Two quotes land in your inbox for the same bathroom. One says “complete refurbishment”. The other lists strip-out, pipework, repairs to the substrate, waterproofing, tiling and waste removal. The first total looks much better.
Before treating the lower total as a saving, for your renovation, ask what “complete” covers. You need to know what each contractor will deliver in your bathroom. The same address and the same layout do not guarantee the same scope.
Compare the job before comparing the total
One contractor may retain the pipes and replace the finishes. Another may include new supplies, waste pipes and making good. Both have quoted for the bathroom. They have priced different jobs.
Ask what stays, what comes out and what gets installed. “Plumbing works” is too broad on its own: does it include final connections, or just rough-in? Does the layout stay put? Those answers belong in the quotation, where you can check them.
The tiles are only the visible part
Picture the old tiles coming away with loose plaster attached. The wall underneath needs repair before the new finish goes on. Large-format tiles demand particular care over flatness; extra adhesive is not a cure for every uneven surface.
Look for preparation listed separately from installation. Repairs to the screed, levelling walls and treating weak areas take time and materials. If these disappear inside a single tiling allowance, ask what condition the contractor has assumed.
Hidden defects need a process too. Agree how findings after strip-out will be assessed and how any extra work will be priced before it starts.
Materials included: which ones?
A quotation might include adhesive, grout and pipework while leaving tiles and sanitaryware to you. Another might supply the fittings as well. Their totals cannot be compared until that split is clear.
For waterproofing, ask for the specified system and the treatment of joints and penetrations. For a level-access shower, the drainage and falls matter as much as the attractive tile sample. A premium product name cannot compensate for poor installation.
Getting rubble out is part of the work
Waste has to be bagged, carried, loaded and removed. Floors, doors and communal routes need protection. An upstairs property in a narrow lane in Rovinj is a different operation from a ground-floor house with a driveway.
If a quote omits these items, ask where they are allowed for. Do not assume they are free. Clarify cleaning as well: clearing construction debris and preparing a holiday apartment for guests are different tasks.
Check the quantities and the basis of payment
The floor area of a flat is not its paintable wall area. A bathroom’s floor area is not its total tiled area. When quantities differ, compare the measurements and agreed finish heights.
Then check whether the price covers a defined scope as a lump sum or uses unit rates applied to measured work. Ask whether tax is included in the displayed total. A lower number based on fewer surfaces is not a like-for-like saving.
A lower quote can be good value
An organised crew with suitable equipment and reliable procurement can genuinely work efficiently. You do not need to reject a lower quote just because it is lower. Equally, a high price proves little by itself.
The distinction is whether the saving comes from efficiency or omitted work. Ask about the sequence, availability and who coordinates the trades. A bathroom waiting for a plumber or tiler can disrupt a guest booking even when the original price looked attractive.
Give every contractor the same brief
Set out the same rooms, layout, finishes, supply responsibilities and access conditions. Ask each contractor to identify exclusions and items needing a site inspection. Return vague lines for clarification before choosing.
Agree changes in writing, including cost and timing, before the work proceeds. Send BUILD GRUPA your property location in Istria, photographs and proposed scope. Your quotation should explain the work clearly enough for you to understand the commitment before strip-out begins.