If you have three quotes in front of you and one is thousands cheaper, the useful question is not why it is cheap. It is what it does not include.

We get asked to look over competitors’ quotes fairly often. The gaps are remarkably consistent, and they apply to patios and carports alike.

Council approval, left out entirely

The most common omission is the simplest. The quote covers the structure and nothing else.

Every carport needs building approval from a private building certifier, and so does virtually every patio. If approval is not itemised on the quote in front of you, either it has been left out or it is buried. On a standard job you are looking at roughly $1,100 to $1,400 depending on the council area, and more if your design needs a relaxation. Our guide to council approval for patios and carports explains when that applies.

Ask for it as a line item. Any builder who is doing this properly will have it there already, because it is a real cost they pay on your behalf.

Electrical work nobody looked at

The second gap is anything electrical. Connections, disconnections, and whatever happens to be in the way of the new structure.

“They’ll leave off electrical work, connections, disconnections. Maybe there’s electrical something in the way and they won’t flag it,” says Dave Paton, General Manager at Coastal Patios. “More times than not it’s just ignorance from builders that don’t look.”

The problem is what happens when the crew arrives. “Then they go to build it and go, oh well, we didn’t allow for it. That’s you paying for that, mate. That’s your house. I didn’t put it there.”

That is a variation, mid build, on a job you thought was fixed price.

Stormwater run to ground

The third is the expensive one, and it is the least visible on a quote.

A roof collects water. That water has to go somewhere. Most approvals require it to be connected to a legal point of discharge, which is a plumbing job. The shortcut is to run the downpipe to ground and leave it.

“They’ll sneak the stormwater to ground without telling the customer,” Dave says. Sometimes the customer has asked for it to save money, which is a different situation. Often they have no idea.

You find out later. Connecting it afterwards means a plumber and another $2,500 or more.

It is worth understanding why the requirement exists, because it is not council being officious. “The amount of water that was landing on the ground is now getting directed to one corner,” Dave says. “It’s the same amount of water. You’re not creating more water. It’s just directing it.” Directing it at your fence line is how you end up in a conversation with your neighbour, and then with council.

There are sites where discharge to ground is genuinely fine and gets approved that way, usually large blocks where the water has somewhere to go. That is a decision made at approval, not a corner cut at quoting.

Why there is a floor on price

Some of the cost of a job does not scale with its size.

“Your fees and your deliveries don’t change,” Dave says. “I’ve got the same truck delivering a 3×2 as I do a 9×10. It’s the same amount of paperwork. It’s the same council approval.”

That is why a quote well under $10,000 for a full supply and install job should prompt questions rather than celebration. The fixed costs are the same whatever the structure, so a very low total usually means something has been taken out rather than done more efficiently. For realistic starting prices by patio style, see our patio cost guide. Carport ranges are on our carports page.

How to compare quotes properly

Four questions will tell you most of what you need to know:

• Is council approval included and itemised?
• Is stormwater connected to a legal point of discharge, or run to ground?
• Has anyone looked at the electrical situation on site?
• Is any concrete or site preparation in the figure, or excluded?

Ask every builder the same four questions. The quotes usually converge considerably once you do.

This is also why we quote the way we do. The Complete Package covers design, approvals, stormwater connection and electrical in one quote, so there is nothing left to discover once the build starts.

Send us the quote

If you are holding a quote you are not sure about, send it through. We will tell you what we think is missing from it, whether or not you end up building with us.

Frequently asked questions

Why is one patio quote so much cheaper than the others?

Usually because something has been left out rather than done more efficiently. Council approval, electrical work and stormwater connection are the three most common omissions.

Should a patio or carport quote include council approval?

Yes. Every carport and virtually every patio needs building approval from a private certifier. On a standard Sunshine Coast job it costs around $1,100 to $1,400, and it should appear as its own line item.

What does it cost to connect patio stormwater later?

If a downpipe has been run to ground, connecting it to a legal point of discharge afterwards means bringing in a plumber, typically $2,500 or more.

How do I compare patio quotes fairly?

Ask every builder the same four questions: is approval itemised, is stormwater connected to a legal point of discharge, has the electrical been checked on site, and is concrete or site preparation included?