A building quote sets the price of your house before the first spade goes into the ground. Once signed, it binds you for the whole build. Yet many families sign it after a quick look at the total.
The total tells you almost nothing. What matters are the lines. This guide shows you how to read them, in plain words, so you can ask your builder the right questions before you sign.
How a quote is put together in Senegal
Most quotes from masons and building firms follow the same logic. The works are grouped into sections (lots), that is, large families of work, in the order of the build: foundations, walls, reinforced concrete, render, plumbing, electrics, doors and windows, tiling, painting.
In each section, each line describes one item of work, normally with five columns: the description, the unit, the quantity, the unit price and the amount. Each section has its subtotal, then come the grand total and sometimes VAT.
A quote that only gives one price per section, or a single overall price, lets you check almost nothing.
Reading each column, one by one
The description: what is really included
This describes the item of work. "Block wall" is not enough. "15 cm hollow block wall, laid in cement mortar, including ring beams" is already clearer. The words "including" and "excluding" tell you what the price covers.
The unit: m², m³, lm, no. or lump sum
The unit tells you how the work is measured: m² for walls, render or tiles, m³ for excavation and concrete, lm (linear metre) for pipes, no. (number) for a door or a toilet. Concrete counted in m² instead of m³ makes any comparison impossible.
The quantity: the column to recount
This is the most important column, and the least checked. A good unit price is worthless if the quantity is wrong. The quantities must come from your plans. If they are larger, you are funding materials and labour that will never end up in your house.
The unit price: compare it line by line
Compare the unit price between two quotes drawn up for the same house, and within the same quote. Two similar lines with very different prices deserve a question. Also ask whether the price includes supplying the materials or only the labour: it makes all the difference.
The amount: a sum you can check
The amount is the quantity multiplied by the unit price. Redo a few of the sums and add up the subtotals. A mistake is easy to correct before signing, much less so afterwards.
The quantities to recount from your plans
You do not need to be a technician for a few simple checks. Take your plans and start with the big items:
- Wall area: length of the walls multiplied by their height, minus the openings (doors and windows).
- Foundation volume: length of the footings multiplied by their width and depth.
- Slab area: it should match the floor area on the plan, no more.
- Render: a wall has two faces, so render is counted on both sides. Check it is not counted a third time under another name.
If a figure looks too high, ask your builder how it was worked out. A serious builder can explain it. The full calculation is the job of a quantity measurer (métreur) or a quantity surveyor working on your side.
The sections that are often missing
A quote can look cheaper because it leaves work out. That work comes back later as extras, when you no longer have a choice. Look in particular for:
- site set up and the final clean at the end of the build;
- waterproofing of the flat roof and the wet rooms;
- external works and utilities (VRD): water and electricity connections, waste water drainage, septic tank;
- excavation, backfill and removal of spoil;
- the boundary wall and the gate, if they are part of your project.
What is not in the quote is not in the price. For each missing section, ask the question in writing. To see how to deal with these additions once the build has started, read our guide on extra works.
Lump sum lines with no detail
A "lump sum" line (forfait) gives an overall price, with no quantity and no unit price. That is acceptable for a small item such as site set up. Much less so for all the plumbing or all the electrics of the house.
How many sockets, light points, taps? What quality of fittings? Ask for the detail: a lump sum with no detail cannot be checked during the build.
The payment terms, at the bottom of the quote
The advance at the start
An advance is common to get the build started. Look at its size compared with the total: an advance that covers a large part of the build leaves you with no leverage if the works do not move forward.
Instalments tied to stages
The rest is settled in stages: foundations finished, walls up, slab cast, and so on. Each instalment should match work that is done and visible on site, not a date on the calendar. Our guide to paying for your build in instalments explains this method, and the one on the builder's payment request shows how to read each request.
The retention
This is a small share of each payment that you hold back until the works are handed over, then for a period set in the contract, so that defects get put right. If the quote says nothing about it, ask for it to be added.
Deadlines and penalties
A serious quote gives an end date. Without a written deadline, a delay cannot be discussed. You can ask for a late completion penalty, even a modest one. Also note how long the quote is valid.
The signs of an inflated quote
An inflated quote is not always dishonest: it can come from an overly generous estimate or a mistake. But the difference comes out of your pocket. Ask questions if you see:
- quantities larger than what your plans show;
- the same work counted twice, under two different names;
- large lump sums with no detail at all;
- unit prices far from those of another quote for the same work, with no explanation;
- a very large advance at the start;
- no end date, no retention, no penalty;
- a builder who refuses to explain the figures or pushes you to sign.
The inflated mason's quote that people in the diaspora often talk about is rarely one big wrong figure. It is more often a build up of small gaps, line after line, that weighs heavily on the total.
Example: one line of walls, read step by step
Example (round figures to show the method; these are not market prices). In the "Walls" section, the quote has this line:
15 cm hollow block wall, including ring beams · unit: m² · quantity: 400 · unit price: 10,000 FCFA · amount: 4,000,000 FCFA.
On the plans, the outside and inside walls measure 110 metres in total length, 3 metres high, which gives 330 m². Doors and windows account for 30 m². So the real wall area is about 300 m².
At the same unit price, the line should come to 300 × 10,000 = 3,000,000 FCFA. That is a gap of 1,000,000 FCFA on a single line. It may not be deliberate: the builder may have counted the boundary wall or a different height. But the question must be asked before signing, and the answer put in writing.
Before you sign: what you can do
Ask for a detailed quote for each section. Compare at least two quotes based on the same plans. Recount the big items. Send your questions in writing. Have the missing sections, the deadline, the retention and a payment schedule tied to stages added.
If you do not have the time, SEETLU can check your quote: quantities recounted from your plans, unit prices compared, missing items, payment terms. You receive a clear report to discuss with your builder. The quote check in detail.
SEETLU does not build and does not hire workers. Your builder carries out the works; SEETLU represents you. You pay your builder directly: your money never goes through SEETLU.
Then, site monitoring checks each stage on site (see a sample report), and a project manager can represent you right to the end. More advice in our guides.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell if a building quote is inflated?
Recount the big quantities from your plans (walls, concrete, slabs), compare the unit prices with a second quote based on the same plans, and look for items counted twice and large lump sums with no detail. If the builder cannot explain the figures, take it seriously.
Do I need several quotes to build a house in Senegal?
It is better. Two or three quotes based on the same plans let you compare line by line. Compare the quantities and what each section contains, not just the total: the cheapest quote is sometimes the one that leaves out the most work.
What is the retention on a quote?
It is a share of each payment that you hold back until the works are handed over, then for the period set in the contract. It is used to have defects found after the end of the build put right. Its amount and duration should be written in the quote or the contract.
How much does SEETLU charge to check a quote?
75,000 FCFA for a quote up to 20 million FCFA, 125,000 FCFA from 20 to 50 million FCFA, priced on request above 50 million. Send the quote on WhatsApp at +221 78 750 69 19.
Does my builder need to know that I am having the quote checked?
Nothing obliges you to tell them. But the report is meant precisely for discussing with them: you pass on your questions, line by line. A serious builder can explain their quantities and prices.
Have your quote checked before you sign
Send your builder's quote, as a clear photo or a PDF, with your plans if you have them. 75,000 FCFA for a quote up to 20 million FCFA, 125,000 FCFA from 20 to 50 million, priced on request above that.
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