Remedials get explained twice and priced once
The customer has a report full of codes they do not understand. You end up on the phone translating it, then still have to write the quote. The estimate should do the explaining for you.
For electricians
Turn your EICR scribbles into a priced estimate
You have already done the hard part: you know what is wrong and what it takes to fix it. Writing it out so the customer understands the difference between a C2 and a C3 is the bit that eats your evening. Dictate the note, get back a clean estimate with the remedials itemised.
Why estimating is the worst part of the week
Materials creep and the price does not
Six downlights turned into nine, the board needed an SPD, and the extra 20 metres of twin and earth never made it onto the paperwork. Small unbilled items are where a good week turns into an average one.
Every quote gets typed from scratch
Consumer unit changes are eighty per cent the same job every time, but you retype the whole thing because your last one is buried in an email thread from March.
A real example
Consumer unit change and EICR remedials, 1930s semi
On the left is what you would actually write down. On the right is what your customer receives.
Your notes
CU change, old wylex rewireable to 18th ed 10 way with SPD. board is in the hall cupboard, meter tails too short so henley block needed. EICR last month came back 4 x C2 - kitchen sockets no cpc, bathroom pull cord knackered, garage supply is t+e clipped direct, no main bonding to water or gas. 10mm bonding both services. swap 6 kitchen downlights to fire rated LED. full test on completion, EIC + part p notification. day and a half. keep an eye out for rubber cable in the back bedroom, might be more in there than she thinks
The estimate
| Item | Qty | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 18th Edition 10-way consumer unit with SPD, supplied and installed | 1 each | £420.00 |
| Henley block and replacement meter tails | 1 job | £95.00 |
| Main protective bonding to gas and water, 10mm² | 2 each | £170.00 |
| Rewire kitchen ring final circuit with CPC throughout | 1 job | £340.00 |
| Replace bathroom pull-cord switch and fan isolator | 1 job | £110.00 |
| SWA supply to detached garage, clipped and glanded | 15 linear m | £330.00 |
| Fire-rated LED downlight, supplied and fitted | 6 each | £228.00 |
| Full circuit testing and Electrical Installation Certificate | 1 job | £130.00 |
| Part P notification to Building Control | 1 each | £45.00 |
| Total before VAT | £1,868.00 | |
An illustration using typical UK rates, not a price list. TradeScribe prices from the rates in your own notes and your saved day rate.
What we know about electrical estimates
These are the lines that come up again and again on a electrician's estimate. Mention any of them in your notes, however briefly, and they come out properly worded.
- Consumer unit upgrade to 18th Edition with SPD
- EICR on a three-bedroom domestic property
- Additional double socket on existing ring
- Full rewire, per bedroom
- Fire-rated LED downlight, supplied and fitted
- EV charger installation, 7kW untethered
- Main protective bonding to gas and water
- Outdoor supply in SWA to garage or shed
- Electrical Installation Certificate and Part P notification
- Fault finding, first hour
Electrical estimating questions
Should the remedial work be on the same document as the EICR price?
Keep them separate. Price the inspection on its own, issue the report, then send a second estimate for the remedials referencing the observation numbers. Bundling them makes it look like the inspection exists to sell the repairs, and a customer who feels sold to will get a second opinion.
Does the estimate need to say the work is notifiable under Part P?
It should. Consumer unit changes, new circuits and most work in a bathroom are notifiable in England and Wales, and the certificate is what the customer will need when they sell the house. Put the notification on its own line with its own price so nobody thinks it is optional paperwork you invented.
How do I quote a rewire when I cannot see inside the walls?
Quote the circuits and the accessories firmly, and treat chasing, making good and any surprise cabling as a stated allowance. Say clearly that plastering and decorating are excluded unless you have priced them. Most disputes on rewires are not about the electrics, they are about who was supposed to fill the chases.
Do I have to show VAT if I am not VAT registered?
No, and you must not. Below the registration threshold you simply show a single total with no VAT line and no VAT number. Adding a VAT line when you are not registered is an offence, and it is a surprisingly common mistake on homemade spreadsheets.
How long should I keep an electrical estimate open?
Fourteen to thirty days is normal, and it should be written on the document. Cable and board prices move enough that a quote you gave in spring is not one you want honoured in autumn. A stated expiry is also a gentle nudge for the customer to make a decision.
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