The five we see again and again: not allowing for waste removal on rural sites; assuming standard 100mm wall build-ups when the existing fabric is anything but; under-pricing site set-up on access-restricted plots; forgetting builder’s work in connection with M&E sub-contractors; and pricing finishes before the client has chosen them.

Each one is a few hundred to a few thousand pounds in isolation. Together they’re the difference between a profitable job and a difficult one. A second pair of eyes on the take-off — even briefly — catches most of them.

If you want a structured checklist to run against your next price, we keep one and share it free with builder clients we work with regularly.