How cost-plus renovation pricing works.
Open-book cost-plus means you pay what the work actually costs, materials and trades, plus a fee agreed in your contract before work starts. Nothing is hidden inside a single number: every cost is in front of you, with the paperwork to back it.
What you see on every invoice
Materials at cost
Every material is billed at what it cost, with the receipt attached.
Trade invoices at cost
Electrical, plumbing and other trade work is passed through at the trade's invoice.
Our fee, agreed up front
The fee is written into your contract before work starts, so you know how it works before anything is built.
What a cost-plus invoice looks like
The layout of a typical renovation invoice. The categories follow your written scope; each line shows where the cost comes from.
| Category | Line item | Billed as |
|---|---|---|
| Site prep & demolition | Protection, demolition, disposal | At cost, invoice attached |
| Framing | Lumber and fasteners | At cost, receipt attached |
| Insulation | Insulation and vapour barrier | At cost, receipt attached |
| Drywall & finishing | Board, tape, mud and labour | At cost, receipt or invoice attached |
| Trades | Electrical, plumbing and other trade work | Trade invoice at cost |
| Flooring & tile | Materials and installation | At cost, receipt or invoice attached |
| Trim, paint & fixtures | Materials and installation | At cost, receipt or invoice attached |
| Contractor fee | Ample Reno | As agreed in your contract |
| HST | Harmonized sales tax | 13% in Ontario, shown as its own line |
Payments in three milestones
Payments follow 50 / 40 / 10 milestones written into your contract, so you know when each one is due before work starts. Your contract is built around the Ontario Construction Act.
Change orders, signed first
If you add to the job or the scope shifts, we stop, write up a change order at the same markup as your contract, and you sign it before that work goes ahead.
Cost-plus vs. hourly billing vs. a verbal quote
What you see
- Open-book cost-plus
- Every material and trade cost, with receipts and invoices
- Hourly billing
- Hours worked, billed by the hour
- Vague verbal quote
- A single number, with no breakdown
What's included
- Open-book cost-plus
- A written, line-by-line scope before work starts
- Hourly billing
- Whatever the hours end up covering
- Vague verbal quote
- Whatever was said on the day
When things change
- Open-book cost-plus
- A change order at the same markup, signed before work continues
- Hourly billing
- More hours on the bill
- Vague verbal quote
- Changes and extras sorted out after the fact
| Compared on | Open-book cost-plus | Hourly billing | Vague verbal quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you see | Every material and trade cost, with receipts and invoices | Hours worked, billed by the hour | A single number, with no breakdown |
| What's included | A written, line-by-line scope before work starts | Whatever the hours end up covering | Whatever was said on the day |
| When things change | A change order at the same markup, signed before work continues | More hours on the bill | Changes and extras sorted out after the fact |
Cost-plus pricing questions.
01What is the fee, and when is it agreed?
Our fee is written into your contract before work starts, so it's agreed before any work begins. It's set out after the free site visit, once the scope is clear.
02Will I see the receipts?
Yes. Materials are billed at cost with receipts, and trade invoices are passed through at cost, so every line can be checked.
03What happens if the scope changes?
We write up a change order at the same markup as your contract, and you sign it before that work goes ahead.
04When are payments due?
Payments follow 50 / 40 / 10 milestones written into your contract, so you know when each one is due before work starts.
05Can you give me a price before seeing the space?
No. We don't quote numbers without seeing the space. Book a free site visit and we'll prepare a written, line-by-line scope.
See it for your project. Start with a free site visit.