Getting a shed quote feels straightforward. You do the research, figure out the size you need, get a few quotes, compare the numbers, and pick the best deal.
The problem is that many shed quotes include a figure for erection costs that isn't actually fixed. It's listed as a provisional sum, which is essentially a placeholder, and it can turn what looked like a competitive price into a significantly larger bill than expected.
A provisional sum (sometimes called a PS or an estimated allowance) is an educated guess at what a particular cost might be. It's included in a quote to give the appearance of a complete price, but it's not fixed. The final amount can, and often does, change.
In the shed industry, erection costs are one of the most common line items listed this way. A competitor might hand you a shed quote that looks great on paper, but buried in the fine print is a note that the erection cost is a provisional sum, meaning you'll need to arrange that part separately with a builder, at whatever rate they charge.
You don't find that out until you're already committed.
Ready to get a quote that actually tells you what you'll pay? Request a quote with Standwell today.
When you're comparing prices from different suppliers, you're generally assuming you're comparing apples with apples. But if one quote includes a fixed erection price and another includes a provisional sum, you're not comparing the same thing at all.
Once you've gone ahead with a supplier whose quote included a provisional erection cost, you then have to contact builders separately to get that part priced. Depending on your location, site access, complexity of the build, or simply the going rate in your area, that erection cost can come in considerably higher than the figure in your original quote. By that point, you've often already paid a deposit, and walking away means losing money.
It's a frustrating position to be in, especially when you thought you'd done everything right by shopping around.
Shed erection isn't a flat-rate service. Builders factor in things like:
This means the provisional sum in a quote might be based on ideal conditions that simply don't apply to your property. For customers in regional areas or on difficult sites, the gap between the provisional figure and the actual quote from a builder can be substantial.
When you're searching for shed quotes, this is something worth specifically checking for before you make any decisions.
At Standwell, our pricing includes a fixed erection cost. What you see in your quote is what you pay, full stop. We don't hand you a number and then tell you to sort out the build yourself.
If, for any reason, the erection ends up costing more than anticipated (unexpected site challenges, for example), we would communicate with you before proceeding, so there are no surprises.
This approach matters because building a shed is supposed to be straightforward. You've got enough to think about without having to chase down separate contractors and cross your fingers that the final tally lines up with what you budgeted.
If you're shopping around (and there's nothing wrong with that), here are a few things to check before taking any online shed quote at face value:
Look for the words "provisional sum", "estimated allowance", "PS", or "subject to builder pricing" anywhere near the erection or installation costs. If you see them, ask directly whether the erection is included at a fixed price or whether you'll need to arrange that separately.
Also worth asking: who is responsible if the erection costs more than quoted? The answer to that question alone will tell you a lot about how much confidence the supplier has in their own pricing. Our guide to compare shed quotes has further information and tips on how to compare different quotes.
A genuine fixed-price quote should leave no ambiguity. You should know exactly what you're paying before you commit to anything.
A low headline price on a shed quote can be genuinely good value, or it can be the start of a process that ends up costing you more than a higher quote would have. The difference often comes down to whether the erection is fixed or provisional.
At Standwell, we built our quoting process around transparency because that's what we'd want if we were the customer. No surprises, no chasing builders, no discovering mid-project that the budget's blown out.
Ready to get started? Build your perfect shed with Standwell's online shed builder.