What a complete interior renovation quote includes

A whole-home renovation is a dozen trades in a house somebody is usually still living in, and most of what separates a good outcome from a bad one is written down before anyone starts.

Interior renovation quotes vary more than any other kind we see, and the gap is rarely the finishes. Here is what belongs in the document and what each line is actually for. Read it with your quote next to you.

Scope, room by room

The most common source of an interior renovation dispute is two people who agreed on a price for different amounts of work.

A room-by-room breakdown

Look for Each space listed separately with its own scope.

A single lump sum for "main floor renovation" is impossible to check and impossible to change fairly. Broken out by room, you can see what is included, compare quotes honestly, and add or remove a room without renegotiating everything.

What is explicitly excluded

Look for A stated exclusions list.

What is left out matters as much as what is in. Appliances, window coverings, landscaping repair and furniture moving are common exclusions, and they are only surprises when nobody wrote them down.

Allowances, with real numbers

Look for Named dollar allowances for anything you have not selected yet.

If tile, plumbing fixtures or lighting are not chosen, they get carried as an allowance. An allowance that reflects what you actually intend to buy keeps the budget honest. One set artificially low makes a quote look competitive and turns into a change order later.

Sequence and schedule

Interior work only goes well in one order, and the order is most of the difference between a smooth job and an expensive one.

A stated trade sequence

Look for The order demolition, rough-in, inspection, boarding, paint, flooring and trim happen in.

These trades interfere with each other. Out of order, something lands early, sits in the way, gets damaged, or comes back out and goes in twice. A quote with no sequence usually means the sequence gets worked out on your floor.

Realistic lead times, named

Look for Which items are ordered early and how long they take.

Cabinets, counters, tile and specialty fixtures all have lead times. We do not tear out a working room until the parts that replace it are on their way, so lead times move the start date rather than stretching the middle.

A phased plan if you are living in it

Look for Which rooms are out of service and when.

Losing a kitchen and both bathrooms in the same week is survivable if you planned for it and miserable if you did not.

Behind the walls

The parts you cannot get back to once the drywall is on, and the reason interior quotes need contingency.

Licensed rough-in, inspected before close-up

Look for Named licensed trades and an inspection step.

Plumbing and electrical are done by licensed trades and inspected before anything closes up.

What happens if the walls hold a surprise

Look for A stated contingency, or how unknowns get priced.

Older Central Alberta homes hide aluminum wiring, undersized circuits, unvented drains and framing that was modified at some point by somebody. Nobody can quote what they cannot see, so the quote should say how those get handled rather than pretending they will not happen.

Insulation and vapour barrier where walls open

Look for Whether exterior walls get upgraded while they are open.

An exterior wall that is open is the one moment when fixing insulation and vapour barrier is cheap. In this climate that is a comfort and moisture decision, not a cosmetic one.

Ventilation sized for the room

Look for Fan sizing and where the duct terminates.

Bathrooms and kitchens need to move moist air outside the building, not into an attic. It is a small line in a big quote and it decides whether the finishes still look good in eight years.

Living through it

Mostly absent from quotes, and one of the biggest differences in day-to-day experience.

Dust control and containment

Look for Poly barriers, zip walls or negative air named in the scope.

Demolition and drywall sanding put fine dust through a whole house if nothing stops it. Containment is real work and real cost, and it is the thing people most wish had been in the quote.

Floor and surface protection

Look for Protection for floors, stairs and anything staying.

The finishes you are keeping have to survive the ones you are replacing.

Working hours and site rules

Look for Start and finish times, and how access works.

If you are living in the house or working from it, this is worth agreeing before day one rather than during week three.

Cleanup and disposal

Look for Where the waste goes and how often.

A multi-room renovation generates a great deal of debris. Whether it leaves in our bin or accumulates on your driveway should be written down.

The job around the job

Permits where the work needs them

Look for Who prepares the package and whether the cost is included.

We support the permit package where the work needs one and build to code on the structural, electrical and plumbing so it passes inspection and holds up at resale.

Definition →

A written change process

Look for How a change gets priced and approved before it happens.

Changes are normal on interior work. What should never be normal is finding out what one cost after it was done.

Payment tied to progress

Look for A schedule of payments linked to stages, not dates.

Payments that track completed stages keep everybody honest about where the job actually is.

One point of contact

Look for A single company named as accountable for scheduling.

You are not the general contractor. We schedule the trades, sequence the work and answer for the result, from demolition to the final fixture.

Not sure what you are looking at?

Send us the quote and we will walk you through it.

Bring us the written estimate you already have and we will go through it line by line so you understand what is in it, what is not, and what the words mean. No obligation and no pressure. If it covers everything above, we will tell you that too.

Send us your quote Call (587) 447-9009

Common questions

Should an interior renovation quote be broken out by room?

Yes. A single lump sum for a whole floor cannot be checked, compared or fairly adjusted. Room by room, you can see what is included and change the scope without renegotiating the entire job.

What is an allowance and why does it matter?

It is a placeholder budget for something you have not selected yet, like tile or fixtures. It matters because an allowance set below what you actually intend to buy makes a quote look cheaper than it is, and the difference arrives later as a change order.

Can I live in the house during a renovation?

Usually, and most Central Alberta families do. It works far better when the quote says which rooms go out of service and when, and when dust containment is planned rather than improvised.

Why do interior quotes need a contingency?

Because nobody can price what is inside a wall before it is open. Older homes routinely hide wiring, plumbing and framing that need attention. A stated contingency is more honest than a lower number that cannot survive the first day of demolition.

What order does interior renovation work happen in?

Broadly: demolition, structural, plumbing and electrical rough-in, inspection, insulation and vapour barrier, drywall, paint, flooring, cabinets and fixtures, then finish carpentry and touch-up. The details vary but the sequence rarely does, because each step depends on the one before it.