A fixed price is only as fixed as its small print. Three lines decide whether the number you sign is the number you pay.

Allowances

An allowance is a guess with a name. Ask for every allowance to be listed with a quantity and a rate, and ask what happens when the real cost is lower.

• Tile, fixtures and appliances are the usual ones
• Rock and bad soil are the expensive ones

Exclusions

Read the exclusions before the price. Permits, utility connections and landscaping are often left out, and each one is a five-figure line.

Contingency

A good bid shows its contingency and who owns it. Ours belongs to you: what is not spent comes back.

If a bid has no exclusions list, the exclusions are everything you did not ask about.

What to ask

Ask for the bid by trade, with quantities. A contractor who measured the job can show you the measurements.