Tools · Building

Split a refurbishment into labour, materials and contingency

Add the pounds you already have. The page does not invent a rate per square metre.

All calculators

Pounds from a quote or a first pass

Leave a line at 0 if you do not have it yet. At least one of labour, materials or fees must be above zero.

Reduced VAT can apply to some domestic work. Tick 20% only if that is the basis you want to test.

What is added, and what is not

Subtotal is labour + materials + fees. Contingency is that subtotal × the percentage. VAT, if ticked, is 20% of (subtotal + contingency). The page does not apply a £/m² band of its own.

Seventy-four building businesses are on this directory. Ninety-six per cent still say a written quote is needed. The only timed rate on a building card is Silver Saints in London: £60 + VAT for the first 30 minutes, then £30 + VAT per 30 minutes. That is a small-job clock, not an extension budget.

Extensions and lofts can need building control even when no grant applies. Consent is not a line in this form unless you put it under fees.

Questions about this split

Does this replace a written quote?

No. It adds the pounds you type. Seventy-four building listings here, and 96% still say a written quote is needed.

Is 20% the VAT I will pay?

Only if you tick it. Some domestic work uses a reduced rate. This page does not decide VAT.

Are drawings and building control included?

Only if you put them in fees. Party wall, skip hire, parking and making good are often extra on a first figure.