Example only
The builder, house, products and rates are made up. The hybrid figures come from the worked example in the builder plans guide.
| Line | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid plank | Example range, Natural Oak. Living, kitchen and meals, hall, study and entry. 34 packs, 75.14 m² at $72.00 / m², supply and install | $5,410.08 |
| Carpet | Example twist pile on 9 mm underlay. Bedrooms 1 to 4. 21.5 lm off a 3.66 m roll, 78.69 m² at $52.00 / m², supply and install | $4,091.88 |
| Trims | Three 820 doorways and one 3410 stacking door, 7 m at $33.00 / m | $231.00 |
| Subtotal | $9,732.96 | |
| GST | 10% | $973.30 |
| Total | Including GST | $10,706.26 |
Below the lines, the example quote would say: based on working drawings revision C dated 12 August and selections revision B dated 20 August; wet areas, garage and alfresco by others; floor preparation beyond a sweep not included; quantities subject to check measure; price valid for 30 days.
Wording that saves arguments
- Name the rooms. “Hybrid to living areas” invites a dispute about the study. A list of rooms does not.
- Name the plan revision. If the builder later sends revision D with a bigger family room, the extra area is a variation, not your mistake.
- State the quantity you buy. It explains waste and part packs without a conversation.
- Separate the extras. A builder can accept the floor and decline the removal of old carpet; a single lump sum makes that impossible.
- Keep it plain. Short lines, no jargon the builder's estimator has to look up, and rates written the same way every time.
Quote or estimate?
An estimate is a guide that can move; a quote is a price you have committed to for the stated scope. Builders comparing subcontractors usually want a quote. If parts of the price genuinely cannot be fixed from plans, such as floor preparation, quote the rest and show those parts as provisional sums with a rate, rather than calling the whole document an estimate.
Outside Australia
The structure is the same everywhere; the tax line changes. New Zealand GST is 15%, the UK standard VAT rate is 20%, and in the US and Canada sales or consumption taxes vary by state and province, so many contractors show tax separately and name the rate. US and Canadian quotes usually give areas in square feet and hard flooring in cartons.
Before you send it
Run through the flooring quote checklist: plan revision, rooms, allowances, trims, extras and the sanity checks on area and price per square metre. Most quote errors are a missing room or an old revision, not arithmetic.
How Squaro builds the quote
Squaro produces this structure from the builder's plans: one line per finish with the rooms, quantity bought and your rate, separate lines for trims, stairs and extras, and tax worked on the total. The quote PDF carries your company logo, and every line is ticked by the estimator before it can be marked ready or emailed to the builder from the app. See flooring quoting software.
Related reading
- The flooring quote checklist: what to check before you sendDocuments, scope, measurements, materials, trims, extras and wording, checked in a few minutes.
- How to price flooring installationBuilding a supply and install rate per square metre from your real costs.
- Carpet lineal metres and roll width, explainedWorking out carpet off a 3.66 m or 4 m roll, choosing the cut direction, and pricing what you buy.
Quote your next plan set with Squaro
Squaro is open to a small group of flooring contractors first. Tell us how you quote and we will set up your rules with you and run your first plan.
Request early access