Decoding the Timelines: How Long Do Contractors Take to Send a Quote? [Rio Contracting]

Contractor quote

If you are planning to undertake a construction or home-improvement project, one of the many questions you may be asking yourself is: how long does it take for a contractor to send a quote? As a homeowner, it’s important to understand the timelines involved in your project, including the quoting process, as it will help manage your expectations and ensure a better, more informed, experience. We believe project work scope, your contractor’s availability, and his/her estimating process are the main factors that determine the time it takes them to prepare a quote, so we will dive deeper into each of these factors to help manage your expectations of the process.

Project Work Scope

The work scope and complexity of your project probably plays the biggest role in the time it takes your contractor to give you a quote. For simpler projects, such as small repairs or replacing fixtures, your contractor should be able to quickly assess the work scope and provide a quote within a day or two. This goes for one-dimensional work as well, such as flooring or interior painting. Pricing for this kind of work is often based on square footage, so you should expect a quote very soon (if not by the end of your consultation). Larger or more complex projects, however, generally take more time to quote. If there are various trades involved in the project, your contractor has to assess the project specifics, gather accurate measurements, and get estimates from his vendors and subcontractors to determine his/her overall labor and material costs. For projects like kitchen and bathroom remodels, we believe a quote should be expected within 1-2 weeks, but for major projects like an entire home renovation or a home addition, anywhere from 2-4 weeks would be considered normal.

Contractor’s Availability

Many contractors aren’t consistently busy throughout the year, so the timing of your request for a quote may affect the time it takes for you to receive one. If you ask a contractor to assess your work scope and provide a quote while he/she has multiple projects going on, it may be more difficult for them to allocate the requisite time to create an estimate for you. Additionally, contractors generally share “busy seasons”, so the contractor you’re working with may be waiting on his/her equally busy subcontractors and vendors to provide quotes, delaying the overall process. 

Estimating Process

Contractors have varying practices when it comes to estimating a job’s cost and providing a quote. Some contractors may quickly provide a “ballpark” estimate, and if you agree with the price range, they’ll charge for an official work proposal; some may prefer to offer a free quote, but take more time to ensure an accurate number that covers all aspects of the job; and others might even be utilizing estimating softwares to expedite all facets of the quoting process, producing an accurate quote promptly. No matter which way your contractor performs his/her quotes, it is important that you clearly communicate with them and find out about their specific process, so that you can align your expectations accordingly.  

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, the timeline for a contractor to send you a quote will vary widely, depending on the project complexity, his/her availability, and their specific quoting process. It’s important to note that if your contractor is taking longer than expected to send you a quote, this may not necessarily be a bad thing. It’s usually an indication of them being busy, which most likely means their services are good quality at a good price (not always though). That being said, an established business that has proper systems in place should be able to provide a quote within a reasonable timeframe, regardless of how busy they are. Also, while it’s natural to want a quote quickly, it’s equally important to allow the contractor sufficient time to provide an accurate and comprehensive quote, as this lessen the possibility of running into future problems.