Been building StructPro after watching too many first-time self-builders sign off on quotes 20-40% higher than they should've been — not because the contractor was doing anything illegal, just because nobody checked the numbers.

A few things I learned digging into this space:

• Most inflated quotes hide in 'unknowns' — vague line items like 'finishing works' or 'miscellaneous' with no breakdown

• Material costs are usually marked up 15-30% above local supplier prices, and most people never check

• Labor estimates often assume worst-case timelines — padding the quote by weeks of labor that won't actually happen

• A second opinion, even a quick one, catches most of this before you sign anything

Started offering cost estimate reviews for exactly this reason — send us your quote, we tell you what's fair and what's not. If you're mid-build and unsure about a quote, happy to point you in the right direction even if StructPro isn't the right fit.