Quoting in Devon and Cornwall has its own quirks. The job might be twenty minutes away as the crow flies and fifty minutes by single-track lane. The customer might own a holiday let and live in London. And the weather can turn a two-day job into a week. None of that is a reason to guess. It's a reason to quote properly.

This guide is for builders, roofers, landscapers, decorators, electricians, plumbers, cleaners, gardeners and anyone else who prices a job before doing it. Most of it works just as well in Somerset, Bristol or anywhere else in the UK. The lanes are just narrower down here.

Price the job you'll actually do, not the one on the drawing

A good quote starts on site. Have a proper look, ask questions and take photos. Photos are your memory when you sit down to price, and they're your proof later if the customer says "I thought that was included."

Before you leave, check:

Access. Can a van get to the door? Will you need to barrow everything down a garden path or up steps? Is there room for a skip, or will you need a permit?
Parking. In a fishing village or a busy Bristol street, parking can cost you time and money every single day. Price it in.
What's hidden. Old cottages love a surprise. Cob walls, odd wiring, no damp course. Say clearly in the quote what you've allowed for and what you haven't.
Who's around. Will the customer be there, or are you collecting a key from a neighbour? That's time too.

Don't give your travel away

Travel is where South West trades quietly lose money. An hour each way on rural roads is two hours a day you're not earning. Over a week-long job, that adds up fast.

You don't have to put a line called "travel" on every quote, but you do need to cover it somewhere. Some trades build it into the day rate for jobs further out. Others add a flat amount for distance. Either works. What doesn't work is pretending the drive is free because the customer "isn't far."

Allow for the weather (without padding everything)

If you work outdoors, you already know the forecast lies. Roofers, landscapers and exterior decorators should think about:

Whether the job is likely to fall in a wet season.
How exposed the site is. A coastal property takes a battering that an inland one doesn't, and that can affect materials as well as time.
What happens if you lose days. Say in the quote that start and finish dates depend on the weather. It saves an awkward conversation later.

Be honest rather than padding every price. Customers can usually tell when a number's been inflated "just in case."

Know your costs before you name a price

Plenty of tradespeople price by gut feel and what the last bloke charged. The trouble is, the last bloke might be going bust.

Work out what it costs you to run your business each day: van, fuel, insurance, tools, phone, accountant, and the hours you spend quoting and chasing money. Then decide what profit you want on top. Once you know that, you can look at any quote and see whether it's actually worth doing.

On the Pro or Business package, 4trades does this sum for you. Enter your running costs and profit target once, and every quote shows what the job costs you, suggests a price and tells you whether you're hitting your profit. It's a useful nudge before you knock another hundred quid off because the customer looked sad.

Make the quote clear enough that nobody can argue with it

A clear quote wins more work and causes fewer rows. It should include:

Customer name and the job address. Not always the same place with second homes and holiday lets.
The scope. What you will do, in everyday words.
What's not included. Skip hire, making good, decorating after the plastering, whatever applies.
Line items. Enough to show the customer where the money goes.
VAT. If you're VAT registered, show it clearly. Nobody likes a 20% surprise.
Payment stages. When you want the money, and how much.
Photos. A picture of the rotten fascia does more convincing than a paragraph about it.

Take a deposit and use stage payments

A deposit tells you the customer is serious and covers your materials. Stage payments keep cash coming in on longer jobs, so you're not funding someone's kitchen out of your own account for six weeks.

A percentage up front and the rest on completion is common for smaller jobs. Bigger jobs often have a payment at each stage. Whatever you choose, put it in the quote and get it agreed before you start. In 4trades you set the deposit and stages on the quote, send each payment request when it's due, and mark it settled when the money lands.

Get it out quickly and get it signed

Speed wins work. The customer who's had three trades round will often go with the first sensible quote that lands. So do the quote in the van, not at the kitchen table at 10pm on Sunday.

This is where 4trades earns its keep. You can type rough notes, or photograph a quote you've scribbled on a pad, and it sets it out as a proper quote with customer information, scope, line items and payment stages. Anything it's guessed is outlined so you can check it. Add up to eight photos, then send it by WhatsApp or to the customer's inbox.

The customer reads and signs it on their phone. No account, no download. Handy when the owner of that holiday let in St Ives is sitting in an office upcountry. You're told as soon as it's signed, and a signed copy is saved; the customer can download one too. If someone accepts on paper or over the phone, you can mark it accepted by hand. You can see the whole process on our how it works page.

Handle extra work properly

Once you start, there's nearly always something extra. The customer asks "while you're here, could you…" and before you know it you've done a day for nothing.

Quote extras the same way as the core job, and get them agreed before you do them. In 4trades, you add an additional works quote to the signed job. The customer signs it the same way, and it goes on the final invoice, so it doesn't get forgotten.

Invoice the day you finish and keep your records tidy

When the job's done, send the final invoice that day. The longer you leave it, the longer it takes to get the money. 4trades gives each finished job a numbered final invoice, and at year end you can download them all with a spreadsheet for your accountant. Your logo and colours go on quotes, invoices and the signing page, so it all looks like it came from the same business.

Give it a go

4trades is made in Devon and works in a web browser on your phone, tablet or computer. Add it to your home screen and it opens like an app. There's a 30-day free trial of the full Business package, with no card needed. Have a look at the features and packages, check the FAQs, or get in touch if you'd rather just ask. When you're ready, you can sign up here.

Quoting Jobs in Devon and Cornwall: A Practical Guide for Trades