Pricing a barn conversion from drawings alone is a gamble. Existing wall thicknesses are rarely accurate on as-built surveys, drainage runs are seldom recorded, and the access route for plant and waste removal makes a meaningful difference to programme.

Across the Tamar Valley we’ve seen quotes increase by 15-25% post-contract because the original number didn’t reflect the realities of the site. None of that is anyone’s bad faith — it’s the inevitable consequence of pricing without walking the building.

Our process is to visit the site, photograph and measure, talk through the client’s finish preferences and only then start the take-off. The half-day on site nearly always saves a full week of re-pricing later.