Why have a building quote checked before you sign
A quote to build a house in Senegal often fits on a few pages. Yet it sets what you will pay for months. A quote inflated by the mason does not show at first glance: the quantities are a little too high, some lines repeat, and the missing items come back later as extras.
Once the quote is signed and the advance paid, it is hard to go back. Before signing is when the check protects you most.
What we check in your quote
- Quantities: cement, steel, blocks, concrete and other materials, recalculated from the plan and compared with what is billed
- Unit prices: each price compared with the prices charged on the local market, with the gaps flagged
- Missing items: what your house needs and the quote does not include
- Payment terms: the advance asked for, the instalments, and what triggers each payment
The 5 lines builders inflate most
These are the lines where a quote most often drifts from the plan. It is not always bad faith: a calculation error costs as much as an exaggeration.
1. Cement
The number of bags is more than the plan's concrete volumes and masonry areas need, or the same cement is counted in several items at once.
2. Reinforcing steel
The tonnage billed does not match the reinforcement drawings, or the stated bar diameters are larger than the structure needs.
3. Concrete blocks
The number of blocks is calculated on solid walls, without deducting the doors and windows, or on wall lengths longer than those on the plan.
4. Concrete for foundations, columns, beams and slabs
The cubic metres are calculated on dimensions larger than those on the plan, or part of the work is counted twice.
5. Lump sums, "sundries" and labour
One overall line with no detail, "sundries and contingencies" with no content, or labour billed both as a lump sum and inside each item. What is not detailed cannot be checked.
Example of a checked quote
Structural works quote for a two storey villa (R+1). Quantities calculated from the plan, compared with the quantities billed.
Cement: 820 bags billed, 640 bags calculated from the plan.
Reinforcing steel: 9.5 tonnes billed, 7.8 tonnes calculated from the reinforcement drawings.
Slab concrete: 48 m³ billed, 39 m³ calculated from the plan's dimensions.
Concrete blocks: 6,200 blocks billed, 5,300 calculated once the doors and windows are deducted.
Missing item: waterproofing of the flat roof appears nowhere in the quote.
Our written review asks the builder to justify or correct these four lines, and to add the waterproofing to the quote before signing.
How to send us your quote
- Write to us on WhatsApp at +221 78 750 69 19
- Send the quote as a PDF, or a clear photo of each page
- Add the house plan if you have one
- Tell us the town of the plot and the type of house planned
We confirm the price of the check before we start. You alone decide whether to sign, and you pay your builder yourself, directly.
Price of the quote check
A fixed price, paid once, for a quote checked before you sign it.
What you receive
A written review, placed in your client area, within the time agreed with you when you send the quote. It covers the quantities checked, the unit prices that stand out, the missing items, the payment terms to revisit, and the list of questions to ask your builder before you sign.
We do not build and we do not hire the workers. Your builder builds; SEETLU represents you. You pay your builder directly: your money never goes through SEETLU.
And after signing
The quote is only the start. During the build, the Monitoring + payment checks plan checks each of the builder's payment requests (valuations) on site before you pay, with dated, geolocated and sealed photos and a report within 24 hours. If you want one person on your side from start to finish, the Project manager + client-side quantity surveyor plan represents your interests on site up to the final account.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a building quote check cost?
75,000 FCFA for a quote up to 20 million FCFA, 125,000 FCFA for a quote from 20 to 50 million FCFA. Above 50 million FCFA, the price is on quote. It is paid once.
What should I send you?
The quote as a PDF or clear photos, the house plan if you have one, the town of the plot and the type of house planned. Everything goes through WhatsApp.
My quote only gives an overall price. Can you check it?
Yes. An overall price cannot be checked line by line: we tell you what is missing and give you the list of details to ask your builder for, item by item, with quantities and unit prices.
Will my builder know you are checking the quote?
You decide. We work for you alone: you can pass our questions on to your builder yourself, without naming us.
I have already signed the quote. Is it still useful?
The check is designed to take place before signing. If you have already signed, write to us: we will look together at what is still useful, for example checking each of the builder's payment requests (valuations) before you pay it.
Does SEETLU build or receive the building money?
No. We do not build and we do not hire the workers. Your builder builds; SEETLU represents you. You pay your builder directly: your money never goes through SEETLU.
Already have a builder's quote?
Send it, we will check it before you sign.
Read also: paying for your build in stages · the client-side quantity surveyor · the project manager · 7 signs of a building scam · construction monitoring in Senegal