How to compare three renovation quotes that are all just one number

Three quotes land for your bathroom: $18,000, $26,000, $34,000. The instinct is to think you're looking at one project with three prices. After 19 years of being one of those three numbers, I can tell you what you're almost always actually looking at: three different projects wearing the same name. The spread is scope, not price — and until you normalize the scope, comparing the totals is comparing nothing.

Step one: write your own scope list first

Before re-reading any quote, write down every element of the project as you understand it: demolition, disposal, the heated floor, the niche in the shower, the exhaust fan upgrade, paint, the works. This list — not any contractor's document — is the measuring stick. It also surfaces your own assumptions, which is where most disputes are born.

Step two: score each quote against your list

Three columns, one per quote. For every item on your list, mark: explicitly included, explicitly excluded, or not mentioned. That third category is the important one — as the main guide puts it, never assume something is in the price because it was obvious or because it came up in conversation. Not mentioned means not priced until proven otherwise.

Step three: equalize the money basis

• Tax: put every total on the same HST basis — a tax-silent $58,000 may be more than a tax-included $63,000.
• Allowances: compare the allowance amounts directly. A low total carrying a $900 fixture allowance against a higher total carrying $3,000 hasn't saved you $2,100 — it's deferred it.
• Carried costs: who carries disposal, permits, and site protection in each price? These quietly account for thousands of the spread.

Step four: now read the outliers

With scope normalized, remaining spread is real, and outliers in both directions deserve suspicion. The persistent low number usually means something is still missing that you haven't found — missing scope doesn't disappear, it comes back later with a markup. The high number sometimes means a contractor who doesn't want the job and priced accordingly, and sometimes means the only one who actually read your project. The tiebreakers at this point aren't price at all: quality of the written scope, the exclusions list, the payment structure, insurance and WSIB proof, and how each contractor responds to your questions. The quote that survives that screen is usually the cheapest project — even when it isn't the cheapest quote.