How to Send Professional Quotes as a Handyman (+ Free Template)

Q: What should a handyman quote include?

A handyman quote should include: your business name and contact details, the client's name and address, a clear description of the work, itemised labour and materials costs, your VAT number (if registered), a validity period (typically 30 days), and your payment terms. Adding your insurance and any guarantee information builds trust.

Q: How do you price a handyman quote?

Most handymen price by the hour (typically £30–55/hour in the UK) or as a fixed-price job. For fixed-price quotes: estimate the hours, add a buffer for complications (10–20%), then add materials at cost plus a markup (usually 10–20%). Factor in travel and overhead. Don't underprice to win — clients who negotiate hard before the job usually become difficult clients.

Q: How long should a handyman quote be valid for?

30 days is standard for most handyman jobs. For quotes that include materials with volatile pricing (timber, fixings, paint), 14 days protects you. Include the validity period on every quote so there's no argument if a client comes back two months later expecting the same price.

A client asks for a quote. You visit the job, price it up, then — what? If your answer involves a text message with a number in it, you're leaving money on the table. Clients judge your professionalism before you pick up a single tool, and a sloppy quote tells them exactly what to expect.

This guide covers what to include in a handyman quote, how to price jobs confidently, common mistakes that lose work, and a free template you can use today.

Why professional quotes win more jobs

A professional quote does three things a WhatsApp message can't:

It builds trust before the job starts. A client who receives a proper document with your business name, insurance details, and payment terms knows they're dealing with a real business — not a cash-in-hand tradesperson they've never met before.
It removes ambiguity. "£250 to fix the bathroom" becomes a disagreement the moment the client expected you to also tile the floor. A proper quote lists exactly what's included — and what isn't.
It protects you legally. If a client disputes the price or scope, a signed quote is the document that settles it.

The time investment is small — a good quote takes five minutes with the right tool — and the difference in close rate is substantial. Clients who receive a professional quote are far more likely to proceed than those who get a verbal price.

What to include in a handyman quote

Every handyman quote should contain the following:

Your business details

Your full name (or business name)
Address and phone number
Email address
VAT number (if VAT registered)
Insurance provider and policy type (public liability at minimum)

Client and job details

Client's full name and address
Date the quote was issued
Quote reference number
Clear description of the work — "supply and fit" vs "labour only" matters here

Costs

Labour costs, broken down by task if there are multiple jobs
Materials (itemised, with unit prices if you want — or just a line total)
VAT (if applicable), shown separately
Total amount due

Terms and validity

Validity period — typically 30 days
Payment terms — when payment is due, whether a deposit is required
Any exclusions — what the quote does not cover
A space for the client to sign to accept

How to price a handyman quote

Pricing is where most tradespeople undercharge. Here's a reliable approach:

Hourly rate pricing

The UK average for a general handyman is £30–55/hour, higher in London. Charge what the market bears in your area — look at what others advertise locally and position yourself accordingly. Don't start low to win work; clients who want cheap usually stay difficult.

Fixed-price job pricing

Estimate your hours honestly — include drive time, setup, and tidying up
Add a buffer of 10–20% for complications you discover on the day
Add materials at cost plus 10–20% markup — your time sourcing and supplying materials has value
Add overhead contribution — insurance, tools, vehicle, phone plan all cost money

A job that takes 4 hours at £40/hour with £80 in materials should be quoted at roughly £240–280, not £200.

What not to do

Don't guess. Walk the job before you quote, not after.
Don't underquote to beat the competition. A race to the bottom ends with you working for nothing.
Don't forget materials markup. Buying and sourcing materials takes time and ties up cash.

Quote in minutes, not hours → Vestcube lets you build and send a professional quote from your phone in under a minute. Labour, materials, your logo, your terms — all automatic.

Start for free

Free handyman quote template

Copy and adapt this template. Replace the bracketed fields with your own details.

QUOTATION
[Your Name / Business Name]

[Your Address]

[Phone] | [Email]

[Public Liability Insurance: Provider, Policy No. if sharing]
Quote Ref: Q-001

Date: [Date]

Valid until: [Date + 30 days]
Prepared for:

[Client Name]

[Client Address]
Works at: [Job address if different]
DESCRIPTION OF WORKS
[Clear description of what you will do — e.g. "Supply and fit new bathroom tap. Includes shutting off water supply, removing existing tap, fitting new tap (customer to supply), testing and making good."]
COSTS

    
        Labour
        £[amount]
    

        Materials
        £[amount]
    

        TOTAL (inc. VAT / ex. VAT)
        £[total]
    
TERMS

Payment due: [e.g. 50% deposit on acceptance, balance on completion]

This quote is valid for 30 days from the date above.

Any additional works not listed above will be quoted separately before proceeding.
ACCEPTANCE

Signed: _________________________ Date: _____________

Print name: _________________________

Common quoting mistakes to avoid

1. Not specifying what's included

"Bathroom refurbishment — £1,200" is an invoice waiting to become a dispute. List every task separately, and state what's excluded. "Does not include: tiling, installation of extractor fan, plumbing work."

2. Sending quotes too late

If a client asks for a quote on Monday and receives it the following Thursday, half of them have already hired someone else. Send your quote within 24 hours of visiting the job — ideally the same evening.

3. Forgetting the validity period

Clients sometimes come back six months later expecting the original price. Without a validity period on your quote, you have nothing to point to. Always include "Valid for 30 days from the date above."

4. No call to action

What should the client do to accept? Many quotes leave the client wondering whether to reply, call, or sign something. Add a clear instruction: "To accept this quote, please reply to this email or sign and return the acceptance section below."

5. No follow-up

Most clients need one follow-up to push them over the line. If you haven't heard back after four or five days, send a short message: "Just checking in on the quote I sent — happy to talk through any questions." You'll win roughly a third of these.

Using quoting software instead of templates

The template above works fine if you send two or three quotes a week. Once you're sending more, manual quotes eat your evenings. Quoting software sends a professional PDF in under a minute, auto-attaches your logo and terms, tracks which quotes were opened, and converts accepted quotes straight into jobs in your pipeline.

Vestcube does all of this — you describe the job, add your line items, and send. The client receives a branded PDF with a digital acceptance option. Once accepted, it becomes a job in your dashboard automatically.

Frequently asked questions

What should a handyman quote include?

Your business details, the client's details, a clear description of the works, itemised labour and materials costs, VAT status, a validity period (typically 30 days), and your payment terms. Adding your insurance details builds client trust.

How do you price a handyman quote?

Estimate your hours, add a 10–20% buffer for complications, add materials at cost plus a 10–20% markup, and factor in overhead. UK handymen typically charge £30–55/hour. For fixed-price jobs, always walk the job before quoting — never guess from a description.

How long should a handyman quote be valid for?

30 days is standard. For quotes that include materials with volatile pricing, 14 days protects you. Always state the validity period on the quote itself.

Should a handyman quote be free?

Most handyman quotes are free. For large or complex jobs (£500+), a survey fee (£30–60, deducted from the job cost on acceptance) is acceptable. For standard jobs, free quoting is the norm.

Labour	£[amount]
Materials	£[amount]
TOTAL (inc. VAT / ex. VAT)	£[total]