What does the price per square metre cover?
If a quote says only ‘install flooring’ and gives a square-metre rate, its scope may be unclear. Does it cover installation labour on an already prepared subfloor? Are the covering, cutting or underlay included? Ask for the assumptions and included tasks to be described explicitly.
Germany’s Verbraucherzentrale recommends detailed descriptions of work and materials, with scope, timing and payment agreed in writing where possible. For a floor replacement, it helps to divide the job into items you can check.
Every task does not have to carry a separate charge. A package price can cover several tasks if it clearly identifies them. Mark each required item as included, quoted separately, supplied by you or still unresolved.
Look for these items in the quote
This table is a checklist for your intended scope. It does not prescribe a billing method, and not every property needs every item.
| Item | What should be described | Question for the contractor |
|---|---|---|
| Clearing and protection | Furniture, clear working areas and protection of existing fittings | What do I prepare myself and what do you handle? |
| Removal | The old coverings and skirting to be removed | Does this cover the flooring alone or also dealing with existing adhesive residues? |
| Subfloor | The planned assessment and preparation already specified | What has been assessed and what can only be quoted once exposed? |
| Materials and accessories | Covering, product identification, quantity and required system accessories | Who supplies each component and checks its suitability? |
| Installation | Rooms, laying method, quantities and agreed cutting | Which recesses, cut-outs or special laying patterns are included? |
| Skirting | Specification, length, fixing method and connecting pieces | Are supply, cutting and fitting included? |
| Transitions and edges | Location, number and specification of required profiles | How are doorways and different floor levels addressed? |
| Travel and logistics | Delivery, carrying routes, floors and planned visits | Which additional trips or carrying tasks might be charged? |
| Removal from site and finishing | Packaging, old material and the agreed final condition | Who handles transport, disposal and the agreed cleaning? |
Distinguish material supply from installation
Where possible, identify the intended covering by manufacturer, range and specification. ‘Vinyl’ or ‘parquet’ alone may be too broad for a meaningful comparison. The quote should show whether the contractor supplies materials or only installs products you provide.
The floor build-up may require other components. Any underlay, adhesive or moisture barrier must be appropriate for the particular product. MEISTER, for example, notes that some laminate models have integrated impact-sound insulation and do not need an additional separate acoustic underlay.
If buying materials yourself, agree who checks the order, where products should be stored and when they need to arrive. Also record how missing parts, unsuitable deliveries or additional purchasing trips will be handled.
Treat subfloor preparation as a separate question
‘Subfloor must be prepared’ states a prerequisite, but does not itself commission that preparation. Ask who assesses the condition, which tasks have already been priced and what remains unresolved until an inspection or removal of the old covering.
For proposed preparation, request a clear description of the area, method and materials. A general allowance without a defined scope is difficult to compare with the agreed result later. Any specialist work needs to be clarified with a suitable contractor.
If old materials or other findings have not yet been assessed, the quote should identify that uncertainty. Agree which investigation comes first and how any additional work will then be described and priced. ‘To be checked’ does not mean further work is already included.
Read square metres, linear metres and item counts separately
Room area, material order quantity and billed installation area may differ. Ask for an explanation: which area was measured, what cutting allowance is planned for the materials and which quantity the labour rate uses? A material allowance should not silently become the basis for a different charge.
Skirting may be quoted in linear metres, profiles by item or length, and travel as a flat charge. Check each item against its own unit. For time-based work, agree the rate and which tasks will be recorded.
A quantity-only example: two rooms are provisionally listed as 30 m² of floor, 28 linear metres of skirting and three transition profiles. Skirting length and profiles are separate figures; they cannot be derived from the 30 m² alone. The contractor must verify quantities and the actual specification. This example contains no market prices.
Clarify doorways, access and additional work early
Show recesses, radiator pipes, built-in furniture, doors and transitions in your enquiry. Ask which adjustments are included in the installation rate. Do not infer alterations to door leaves, special profiles or another specialist’s work from the words ‘install flooring’ alone.
An occupied room, numerous small areas or a long carrying route can change how the work is organised. Describe whether furniture needs moving in stages and whether deliveries will be carried to the work area. Ask for the effects on timing and possible extra items to be identified.
Agree how questions will be handled if further work becomes apparent on site. Before additional tasks begin, ask for their description, price or calculation basis and effect on timing. Record the agreement you subsequently reach with the contractor in writing.
Six questions before making your decision
Alongside the individual items, check your total amount payable, the contractor’s stated VAT treatment and payment terms.
- Exactly which rooms, quantities and installation methods does this quote cover?
- Are the covering and accessories included or must I provide them?
- Which subfloor tasks have already been assessed and priced?
- Are skirting, profiles, carrying, removal from site and cleaning clearly allocated?
- Which quantities or tasks are provisional and how will changes be agreed?
- Who carries out the work and handles questions about the installation and invoice?
Request a referral for flooring work
Provide the location, rooms, approximate areas, photos, intended covering and known constraints. Say whether you will buy materials and which preparation you intend to handle. You can mark your own measurements as provisional.
HandMen provides online marketing and enquiry referrals. We name the specific independent partner and request your separate consent before passing on your information. The contractor prepares their own quote; the contract, work, invoice and payment are handled directly between you and that business. HandMen does not install floors or give its own price commitment for the work.
