PLANNING & ADVICE

How to Prepare Your Home Before a Site Visit or Quote

A well-prepared site visit gets you a faster, more accurate quote. Here's what to have ready before a contractor walks through your door.

A well-prepared site visit gets you a faster, more accurate quote — and it's almost entirely in your control. Here's what to have ready before a contractor walks through your door.

Before the contractor arrives

• Clear access to the work area — move furniture or clutter that would block a proper look at the space.
• Gather any existing plans or photos — even old renovation photos or a rough sketch help more than you'd think.
• Separate your must-haves from nice-to-haves — this alone speeds up scoping significantly. See our free Cost Estimator for a starting ballpark before the visit.
• Think through your rough budget range — you don't need an exact number, but a range helps a contractor scope options that actually fit.

Questions worth having ready to ask

• Who will actually be on-site day-to-day?
• Is the quote itemised, or a single lump sum?
• What happens if something unexpected is found once work starts?
• What's a realistic timeline, and what could extend it?

These are the same questions we cover in more depth in how to choose a reliable construction company — worth a read if you're comparing more than one contractor.

What to point out during the walkthrough

• Any known issues — past leaks, cracks, or electrical quirks, even ones that seem unrelated to the current job.
• Anything you've already tried to fix yourself — this helps a contractor understand what they're actually walking into.
• Shared walls, neighbours, or body corporate rules that might affect access or noise timing.

Documents worth having on hand

• Existing building plans, if the project involves structural work — see our building plans and permits guide.
• Previous Electrical Compliance Certificates (C.O.C), if available.
• Body corporate or HOA rules, if you're in a complex or estate.

What a proper site visit should look like from the other side

A good contractor uses the site visit to actually assess conditions — access, existing wiring/plumbing, structural elements — not just to hand you a number on the spot. If a quote comes back within minutes of a walkthrough with no real inspection, that's worth being cautious about. See our guide on why an online estimate differs from an actual quote for more on what a real assessment accounts for.