Home Renovation Budgets: Contingency, Provisional Sums and Variations

When you receive a price for building work, the number on the front page is only part of the story. How the quote handles unknowns, choices not yet made and changes during the project has a big effect on what you finally pay.

Fixed items and provisional sums

A provisional sum is an allowance for something that cannot be priced accurately yet, such as a kitchen you have not chosen or work that depends on what is found when walls are opened. It is a placeholder, and the final cost may be higher or lower. Check how many provisional sums a quote contains and what they cover.

Contingency

A contingency is a separate reserve for the unexpected. Many projects hold a contingency of around ten to fifteen per cent, and older properties often justify the upper end of that range. It is not a spending target. If it is not used, it stays with you.

Variations

A variation is any change to the agreed scope, whether you ask for it or it becomes necessary on site. Good practice is to have each variation described, priced and agreed in writing before the work is carried out, so there are no surprises at the end.

Ways to keep control

• Make key choices such as kitchens, tiles and fittings before work starts

• Ask for provisional sums to be limited and clearly described

• Keep a contingency in your own budget, separate from the contract price

• Agree how payments are staged and what is due at each stage

• Review costs regularly with your contractor, not just at the end

Clarity from the start

A detailed scope, drawings and specification make quotes easier to compare and reduce the room for misunderstanding. Our building design service helps put that information in place before construction begins.

Thinking about a project in London? Get in touch with Tota Design & Build to talk it through.