A client expected a detailed quotation for a bond application to be included in our free site visit. We later discussed an estimating fee. We should have explained that possibility before attending. We did not, and we are sorry for the confusion and frustration this caused.
If you need a building quotation for a bond application, it helps to agree upfront what the document must include and whether an estimating fee applies. This experience changed how we approach that conversation when preparing a renovation quotation in Cape Town.
The lesson we own
The work can justify a fee. It does not excuse an unclear agreement. It is our responsibility to explain what is free, what may cost money, and what the client will receive before they commit.
Our quotation terms today
Site visits are free. Standard construction quotations follow a visit and agreement from both sides to explore working together, without committing to the works. Bond or home-loan quotations carry a non-refundable preparation fee agreed before the visit. If FN is appointed subject to bond approval and the bond is approved, that fee counts towards the deposit.
Feedback is voluntary and kept separate from fees. The account below records the earlier enquiry and the lessons we took from it; the linked quotation terms explain our current process.
Read the full account and original review
What happened
A prospective client approached FN Building Projects for a renovation quotation to support a bond application for a property they were purchasing. They needed an NHBRC-registered contractor and supporting company credentials. We knew the purpose of the quotation before the visit.
The extent of the work became clearer during the inspection: two bathroom remodels, painting throughout the property, replacement windows and doors, restoration of wooden floors, tiling and general repairs. Assessing that scope involved room-by-room inspection and measurements of walls, floors and window openings.
A detailed estimate would then require quantity calculations, material and supplier pricing, labour assessments and a clearly itemised scope. After seeing the full scope, we discussed an estimating fee of approximately R2,500 to R3,500. That was the amount discussed for this enquiry, not a published standard price.
The client understood our free-visit and no-obligation quotation wording to include that detailed document. We understood the initial assessment and preliminary quotation to be complimentary, with the detailed finance package treated as a separate service. That difference in expectations should have been addressed earlier.
A genuine attempt to help
We made a genuine effort to help the client move her project forward. We responded to the enquiry over the weekend, arranged an evening visit, inspected the property and took measurements. Once the estimating workload became clear, we offered two ways forward rather than simply declining to assist.
As the discussion progressed, we came to understand that the immediate objective was to obtain a quotation and supporting company credentials for the bond application, with no indication of a commitment to take the process further with FN Building Projects. From our perspective, the enquiry appeared unlikely to lead beyond supplying that documentation. This was our understanding of the discussion, not something we could know with certainty about the client’s future intentions.
That distinction mattered: we were being asked to provide a detailed professional document for use in an application, without an agreed construction appointment through which the estimating work could be recovered. The two offers below were our attempt to accommodate that need while recognising the time and responsibility involved. We still needed to explain those terms earlier and more clearly.
Building quotation for a bond application: the two options
For completeness, our account of the discussion is that two options were put forward after the assessment:
1. A flat building quotation fee, with no obligation to appoint us
The paid option covered preparing the detailed quotation and allowing the client to submit it, together with our company credentials as an NHBRC-registered and compliant contractor, in support of her bond application. She would have had no obligation to appoint FN Building Projects to execute the work. The fee therefore covered a professional deliverable and its use in her application, independently of whether we secured the building contract.
2. A free quotation, with a signed agreement to execute the work
The second option was to prepare the quotation free of charge, with a signed agreement appointing FN Building Projects to execute the work. This option also included a condition that the client leave an unbiased review of her experience, so future clients could learn from the service she had received. We were asking for honest feedback on the communication, site visit and quotation process, not a predetermined positive rating or a review of construction work that had not taken place.
The client accepted neither option. She said she could not leave a review because she had not used us for construction work, and later published a negative review of the quotation process. From our side, it was disappointing to read an account that we felt did not reflect our intention to offer workable alternatives in good faith.
That disappointment does not invalidate her experience or her right to describe it. A client can review the enquiry and quotation process without having commissioned construction. The lesson for us is to make that distinction clear and to keep any review request separate from the price or conditions of our services.
Where we fell short
We should have raised the possibility of a fee upfront
We could not know the full estimating workload before inspecting the property. We could, however, have explained that a quotation for a finance application might involve a paid service. The client should not have had to discover that distinction after the visit.
There was no construction appointment in place, so the detailed estimate had value independently of any future building work. That explains our commercial concern. It does not make the client responsible for a distinction we had not communicated clearly.
