How to describe a job so the quote you get back is accurate

Why a thin description ends up costing more on the day

A fixed quote is a promise about a specific job. If the description leaves out the size of the room, the type of wall, or whether there is old tiling underneath, the quote is really a guess dressed up as a number. The moment the real conditions turn out to be different, the price has to move with them.

This is not padding or bad faith on either side. A shelf that needs fixing to plasterboard takes different fixings and different time than the same shelf on a solid brick wall in a 1930s Kalamaja house. A tap that needs replacing behind a boxed-in pipe in a panel flat bathroom takes longer than one in the open. None of that is visible in a one-line request.

The fix is simple: give the person quoting the same information they would gather by standing in the room. That is what the rest of this guide sets out to help you do.

What to measure before you send the request

Measurements turn a description into something someone can actually price. For anything involving furniture, shelving or fittings, measure width, height and depth in centimetres, and note the wall type if you know it: concrete panel, brick, plasterboard, or old wooden lath-and-plaster.

For flooring, tiling or painting, measure the floor area or wall area in square metres, and mention the ceiling height if the job involves reaching it. For plumbing or electrical points, the distance from the nearest existing pipe or socket matters more than the size of the fitting itself.

If you are not sure a measurement is relevant, include it anyway. A number that turns out not to matter costs nothing; a missing one usually means a second message back and forth, or a price that has to be revised once the job is seen in person.

Which photos actually show the real situation

One close-up photo of the broken part is rarely enough. A useful set includes a wide shot of the whole room or wall for scale, a mid-distance shot of the specific area, and a close-up of any damage, fitting or surface detail that affects the work.

For anything involving access — a radiator behind a sofa, a socket behind a wardrobe, a leak under a cabinet — take the photo with the obstruction visible, not moved out of the way. That is the condition the job will actually start in.

Natural light or a room light switched on beats a flash photo taken in the dark. A photo taken straight on, not at an angle, gives a truer sense of size and distance, which matters more than it sounds.

• A wide shot of the room or wall, showing scale
• A mid-distance shot of the specific area needing work
• A close-up of damage, fittings, or the surface material
• Any obstruction left in place, not moved for the photo
• A shot of the fuse box or stopcock if the job is electrical or plumbing
• Something for scale in close-ups: a coin, a tape measure, a hand

What a tradesman needs to know about access and timing

Beyond the job itself, three practical details change how long something takes and therefore what it costs: how to get in, when you are available, and who else needs to know. If you are not home during the day, say whether a neighbour, a building manager, or a lockbox will provide access.

For flats in a korteriühistu, mention if the building entrance is coded, if the lift is out of use, or if parking near the building is restricted — all of this affects how long it takes to simply arrive with tools and materials.

Say roughly when you would like the work done and how much flexibility you have. A job that must happen on one specific evening is harder to slot in than one that can happen sometime in the next two weeks.

Where to go if the description still won't come together

Some jobs genuinely resist being described in a message. A damp patch of unknown origin, a noise that only happens sometimes, or a renovation with several interconnected jobs are all cases where measurements and photos only get you so far.

For small, self-contained jobs — hanging shelves, fixing a door, patching a wall — odd jobs are billed by the hour from 39 €, and a slightly incomplete description just means the first few minutes on site are spent confirming what was already suspected.

For a flat renovation with several rooms or trades involved, it is normally worth arranging a proper look before a fixed quote from 180 € is given, since a written description cannot capture everything that a walk-through does. Regular office and building maintenance, priced from 49 € per hour, tends to be quoted more loosely from the start, since the scope is often ongoing rather than a single fixed job.