Why your renovation price keeps going up after you sign

You signed at one number. Then come requests for extra electrical work, screeding or hacking. Missing items and vague lines can create surprises, but changes you request or genuinely hidden site conditions can also change the price. Compare the agreed scope before treating an extra charge as justified.

Where the extra cost comes from

• Missing items. If your project needs waterproofing, disposal, lift protection or permit work, check whether the quote includes it, excludes it or bundles it elsewhere. A missing line is a question to resolve, not proof that the work is required or costs extra.
• Vague lines. "Electrical works: S$1,200" without a point count leaves the scope unclear. "Tiling: lump sum" without an area or tile allowance makes comparison difficult. Ask for quantities, specifications and the agreed rate for changes.
• No proper site check. Ask what was inspected, measured and assumed about screed, walls, ceilings and pipe routes. Some conditions cannot be checked until work begins; agree how those findings will be documented and priced.
• Allowances set low. A tile or fitting allowance below what you will realistically choose makes the quote look cheap and moves the difference into variation orders.

Before you sign: five checks

1. Every main trade has its own line with a quantity: m² for tiling and painting, feet run for carpentry, number of points for electrical and plumbing.
2. Allowances are written down (for example S$/m² for tiles) and match what you plan to buy.
3. The quote states what is excluded. If it says nothing, ask in writing.
4. The firm did a site visit and noted the existing condition: hacking scope, screed, walls, ceiling, pipes.
5. The contract says variations need your written approval and a price before the work is done.

Compare 2 or 3 quotations row by row (method in how to compare renovation quotations). Mark each item as included, excluded, bundled or unclear. Ask each firm to price the same scope, quantities and specifications, including applicable GST, before comparing totals.

When the price goes up mid-project

• Ask for each variation in writing: the item, the quantity, the unit price, and why it wasn't in the original scope.
• Check it against the signed quotation, drawings and agreed changes. If it appears included already, ask the firm to explain the contractual basis for an extra charge.
• Ask to agree the price and approval of variations in writing before the extra work begins. Follow the signed payment terms; do not automatically withhold a contractual payment because a variation is disputed. Seek CASE or legal guidance on an unresolved dispute. Before signing, propose a schedule tied to finished stages: see deposits and progress payments.
• Keep dated photos and every message. If you can't settle it, CASE handles renovation disputes, and for HDB flats check the firm is on HDB's directory.

General information, not legal or financial advice.