Hourly rate versus fixed quote: which works out cheaper?

Why small jobs run on an hourly rate

A shelf that needs hanging, a dripping tap, a door that sticks, flat-pack furniture that needs building: these jobs are quick to describe but hard to price exactly in advance, because nobody knows what is behind the wall or inside the box until the work starts. Hourly billing fits this well.

Odd jobs from 39 € per hour, with a minimum of one hour and 30-minute steps after that, mean you pay for the time actually spent and nothing else. If the tap takes twenty minutes past the hour, you pay for that half-hour, not for a padded estimate built to cover every possible complication.

Furniture assembly works the same way, at the same rate from 39 € per hour. A straightforward wardrobe might take under an hour; a run of fitted kitchen units takes longer. Hourly billing means the price simply follows the work, rather than either side guessing.

Why larger jobs get a fixed quote instead

Once a job has enough moving parts, an hourly rate stops being useful to either party. A flat renovation, for instance, involves a sequence of trades, materials bought at the right time, and a rough sense from the start of how many days the whole thing will take. Nobody wants an open-ended hourly bill for a three-week job.

Flat renovation is quoted from 180 € per job, as a fixed figure worked out after we have seen the flat or reviewed photos and a description of what you want done. That figure is what you pay, not an estimate that creeps upward as the job proceeds.

A fixed quote also forces the scope to be written down properly before anyone picks up a tool. That is useful for you as much as for us: it means you know exactly what is and is not included, and can compare it against another quote on equal terms.

What happens if hourly work turns out bigger than expected

Sometimes a job billed by the hour reveals more than the original description suggested — rot behind a skirting board, wiring that needs a proper look, a fixing point that turns out to be plasterboard rather than masonry. This is the normal risk of hourly work, and it cuts both ways.

The honest approach is to stop and tell you what has been found, what it would take to sort out, and roughly how much more time that adds, before carrying on. You decide whether to go ahead there and then or deal with it separately.

If what started as a small hourly job turns out to be substantial once opened up, it sometimes makes more sense to switch to a fixed quote for the remainder, so you have a firm figure rather than an open hourly meter running on unexpected work.

Which model we would choose for a typical Tallinn flat or house

For anything you could describe in a sentence or two and expect to take an hour or two — a single repair, hanging a mirror, assembling a bed — hourly billing is simpler and usually cheaper, because you are not paying for a margin built in to cover unknowns.

For anything with several stages, several trades, or a firm budget you need to stick to — a bathroom refit, redoing a hallway, a full flat renovation — a fixed quote is worth the extra step of getting someone to look at it first, because it turns a rough idea into a number you can actually plan around.

In between, the honest answer is to ask. If you describe the job and it is not obvious which model fits, say so, and expect a straight answer about why one is suggested over the other rather than a rate quoted without explanation.

What a proper quote should always spell out

Whichever model applies, a quote worth trusting is written down clearly rather than agreed by phone and forgotten. It should be specific enough that you would notice if the finished job did not match it.

A fixed quote stays valid for 30 days, giving you time to compare it against another without pressure. Materials bought on your behalf carry a 10 % handling fee on top of their cost, which should be stated up front, or you can supply them yourself and avoid it entirely.

• Whether the price is hourly or fixed, and the rate or total sum
• What exactly is included, and what would count as extra work
• Who is supplying materials, and the handling fee if we buy them
• How long a fixed quote remains valid
• That the invoice itemises hours and work, sent by email, payable within 7 days
• That our own work carries a 24-month guarantee, separate from wear and tear