Renovation Quotation

Renovation Quotation Hong Kong: Itemised and Transparent

A renovation quotation is the single document that decides how the rest of your project goes. When it is itemised and precise, the contract, the programme, and the final account all follow from it. When it is vague, disputes and mid-project additions start there. Hong Kong's Consumer Council has repeatedly found that quotations commonly omit quantities, unit rates, and itemised charges, which is exactly where surprise costs hide.

This page explains how Artwill builds a renovation quotation: on-site measurement, trade-by-trade itemisation, materials named by brand and model, and a fixed lump-sum locked at design sign-off. We do not publish price lists, because no two Hong Kong flats share the same age, structure, or scope. What we commit to instead is method: every line you sign has been measured, drawn, and specified. The first consultation is free.

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Why renovation quotes in Hong Kong differ so much

The same flat can receive quotations whose totals sit far apart. The reason is rarely that one firm is simply cheaper. The real variables: the building's age and condition (a resale unit needs far more demolition, hacking, and re-screeding than a new handover), the degree of change (moving partitions, rewiring, or relocating a kitchen or bathroom triggers waterproofing and pipework), the share of custom joinery (built-in cabinetry is one of the largest cost blocks in a Hong Kong renovation), and the grade of materials specified.

More important still, two quotations rarely cover the same scope. One lists demolition, disposal, waterproofing, and plastering in full; another leaves them out, and its total naturally looks lighter. Comparing renovation cost therefore means comparing line by line: what each quote includes, and what it quietly omits.

How Artwill builds a renovation quotation

Our quotations are built from measurement and drawings, not estimates. The first consultation is free: we discuss your brief, budget direction, and timeline. We then measure the unit on site, recording actual dimensions and existing conditions, including the age of the building, the state of the plaster, and pipe and electrical routing. A fee proposal follows within 5 working days of the survey.

Drawings come first, and the quotation maps to them line by line: every item carries a quantity, a unit, and a unit rate; materials are named by brand and model; custom joinery is specified by dimensions, board, finish, and hardware. Once the design is locked, we fix a lump-sum price: what you sign is what you pay. Payment runs in six stages, with the final payment due only after inspection, and the completed work carries a 12-month workmanship warranty. To see how one contract covers both design and construction, read about our design and build service.

The anatomy of a complete quotation, trade by trade

A complete renovation quotation is organised by trade, with itemised lines under each. The Consumer Council's guidance takes the same trade-by-trade approach. For a residential project, the trades typically run:

Demolition and disposal: the extent of demolition spelled out (does removing floor tiles include hacking off the old screed?), with government construction-waste disposal charges and cartage stated as included or not.
Wet trades and waterproofing: plastering, levelling, the extent and layers of waterproofing, and whether kitchen and bathroom waterproofing includes a flood test.
Plumbing and electrical: the number and position of points, exposed or concealed runs, pipe and cable materials, and whether the consumer unit is replaced.
Joinery and custom furniture: each piece specified by dimensions, board type, finish, and hardware brand and model.
Kitchen and bathroom: cabinets, worktops, sanitary ware, and appliances named by brand and model, with installation, support framing, and edge finishing stated.
Painting and flooring: whether walls are stripped and skimmed before painting, paint brand and number of coats, flooring material and substrate preparation.
Sundries and protection: site protection, furniture wrapping, final cleaning, and debris removal.

Only when every line carries a quantity and a unit rate does the total mean anything, and only then can two quotations honestly be compared.

Variations and 'to be confirmed' items, handled in writing

Variation orders are the single largest source of renovation disputes. Only two kinds of variation are legitimate: changes you request, and concealed conditions discovered once the site is opened up, such as corroded pipework found under a demolished floor. Both should be quoted in writing first, with scope, cost, and programme impact stated, priced against a schedule of rates agreed before the contract was signed, and executed only after you approve.

Treat 'to be confirmed' lines with suspicion. Wording such as 'demolition charged separately' or 'subject to site conditions', with no cap and no trigger defined, is an open cheque. Artwill's approach is to put every foreseeable item into the quotation before signing, keeping provisional items to a minimum; genuinely unforeseeable concealed work is confirmed item by item in writing.

Common traps in cheap quotations

The cheapest quotation on the table is usually not the most efficient firm; it is the least complete document. The common patterns: deliberately omitted items (insurance, disposal charges, waterproofing, hardware marked as extras) that resurface later; vague wording (whole-flat painting is not the same job as stripping, skimming, and then painting); front-loaded payment schedules that collect most of the money before most of the work; and missing start dates, completion dates, and warranty terms, which leave you with no recourse when something slips.

