Bids only compare once they cover the same job.
Three quotes for one kitchen can sit thousands apart for reasons that have little to do with price. Line them up by scope first, and the totals start to mean something.
Why quotes are hard to hold side by side.
Every quote is laid out the way its author likes to write it, grouped in its own order, with their own idea of what is in and what is out. A total is the last line of that document, and on its own it hides most of what matters.
Three things do most of the hiding.
Different scopes
One contractor prices the demolition and the haul-away. Another assumes you will handle them, and says so in a sentence on page three.
Allowances inside the total
A quote can carry $4,800 for countertops before the slab is chosen. If the slab you pick comes to $6,200, the extra $1,400 is yours, and the total never showed that figure was a placeholder.
Lines that are simply missing
Permits, drywall patching after the electrician, cleanup. A line that is absent looks like savings until the invoice for it arrives.
Put the example bids side by side, then change them.
Three example bids for the labor and trades on a kitchen. Change any figure, or leave a line out of a bid, and the totals and the comparison redo themselves on the spot.
As it stands: Bid 3 has the smallest total and four empty lines. Bids 1 and 2 cover every line and sit $650 apart.
This page lines up three bids. In the app, Cobblewood Plus lines up as many as five.
| Line | Bid 1 | Bid 2 | Bid 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demolition | |||
| Electrical | |||
| Plumbing | |||
| Drywall and paint | |||
| Carpentry and install | |||
| Permits | |||
| Haul-away | |||
| Total as quoted | $23,000 | $23,650 | $16,800 |
| Lines left out or blank | none | none | 4 of 7 |
| Apples to apples: missing lines priced from the other bids | $23,000, nothing missing | $23,650, nothing missing | $22,850 to $23,500 |
| Against the lowest complete bid | this is the lowest complete bid | $650 more | $150 less to $500 more, once priced in |
Bid 3 leaves out 4 of 7 lines. As quoted it is $6,200 less than the lowest complete bid; with those lines priced from the other bids it is $150 less to $500 more.
How the comparison works: any line a bid leaves out or leaves blank is priced at what the other bids charge for that same line, lowest to highest, which is why it shows as a range. It is arithmetic on the figures above, not an estimate of what the work costs and not a verdict on any bid.
Your numbers, written down. Not an estimate.
How Cobblewood lines them up in the app.
Name the lines once
Write the scope as lines before the first quote arrives, so every bid is entered against the same list.
Enter each quote against them
Type in each figure where it belongs. A line the quote does not price is marked left out, not left blank.
Mark the allowances
Flag any figure that is a placeholder, so a low number for a finish is not mistaken for a firm price.
Read the gaps
The lineup shows each quote as written and with its gaps priced from the others. What you do with that is up to you.
Free keeps the budget and the log for one project. Plus, at $7 a month or $60 a year, lines up as many as five bids at once. Pricing
| Demolition | left out |
|---|---|
| Electrical | $3,600 |
| Plumbing | $3,300 |
| Drywall and paint | left out |
| Carpentry and install | $9,900 |
| Permits | left out |
| Haul-away | left out |
| Priced lines | $16,800 |
Four lines marked left out. They stay on the sheet, so the gap stays visible.
Your numbers, written down. Not an estimate.
What to ask for in every bid.
Your checklist for each quote before it goes into the lineup. A bid that covers all six is one you can set against the others line for line.
If a quote is missing something, ask for it in writing, then enter the answer where it belongs.
Tick through it as you read a quote. This page keeps nothing.
The figures are laid out. The choice stays with you.
Cobblewood never rates, ranks, recommends or names a contractor, and never speaks for any bid. The lineup shows what each quote covers and what the gaps imply. Which contractor you hire is your decision alone.
