Guide

What should a dry stone walling quote include?

A good walling quote does two things at once. It gives the customer enough detail that they trust the price, and it gives you enough cover that you can hold the price when the job throws up the inevitable surprise. If either of those is missing, you are either underpriced or arguing.

This is the working checklist. Each line is here because at some point a waller has lost money or lost a job for not including it.

The header

• Your trading name, address, phone, email.
• Customer name and site address. Site address, not their billing address — they may not be the same.
• Quote reference number. A simple incrementing number. Customers reference it back when they accept.
• Date issued.
• Validity period. 30 days is standard. 60 days for larger jobs. State it.

The scope

A short paragraph describing the job. Not marketing copy — a clear factual description. Example:

Rebuild collapsed section of dry stone field-boundary wall on the north side of Beck Lane. Approximately 14 linear metres, height 1.1m to 1.3m, double-faced gritstone with cock-and-hen cope. Approximately 90 per cent of existing stone reclaimable on site. Foundation to be re-set on undisturbed ground. Access via field gate at OS reference XXXX.

If the customer is using the quote for grant funding (Countryside Stewardship, National Park heritage grants, a planning condition) the scope paragraph is what the grant officer reads. Make it specific.

The measurements

List the dimensions explicitly:

• Total length (metres).
• Average height (metres).
• Wall width — top and bottom, if it has a batter.
• Single-skin or double-faced.

If the wall is in sections of different heights, list each section separately rather than averaging.

The cost breakdown

This is where most quotes get vague. A professional quote shows the components:

• Labour — operative-days at your day rate, totalled. State if it is solo or two-man.
• Stone tonnage — total tonnes, reclaimed proportion, buy-in tonnes, price per tonne, total. See the stone tonnage guide.
• Materials — pinning stone, hearting, copestones if replacing, lime mortar if any.
• Plant — mini-dumper, mini-digger, hi-ab if you are using them. Day rate plus delivery.
• Travel — explicit if you are charging it, explicit "included" if you are not.
• Subtotal.
• VAT line — either "VAT at 20%: £XXX" or "Not VAT registered — no VAT applies". The customer needs to know which.
• Total.

A customer who can see why a quote is the price it is will trust the price. A customer who cannot will haggle.

Payment terms

• Deposit — many wallers take 25 per cent on acceptance for materials. State if you do.
• Stage payments — on jobs over a fortnight, a midway payment. State the trigger ("payable on completion of foundation course").
• Final payment — payable within 7 days, or 14, or 30. State it. "Payable on completion" is too loose for some customers.
• Bank details — sort code and account number, payable to your trading name.
• Late payment terms — interest at the statutory rate (currently Bank of England base + 8% per the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, if both parties are businesses). Most jobs you will never invoke this. Having it in writing changes the conversation.

RAMS reference

A single line: "Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS) for this job available on request." For farm, estate, council and contractor jobs you will be asked for it. Have a generic RAMS template you can adapt in 15 minutes — height work, manual handling, plant operation, public proximity, weather curtailment.

Site-specific conditions

Anything that will affect the price or programme if it changes:

• "Quote assumes road access within 10 metres of the wall."
• "Quote assumes existing wall stone is 80 per cent reclaimable. Significant under-recovery may require additional stone at £XX/tonne."
• "Quote assumes no excavation below 300mm. Unexpected services or rock will be discussed before continuing."
• "Quote excludes Chapter 8 traffic management — required for any roadside section, see separate cost."

Insurance and accreditation

• Public liability cover and sum insured (typically £2m to £5m).
• Employer's liability if you have anyone working for you.
• DSWA grading if you have it. See the DSWA day rate guide.
• CSCS or relevant card if you are quoting on a construction site.

Sign-off

• Your name and signature (or a clear "Quote prepared by:").
• An acceptance line: "To accept, sign and return, or reply by email confirming acceptance."
• A line stating the quote becomes a contract on acceptance.

What to leave off

• Sentences that sound like marketing. The quote is a financial document.
• Vague phrases like "all materials included". Specify which materials.
• "Plus VAT where applicable". State whether VAT applies.
• Anything you cannot back up if the customer pushes back on it.

FastQuote produces a quote in this shape from a few inputs — measurements, day rate, tonnage, VAT registration status. The document that comes out has the structure above, so nothing important gets left off because you forgot.

Related: Cost per metre · DSWA-style day rates · Chapter 8 traffic management