Missing headings in a house quote: what to ask
A missing heading on a house quote means that trade is not priced on its own line, not that the work is free. Ask the contractor whether the cost sits under another heading, is provisional, or is excluded. Do not treat a gap as proof the price is high or low until you have an answer in writing.
What counts as a missing heading?
Compare the file to the usual list for a house: preliminaries, site works, foundation, structure, roof, envelope, windows, electrical, plumbing, heating, finishes, kitchen, bathroom and external works. If one of those trades has no line and no subtotal, the heading is missing from the document.
What should you ask the contractor?
- Is this work included under another heading? Which line?
- Is it provisional, priced later when choices are made?
- Is it excluded because you are supplying it or another trade is?
- What happens to the total if this heading is added at market rate?
How can you check headings for free?
Upload the file on the free headings page at /quotes/checklist. You receive the usual list matched against what appears in your file. That step does not split the total by share or cost per area, a paid reading adds those figures.
When is a missing heading normal?
You may supply the kitchen, the windows or the heating equipment yourself, the quote correctly omits supply but should say so in exclusions. A steep site may fold extra groundworks into preliminaries rather than a separate heading. Normal does not mean silent: the contractor should name where the cost lives.
Questions on this
Does a missing pool line mean the price is wrong?
No. It means you should ask whether pool, equipment and commissioning sit under another heading or are not priced yet.
Are VAT and fees separate headings?
Often yes. If tax is absent, ask whether the total is inclusive or exclusive before you compare to another quote.
What about provisional sums?
They are normal. Note which items are provisional and what triggers a final price, they are not the same as a missing heading.
Renovation or extension, same list?
Most headings still apply. Demolition, temporary support and making good may appear as extra lines on a renovation quote.
Read one before you buy one
The specimen shows the whole structure: status, what each payment was meant to buy, the forecast with its range, the photographic record and the limits of what was checked.