How to write a joiner quote that gets paid for bespoke work.

Why joiners lose money on the quote.

Joinery has a problem the other trades do not. The customer thinks they know what your work costs, because they have seen a similar-looking thing in a shop or online. A fitted wardrobe, a set of stairs, an oak door. They anchor on that number before you have said a word.

The off-the-shelf version is not the same product. It is not made to the millimetre for their wall, it is not hung to close on the first try, and it is not going to be there in twenty years. But none of that is obvious on the price line. It has to be made obvious in the quote.

A joiner's quote is not just a number. It is the document that explains why hand-fitted timber costs more than a flat pack, and worth every pound of it.

Supply-and-fit versus labour-only.

Decide, and state clearly, which one you are quoting. The two get confused constantly, and the confusion always costs you.

Supply-and-fit means you provide the materials and the labour. Break it out: materials as one line, labour as another. The customer then sees that the timber, ironmongery and finishes are a real cost you are carrying, not part of your day rate.

Labour-only means the customer supplies the materials and you fit them. Put a clause in that you are not responsible for the quality, sizing or suitability of materials you did not supply, and that time spent correcting supply problems is chargeable. Fitting someone else's badly-made door is how a good day turns into a bad one.

Bespoke work: templating and lead time.

Anything made to measure has two costs the customer never sees on a shop label: the time to template it, and the time to make it. Price both, and name them.

Put the templating or survey stage on the quote as its own line. Measuring a stair, a bay window or a run of fitted units properly takes time, and getting it wrong is expensive, so it is not free. On larger jobs a paid templating stage that comes off the final price if they proceed is a fair way to cover it.

Then state a lead time for manufacture, and say it starts when the deposit clears and the design is signed off, not when they first called. A signed-off drawing or cutting list attached to the quote stops the "that is not what I asked for" argument before it starts.

Timber moves, and your quote should say so.

Wood is a natural material. It expands and contracts with heat and humidity, it has grain and the occasional knot, and no two boards are identical. That is the point of it. But an unhappy customer will call a seasonal gap around a door a defect unless you have already told them it is not.

One short clause does the job: that timber is a natural product and minor movement, grain variation and settling are characteristics of it, not faults, and that doors and drawers may need seasonal adjustment in the first year. Say you will make one adjustment visit within that year at no charge if needed. It reads as confidence, not a get-out.

The regs that touch joinery.

Name the ones that apply to the job in front of you. Getting this on the quote separates you from the man in a van who has never heard of them.

• Windows and external doors. Replacements are notifiable under Building Regulations. Either self-certify through FENSA or CERTASS, or the work goes through building control. Say which, and that the certificate is handed over on completion. Reference the Part L U-value the units meet.
• Fire doors. If it is a fire door, fitting it wrong voids the rating. If you hold third-party certification such as Q-Mark or FIRAS, say so, and quote the intumescent seals, correct gaps and certified ironmongery as priced lines, not assumptions.
• Staircases. New or altered stairs must meet Approved Document K: rise and going, headroom, handrail height and guarding that a 100mm sphere cannot pass through. State that the stair is designed to Part K.
• New dwellings. Doors and windows in new homes must meet Part Q security requirements. Note it where it applies.

Deposits for materials and workshop time.

A joiner who orders oak and spends three days at the bench before seeing a penny is funding the customer's project. Do not.

Take a deposit that covers the materials and the workshop time, not a token 10%. Bespoke items cannot be resold if the customer walks, so the deposit should reflect that risk. State that the deposit is due before materials are ordered or manufacture begins, and that bespoke work is non-refundable once cutting has started.

For a fitting stage that follows manufacture, tie a payment to delivery or the start of fitting, and the balance to completion and sign-off.

Snagging and the guarantee.

Define "finished". For joinery that means doors hung and closing, drawers running, gaps even, ironmongery working and the piece left clean. A short snagging clause saying minor defects will be put right within an agreed period, and that this does not hold up the final payment, keeps the end of the job clean.

Guarantee your workmanship for twelve months. Keep it separate from manufacturer warranties on hinges, runners, locks and finishes, and separate again from the timber movement clause above. Three different things, three clear lines.

Common mistakes that cost joiners money.

• One price with no split. Materials and labour lumped together, so the customer thinks your labour is the whole number and haggles it.
• No templating line. Hours of measuring given away, then blamed if a millimetre is off.
• No timber movement clause. A normal seasonal gap becomes a callback and a bad review.
• Small or no deposit on bespoke. You carry the material cost and the risk if they change their mind.
• Fitting labour-only materials without a clause. You get blamed for someone else's badly-made unit.

Copy-paste joiner quote template.

What to do next.

Take the split above and use it on the next job you price. Materials and labour on separate lines, a templating line, a timber movement clause and a real deposit before you touch the timber.

Then follow the quote up at day 2, day 5 and day 10. On bespoke work the customer is often weighing your price against a cheaper off-the-shelf one and stalling. The day 5 follow-up, the one that explains why yours lasts, is where those jobs are won.