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Extra costs are the part that surprises many clients most — not because extras are unusual, but because the initial quotation usually only prices a good-substrate scenario with an unchanged scope. This article lists seven common groups of extras, how to spot each one early, and three principles for handling them so extras do not turn into disputes. This article gives no general extra-cost figure, because an extra can only be priced under the contract and the written record of each project.
How does an extra differ from a missing quotation item?
A missing quotation item is work that should have been in the original scope but was left out. An extra is work outside the original scope, or actual conditions different from the conditions found in the initial survey. Telling the two apart matters greatly, because who pays differs by contract: an item omitted from a full-package scope usually falls to the quoting party, while work outside the scope usually needs a separate agreement.
So before discussing extra money, check the quotation and the contract: is that item inside the signed scope? If yes, it is not an extra but work to be done within the package. If no, it is an extra that needs agreement.
Seven common groups of extras
1. Substrate worse than the initial survey found
Hidden damp, hidden cracks, old coatings peeling, or oil contamination only appear when the floor is ground. This is the most common group of extras, and it is why a thorough substrate survey before quotation matters so much. Early warning signs: damp marks, oil marks, old paint layers, or areas previously repaired.
2. Increased area or re-measured quantities
The actual re-measured area differs from the area on the drawing, or the method for counting corners, columns, and wall bases was not fixed from the start. This extra can be prevented by fixing the measurement rules before work starts and confirming measurements before the final coat.
3. Changing system, thickness, or colour midway
Switching from a roller system to a self-levelling system, increasing thickness, or changing colour after part of the work is done all change materials and labour. Any such change must be agreed before the changed portion is carried out, not agreed afterwards.
4. Changed site conditions
Late handover of the work area, out-of-hours work, split shifts because production cannot stop, or work in temperatures and humidity outside the plan. This group usually creates extra labour and schedule costs, and must be recorded in writing as soon as conditions change.
5. Additional requirements outside the scope
Line marking, wall bases, extra slip resistance, added anti-static requirements, or extra areas outside the original scope. These requirements are reasonable, but they must be priced separately, not blurred into the original package.
6. Transport and waste handling
Grinding waste, packaging, and surplus materials must be collected and handled. If the original quotation did not state who bears this part, it will become a disputed extra at the end of the project.
7. Fixing damage from wrong use of the area while curing
Walking on the floor, placing heavy objects, or driving vehicles on a coat that is not yet ready for service causes defects that must be repaired. Whoever caused the damage while curing bears the repair cost, and this must be written into the handover record for each stage.
Three principles for handling extras
Stop before doing the extra portion
When conditions differ from the survey, or a requirement falls outside the scope, stop that portion of work and confirm with the other side. Doing the work first and then reporting the extra removes the ability to verify it.
Put it in writing before doing the work
An extra-cost record must state the cause, the quantity, the paint system and thickness applied, and how the cost is calculated under the contract. A verbal note or a vague message is not enough as a basis for payment.
Agree the price before doing the work
The extra price must be agreed before the extra portion is carried out, based on rates already fixed in the contract where they exist, or on a new agreement where no rate exists. Doing the work first and negotiating the price afterwards is when disputes break out most easily.
Extra-cost clauses a contract should contain
- Quantity measurement rules and how extra area is calculated.
- The rates applied to extras, or how a rate is set when none exists.
- The procedure for written records and the deadline for confirming them.
- How to handle disagreement about the cause of an extra.
- How an agreed extra is included in a payment instalment.
For how to read a quotation to spot items most likely to become extras, compare the article on what a full-package 1mm self-levelling epoxy quote includes and the RollCoat, LevelFlow, StatGuard, and AquaBase systems.
Budgeting for extras by principle, not by a general figure
This article gives no general contingency figure for every project, because a sensible contingency depends on how certain the substrate survey is and how settled the scope is. The principle is: the more thorough the survey and the more tightly the scope is locked, the lower the contingency needed; a substrate not yet surveyed thoroughly, or a scope still open, needs a higher contingency, recorded clearly in the internal budget plan — not written into the contractor’s quotation as a default line.
Frequently asked questions
Must the contractor bear every extra?
No. Extras caused by actual conditions differing from the survey, by scope changes from the client, or by changed site conditions usually need a separate agreement. Only items inside the signed full-package scope fall to the contractor within that package.
Is every extra chargeable?
No. An extra is only chargeable when there is a written record and an agreement under the contract. Work inside the signed scope is not an extra, even if the contractor omitted it when quoting.
Does a thorough survey eliminate extras?
Not entirely, but it reduces them greatly. A thorough survey removes most substrate extras, which are the most common group. Extras from scope changes can only be locked down by a tight contract, not by a survey.
How should I budget for extras?
Budget by principle: based on how certain the survey is and how settled the scope is. Do not take a general figure from another article and apply it to your project without checking the actual site condition.
Next step: request a quotation with clear extra-cost clauses before signing, via the quotation page or the contact page (Hotline/Zalo 0899355489, WeChat wxid_95o54joujyrr12).
