Builder quote template for South Africa

Short answer: a building quote should break the job into stages, tie each stage to a payment, mark anything not yet priced as a provisional sum, and say whether building plan approval is included. That structure is what keeps a long job from turning into a fight over money halfway through. Below is a filled-in room-extension example and a blank copy-paste version.

What a builder quote needs to include

• Quote in stages, not one lump. Foundations, walls, roof, finishes. It shows the scope and lets you invoice as each stage completes.
• Tie payments to the stages. A deposit, then payments at agreed milestones, then a final payment on completion. It keeps cash flow healthy and the client informed.
• Use provisional sums honestly. Where the price depends on a choice the client has not made (tiles, fittings), put in an allowance and label it clearly as provisional.
• State what is not included. Building plans and municipal approval, engineering, and furniture removal are the usual ones. If you are a home builder, note your registration as required for your work, such as with the NHBRC.
• Say what a variation costs. Any change after signing is a variation, quoted and agreed in writing before it is built.

A filled-in example

Example only — business name, quantities and prices are illustrative, not real.

Blank template — copy and fill in

This version includes the VAT lines. If you are not VAT registered, delete the VAT row and the VAT number line.

QUOTATION — BUILDING WORK

[Your Business Name]
[Address] · [Phone] · [Email]
[Registrations, as required for your work]
VAT No: [Your VAT number, if registered]

Quote #: [QTE-0001]    Date: [DD Month YYYY]    Valid until: [DD Month YYYY]

Prepared for: [Client name], [Site address]

Scope: [one-sentence description of the job]

Stage 1 — [Foundations / slab]               [R0.00]
Stage 2 — [Walls]                            [R0.00]
Stage 3 — [Roof]                             [R0.00]
Stage 4 — [Finishes]                         [R0.00]
Provisional sum — [item, to be confirmed]    [R0.00]

                                          Subtotal:   [R0.00]
                                          VAT (15%):  [R0.00]
                                          Total:      [R0.00]

PAYMENT SCHEDULE: [30]% deposit, [40]% at [milestone], [30]% on completion.
EXCLUDES: [plans and approvals, tiling, painting, other]
VARIATIONS: changes after signing are quoted and agreed in writing first.
Valid for [30] days.

Three mistakes that cost builders money

• One big number for a three-month job. It gives the client nothing to check and you nothing to invoice against until the end.
• Unlabelled allowances. If an amount is a guess, call it a provisional sum. Otherwise the client reads it as a fixed price and holds you to it.
• Verbal variations. A change agreed over the fence is a dispute waiting to happen. Write it down, with the price, before building.

For the general structure behind any quote, read the free invoice template (for when the job is done). Not in this trade? There are also templates for plumbers, electricians, roofers, painters. Once the job is done, use the matching invoice template, and if you are unsure whether to charge VAT at all, see when VAT registration applies.

Would you rather type the job and get the quote drafted for you? See Zuvo for builders, or build one now with the free quote generator.

General business guidance and an illustrative template, not legal, technical or tax advice. Prices, quantities and business details in the example are made up. Check the registration, certificate and licensing rules that apply to your trade with the relevant professional body or your local municipality, and ask your own accountant about VAT.