Why Getting 3 Quotes Might Be the Worst Way to Start Your Renovation

“Get three quotes.”

It’s the most recycled piece of renovation advice in Australia. You’ll hear it from friends, real estate agents, well-meaning tradies, and online forums. It sounds smart. Balanced. Protective.

But what if this age-old advice is steering you off course?

What if getting three quotes is actually wasting your time, setting your budget up to fail, and putting your entire renovation at risk?

It might sound dramatic, but once you look under the hood of how quoting usually works — and how little structure exists in most renovation briefs — it becomes obvious:

Getting three quotes is not a plan. It’s often three contractors pricing three different jobs with three completely different ideas of what you want.

Let’s break it down.

1. Three Quotes = Three Different Scopes

Let’s say you want to renovate your bathroom. You reach out to three local builders or bathroom renovation companies and ask for a quote.

You might assume they’ll all be quoting the same work.

But in reality:

• One assumes you’re going for budget fixtures and no layout changes
• Another prices in mid-range inclusions and structural modifications
• The third adds luxury fittings and relocates the toilet to optimise flow

So what you get are:

• Three different scopes
• Three different inclusion lists
• Three timelines based on three sets of assumptions
• And three vastly different prices that make comparison impossible

You haven’t received quotes for one job. You’ve received quotes for three different jobs.

Even worse, none of them may actually reflect what you had in mind — because what you had in mind was never clearly scoped to begin with.

2. Most Renovation Briefs Are Too Vague

Homeowners usually approach quoting with a vague idea like:

“We want to update the bathroom.“

But haven’t thought through:

• Are we keeping the plumbing layout?
• What kind of tiles, fittings, or waterproofing system do we want?
• Is demolition included?
• Who removes the waste?
• Are we painting? Tiling full walls? What about lighting?

So, the contractor does their best to fill in the gaps.

• One assumes you want basic finishes.
• Another includes premium ranges.
• A third removes all joinery and includes retiling the floor.

You get quotes with different assumptions and different cost bases. It looks like pricing chaos — but it’s really a briefing problem.

3. Underquoting Wins, Transparency Loses

Let’s be honest. The quote that often wins is the one that looks cheapest.

But cheaper rarely means better. It often means:

• Incomplete scope: Basic works are included, but crucial items are left out
• Low allowances: That quote for tapware? Only covers $99 mixers
• Hidden variations: Anything not in writing gets added later at higher cost

Meanwhile, the honest contractor who included everything? They look expensive and lose the job — even though they were the only one showing you the full picture.

In the traditional quoting system, you can be penalised for being transparent.

4. It Wastes Everyone’s Time

Quoting takes time. Site visits. Measurements. Material take-offs. Back-and-forth emails.

For contractors, this can mean hours (or days) spent quoting jobs that go nowhere.

For homeowners, it often leads to:

• Weeks of delays just collecting quotes
• Confusion comparing what’s actually included
• Decision paralysis due to inconsistent formats

Most importantly, you can waste months chasing quotes when what you really needed was a proper plan first.

5. A Better Way: Scope First, Quote Second

The smarter way to renovate isn’t to get three quotes.

It’s to get one detailed scope that outlines what you actually want — and then get that scoped job priced fairly.

That’s exactly what AIreno helps you do.

We flipped the process to work better for both sides:

Step 1: Start with the project type

Bathroom, kitchen, extension, painting, flooring — all mapped out.

Step 2: Answer a guided scope builder

Layout changes? Finish level? Demolition? Waterproofing? It’s all covered.

Step 3: Get an instant price estimate

Backed by real contractor data and national market rates.

Step 4: Review your detailed scope

Itemised, editable, and tailored to your goals.

Step 5: Get matched to contractors (optional)

If you decide to move forward, AIreno can connect you with qualified builders who agree to complete your project for the fair market rate we’ve already calculated.

This ensures pricing is consistent, transparent, and based on a scope that both sides understand. No inflated estimates, no guessing, no surprises.

You don’t compare three vague quotes — you start with a clear scope and a fair price, and then select the right team to deliver it.

Why Homeowners Love It

With AIreno, you’re not just estimating. You’re planning.

• 🎯 You know your real renovation cost range before quotes
• 🔧 You can toggle scope items on/off to match your budget
• 📋 You control the brief and stay in the driver’s seat
• ⏳ You save hours (and days) comparing vague quotes
• 🧘 You avoid the stress of missed items and mid-job blowouts

Whether it’s a $25K bathroom or a $150K extension, planning your scope first changes everything.

Why Contractors Love It Too

Great tradies want to focus on building — not chasing leads or quoting flaky jobs.

With AIreno:

• ✅ They get scoped jobs with clear expectations
• ✅ They know what to price for, and what the customer wants
• ✅ They compete on skill, not who forgets the most line items
• ✅ They spend less time quoting, more time building

And because customers are better informed, conversations are smoother, outcomes are cleaner, and there’s less backtracking.

Good trades win more of the right jobs. Homeowners make better decisions. Everyone wins.

What AIreno Gives You (For Free)

We built AIreno to eliminate guesswork from the quoting process.

Inside the AIreno Planner, you’ll find:

• 📊 Instant quote calculators for bathrooms, kitchens, flooring, extensions and more
• 📋 Editable scopes built around your goals
• 🛠️ AI-powered quote builder backed by market data
• 🧾 Detailed checklists to avoid missed steps
• 📈 ROI calculator to understand resale value gains
• 👷 Verified contractor matching based on scope, not guesswork

It’s not just a tool. It’s a better system.

Final Thought: The Market’s Changed. Your Approach Should Too.

In the past, getting three quotes made sense. We didn’t have digital tools. There was no way to price a job online. Planning meant ringing three tradies and seeing what happened.

But today?

• You can scope a project with professional precision from your laptop.
• You can get real pricing in seconds.
• You can download planning checklists and ROI models instantly.

And most importantly, you can stop comparing three guesses and start making informed decisions.

If you’re serious about doing your renovation right:

👉 Start with AIreno: www.aireno.com.au/planner