Confirmed in writing
Comparable known cost$21,000$3,000 added to the written total for costs you entered as excluded or under-allowed.
Deposit at signing$5,400
Scope items confirmed4/6
Warranty entered1 years
Above lowest comparable cost$500
Free contractor quote comparison calculator
Compare contractor quotes apples to apples.
A cheaper bid is not cheaper if it leaves out work the other contractor included. Normalize the known differences first, then compare scope, deposit, warranty, and the questions still unanswered.
Compare my quotesContractor quote comparison
Put competing bids on the same footing.
Add known exclusions and allowance gaps to each written quote, then compare the resulting cost alongside scope, deposit, and warranty details. Example values are loaded in A and B; replace them with your numbers. Leave Quote C at $0 if you only have two bids.
Confirmed in writing
Comparable known cost$20,500$0 added to the written total for costs you entered as excluded or under-allowed.
Deposit at signing$3,075
Scope items confirmed6/6
Warranty entered3 years
Above lowest comparable cost$0
Confirmed in writing
Enter a written quote total to include this bid.
Lowest comparable known costQuote B$20,500
Most scope items confirmedQuote B6/6 checked
Comparable-cost spread across entered bids$500
What the calculator is decidingCost and documentation differences only
What counts as an allowance gap?
An allowance is a placeholder amount inside a quote for something not fully selected yet, such as tile, fixtures, appliances, or finish materials. If every contractor is supposed to price the same $4,000 material package but one quote carries only a $2,500 allowance, enter the $1,500 gap for that quote. Do not add a gap when the allowance already matches your common scope.
Why quote totals mislead
The bottom-line price may describe a different project.
Imagine one roofing bid at $18,000 and another at $20,500. The first looks cheaper until you discover that disposal is excluded and its material allowance is $1,200 below the product level you asked both contractors to price. Add those differences back and the comparison can reverse.
This calculator deliberately does not invent a local “fair price.” Instead, it works with facts you can verify in the written proposals. The comparable-known-cost number is simply the quoted total plus the excluded work and allowance gaps you enter. That makes the math inspectable and keeps a national average from pretending to know your house.
Normalize the scope
Six things to put beside the price.
Materials and equipment
“Premium materials included” is not the same as a manufacturer, model, grade, quantity, or finish. Compare bids against the same specification wherever possible.
Permits and inspections
The important comparison is whether required permit and inspection responsibilities are explicit. Requirements vary by project and jurisdiction, so verify them locally.
Removal and disposal
Tear-out, haul-away, dumpsters, refrigerant recovery, or disposal fees can sit outside an attractive headline price. Make those exclusions visible before comparing totals.
Cleanup and protection
Floor protection, dust control, landscaping protection, daily cleanup, and final cleanup affect the scope even when they are not large line items.
Timing and payment
Put the estimated start and completion timing next to the requested deposit. A payment schedule is part of the deal, not a footnote to the price.
Warranty language
Separate manufacturer coverage from the contractor’s workmanship warranty. Record what is actually written rather than assigning a made-up dollar value to a longer warranty.
Worked example
How the “cheaper” quote can move.
The calculator opens with a simple example. Quote A is $18,000 on paper, but it has $1,800 of known excluded work and a $1,200 allowance gap. Its comparable known cost becomes $21,000. Quote B starts at $20,500 and has no entered exclusions or allowance gap, so it remains $20,500. The tool has not proved that Quote B is better; it has shown that the original $2,500 headline-price advantage was not an apples-to-apples comparison.
That distinction matters. Contractor experience, installation quality, references, hidden conditions, insurance, licensing requirements, scheduling, change-order language, and the actual contract can outweigh a small price difference. The calculator keeps those judgment calls outside the formula instead of manufacturing a contractor “score.”
What to do with an unclear line
Turn uncertainty into a written question.
If a proposal does not say whether flashing, electrical work, trim repair, disposal, permit fees, equipment pads, painting, or another project-specific item is included, do not guess a dollar amount just to make the calculator look complete. Leave the cost adjustment at zero, leave the relevant scope box unchecked, and ask the contractor to clarify the proposal in writing. Then update the comparison.
The Federal Trade Commission advises consumers to get multiple written estimates and says a written estimate should describe the work, materials, completion date, and price. It also advises against automatically choosing the lowest bidder when estimates differ materially. Read the FTC’s home-improvement guidance.
Before choosing a contractor
The calculator is a comparison worksheet, not a hiring verdict.
A proposal can be complete and still come from the wrong contractor. Verify credentials and insurance where applicable, check references and complaint history, read the actual contract, and confirm that verbal promises made during sales conversations appear in writing. Contract and deposit rules vary by state and locality, so a generic calculator should not tell you that one deposit percentage is universally legal or normal.
If you are still early enough that you do not have competing proposals, use the project cost estimator to build your own planning baseline. If you are deciding whether the professional price justifies doing the work yourself, use the DIY vs. hire calculator.
Methodology
Exactly what the calculator does.
For each bid, comparable known cost equals the written quote total plus known excluded work plus any allowance gap you enter. The deposit amount is the written quote total multiplied by the deposit percentage you enter. Scope completeness is only a count of the six checklist items you marked as confirmed in writing. Warranty years are displayed, not converted into money or points.
The tool does not estimate local labor rates, contractor markup, material prices, hidden damage, code corrections, financing cost, future change orders, or workmanship quality. Those omissions are intentional. A transparent comparison of known inputs is more useful than false precision.
FAQ
Contractor quote comparison questions
Should I automatically choose the lowest contractor quote?
No. First make sure the bids describe the same work. Price differences can come from different materials, exclusions, allowances, schedules, warranties, or project scope.
What if I do not know the cost of an excluded item?
Leave the dollar adjustment at zero and treat the exclusion as an unresolved question. Ask for a written price or revised proposal before treating the bids as comparable.
Does a longer warranty make a quote worth more?
It may matter, but this calculator does not invent a dollar value for it. Check who provides the warranty, what it covers, what can void it, whether registration is required, and whether labor and materials have different terms.
Does this calculator tell me whether my quote is fair for my city?
No. It compares the bids and adjustments you enter. A local market benchmark requires reliable current pricing for the exact project and location, which this tool does not pretend to have.