Use the checklist and red flags below as a comparison tool, and for a line-by-line walk through a real quotation, read our guide on how to read a renovation quotation.

From quotation to renovation contract

Once accepted, the quotation and the drawings should both become attachments to the works contract. The contract itself must state: start and completion dates and how completion is defined, how delays are handled, the payment stages and the release condition for each, the written variation procedure, the warranty period and what it covers, and insurance, including third-party liability and employees' compensation cover.

Under Artwill's design and build model, one contract covers design, quotation, and construction. The quotation is prepared by the same team that drew the design and will build it, so nothing is lost in interpretation and no one can pass responsibility across a contract boundary. The first consultation is free: talk to us and we will show you what a complete, itemised quotation for your unit looks like. Book a free consultation.

Checklist

What a complete quotation must list

Actual site measurements: every item carries a quantity and a unit, never just 'whole flat' or 'one lot'
Itemised by trade: demolition and disposal, wet trades and waterproofing, plumbing and electrical, joinery, kitchen and bathroom, painting and flooring, sundries and protection
A unit rate and a subtotal for every line, so quotes can be compared item by item rather than total against total
Demolition scope and depth spelled out, including whether old screed and plaster removal is covered and whether government construction-waste disposal charges are included
Electrical and plumbing detail: number and position of points, exposed or concealed runs, pipe and cable material specifications
Materials named by brand and model: engineered stone, tiles, paint, and hardware, never just 'quality materials'
Custom joinery specified: dimensions, board type, finish, and the brand and model of hinges and runners
Start date, completion date, how completion is defined, and how delays are handled
Payment stages with the proportion and release condition of each, and the final payment due only after inspection
A written variation procedure, the warranty period and scope, and insurance including third-party liability and employees' compensation

Warning signs

Red flags in a cheap quote

A single total with no itemised quantities or unit rates: impossible to compare, impossible to see what is missing
Multiple lines marked 'charged separately' or 'subject to site conditions' with no cap: these are the entry points for mid-project additions
Vague wording: 'whole-flat painting' and 'strip, skim, then paint' are different jobs with very different scopes
A front-loaded payment schedule that collects most of the contract sum when only demolition is done
No start date, no completion date, no warranty clause, no mention of insurance
Promises that exist only in conversation: anything not written into the quotation is unenforceable later

FAQ

Common questions

What should a complete renovation quotation include?

An itemised breakdown by trade (demolition and disposal, wet trades and waterproofing, plumbing and electrical, joinery, kitchen and bathroom, painting and flooring, sundries and protection), with a quantity, unit, and unit rate on every line and materials named by brand and model. It should also state start and completion dates, payment stages, a written variation procedure, the warranty, and insurance. The Consumer Council found that quantities, unit rates, and itemised charges are commonly missing; the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, reviewing quotations on the market, found most were short on programme dates, variation handling, and warranty terms.

Why do renovation quotes for the same flat differ so much?

Four real variables: the building's age and condition, the degree of change, the share of custom joinery, and the grade of materials. But the most common reason is scope: the cheapest quotation usually omits items such as demolition depth, waterproofing, or disposal charges, which reappear later as extras. Compare quotations line by line and confirm they cover the same scope before the totals mean anything.

What counts as a variation, and can mid-project additions be avoided?

A variation is any work added or changed after signing. Only two kinds are legitimate: changes the client requests, and concealed conditions discovered on site. Both should be quoted in writing, priced against a pre-agreed schedule of rates, and approved by the client before execution. Artwill quotes a fixed lump sum only after the design is locked, with every foreseeable item already in the quotation, which keeps variations to a minimum.

How does Artwill's quotation process work, and how long does it take?

The first consultation is free. We then carry out an on-site measured survey and provide a fee proposal within 5 working days. The formal quotation is prepared alongside the design drawings and maps to them line by line; the design phase typically runs 6 to 12 weeks, after which the lump-sum price is locked and signed before site mobilisation.

Can the price change after I sign?

The lump sum locked at design sign-off is final: what you sign is what you pay. It adjusts only in two cases, both confirmed in writing before any work proceeds: changes you request, or concealed site conditions discovered during the works. Payment runs in six stages with the final payment due after inspection, and completed work carries a 12-month workmanship warranty.

See what a complete quotation looks like

The first consultation is free. We measure your unit on site, then quote it line by line: every item with a quantity and a unit rate, every material named by brand and model.

Book a free consultation