We needed to listen to the concern
In the review, the client also describes feeling that their honesty was being questioned when they raised the difference between our website wording and the fee discussed. We are sorry that the conversation left them feeling this way. We knew the quotation was for a bond application before attending. Our response needed to acknowledge the unclear expectations and explain the next steps respectfully.
We should have kept reviews separate from fees
The review condition formed part of the second option described above, alongside the signed construction agreement. Our intention was to invite unbiased feedback about the service already provided. However, making that feedback a condition of a free quotation connected it to a commercial benefit, regardless of whether we asked for a positive rating.
Even so, linking feedback to a fee concession could reasonably be understood as an incentivised review. We should not have connected the two. Honest feedback must be voluntary, with no discount, fee waiver, benefit or expectation of a positive rating attached.
Free site visit vs detailed quotation: what may carry a fee?
The word “quotation” can cover very different amounts of work. The useful question is: what document do you need, and what will it be used for?
- Free initial site assessment
- A preliminary discussion and assessment of a prospective construction project within our standard service area. It helps establish the scope and the appropriate next step.
- Standard preliminary construction quotation
- An initial proposal for work we are being considered to carry out. We need to agree its level of detail; it should not be assumed to include a fully developed finance-submission package.
- Our free, unpriced BOQ from drawings
- Our free bill of quantities service provides a measured schedule from supplied drawings, without prices. It is a separate offer from a priced estimate based on a property inspection. An unpriced schedule is not a priced finance quotation.
- Detailed priced estimate or finance package
- A service that may involve extensive site measurements, quantity take-offs, supplier and subcontractor enquiries, pricing and formal documentation. A fee may apply, including where supporting company credentials are requested. The scope, fee and permitted use need to be agreed in writing.
A quotation prepared for a finance application does not guarantee funding or acceptance by a lender. Tell us what your lender has asked for so that we can establish whether we can provide the required documents.
For more on the scope, pricing and exclusions a detailed renovation quotation should explain, read our guide to what is included in a renovation quote. If you are planning the building work itself, explore our home renovation services in Cape Town.
What we are committing to
This experience gives us a clear standard to work to on future enquiries:
- Ask what the quotation is for. Before arranging a visit, establish whether you need a preliminary construction proposal or documentation for a bank, insurer or another third party.
- Explain possible fees before attendance. If detailed estimating may be needed, explain that upfront. Where an inspection is needed to determine the final scope, explain the fee basis and what remains to be confirmed.
- Agree before detailed work starts. Confirm the deliverables and fee in writing, including any refund terms or credit towards a later construction contract. A credit must be expressly agreed, never assumed.
- Keep feedback independent. Request honest, voluntary feedback about the service actually received. Never link a review or rating to a commercial benefit.
- Plan safe, effective inspections. Obtain the address and access arrangements in advance, check lighting and occupancy, and reschedule where conditions prevent a safe assessment. This visit took place after dark at a vacant property without electricity. Planning for those conditions is our responsibility too.
Before your next site visit
Tell us whether you own the property or are still purchasing it, what work you have in mind, and whether the document is for your own planning or a third-party submission. Let us know if you need itemised pricing or company credentials, and share the site’s access and lighting arrangements.
In return, you should know what the initial visit includes, what happens next and whether a separate service may carry a fee. Ask us to put it in writing. You should not have to guess.
Common questions about building quotations
Is a building quotation free?
Our initial site assessment is free for prospective construction projects within our standard service area. A detailed priced estimate or finance-application package may carry a separate fee. Our free, unpriced BOQ from supplied drawings is a separate offer. We should explain which service you need and any possible fee before the visit, then agree the deliverables and price before detailed estimating begins.
Why might a bond-application quotation carry a fee?
It may require extensive measurements, quantity calculations, supplier enquiries, itemised pricing and supporting company credentials. That work has value as an application document even if the contractor is not appointed to build. A fee should be explained and agreed in advance; it does not guarantee the lender will accept the quotation or approve funding.
Does paying for a quotation commit me to the contractor?
Under the paid option described here, no. The client could use our quotation and agreed supporting credentials for her application without appointing FN Building Projects to execute the work. For any enquiry, the written terms should distinguish the estimating service from a separate construction appointment.
The review behind this lesson
This is our account of the experience and the responsibility we take from it. The client’s review should be read in their own words, alongside this explanation.
Read the original client review on Google (opens in a new tab)
We want clients to choose us with clear expectations. That starts with how we communicate before any building work begins. We did not get that clear enough here. We own that lesson.
FN Building Projects