An estimating mistake costs either your margin or the client. This guide sums up the steps Latvian contractors use in practice.
1. Work list and quantities
Start with a full work breakdown and measure quantities. Material amounts are easy to get with our construction calculators.
2. Prices: materials, labour, machinery
Split material and labour costs per line — the estimate stays transparent and easy to adjust. Include transport and tool hire under machinery.
3. Overheads, profit, contingency
Overheads typically run 8–15%, planned profit 10–20% depending on risk; add a 5–10% contingency on renovation work.
4. VAT and formatting
Add 21% VAT (or apply the construction reverse charge between VAT payers), then format with company details, date and validity. The generator does all of this automatically.