How I beat the cost estimator Part Nine: Finishes and decorating

Before starting any of my self-build projects I send my Building Regulations’ plans off to an estimating service, in order to obtain a detailed breakdown of each stage of the build with costs divided into labour and materials. This month, in the final article relating to my recent self-build, I turn to the trades and sections concerning decorating and finishes, kitchen units, fixtures and fittings, and elective extras.

Of these, the only three that were made reference to in the original cost estimate were the painting and decorating, sanitaryware and the wall and floor tiling, where there was nominal inclusion for labour costs, plus a modest amount for adhesives and grout.

Most of the figures that follow, therefore, represent straightforward extras to the original cost estimate. But they weren’t, necessarily, ‘extra’ to our budget because we had added in provisional sums to cover for them. And that’s the important point. An early cost estimate, prepared by others, cannot hope