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How many quotes should I get, and how do I compare them?

The short answer

Three is the useful number. Compare them only once each states the same scope. An itemised quote and a lump sum are not comparable, and the cheapest is usually cheapest because something was left out.

TradieAnswers editorial · written in-house and sourced to the authorities listed below

Checked against 3 published sources, listed in full at the end of this page. How we source this

Two quotes give you no way to tell which is the outlier. Four or more usually delays the job without adding information. Three is where most people land, and the value is not in finding the cheapest. It is in seeing the spread, because the spread tells you where the uncertainty in the job is.

A quote and an estimate are different things

A quote is an offer to do defined work for a stated price, and once accepted it generally binds. An estimate is an informed guess and does not. If the document does not say which it is, ask, and get the answer in writing. This is one of the most common sources of dispute in trade work.

Making quotes comparable

  1. Write your scope down once and give the identical brief to everyone. Different briefs produce incomparable numbers.
  2. Ask for itemisation: materials, labour, and any compliance or certification items separately.
  3. Ask what is excluded. The exclusions are where the difference usually lives.
  4. Ask how variations are handled and priced.
  5. Ask for the licence number, and check it.

Warning signs

  • A large deposit demanded upfront, particularly above your state's statutory cap for building work.
  • Cash-only, or a discount conditional on no paperwork. That discount is the value of the rights you are giving up.
  • Pressure to sign immediately, or a price that expires today.
  • No written scope, no ABN, no licence number.
  • A quote dramatically below the others with no explanation of why.

Sources

Every source below was fetched and its response recorded on the date shown. Where a government site blocks automated clients, that is noted rather than reported as a successful check.

  1. Consumer rights and guarantees · Australian Competition and Consumer CommissionChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  2. NSW Fair Trading · NSW Fair TradingChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  3. Building and renovating · Consumer Affairs VictoriaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK

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