Enter the price you were quoted and see in seconds how it compares with verified Northern Ireland 2026 ranges, researched from real NI trade quotes, not GB averages. VAT handled properly. Free, no signup.
Most cost calculators are built for the GB market, where prices run 10 to 20 per cent higher than Northern Ireland and the rules differ, from Building Control (no FENSA self-certification here) to the two thirds of NI homes heated by oil. This checker compares your quote against the NI Home Improvement Cost Index 2026: ranges compiled from written quotes gathered from Northern Ireland tradespeople, published NI installer pricing, and Republic of Ireland cross-checks, with every figure cited and review-dated. Nothing is a black box: each verdict links to the researched guide the range comes from.
Use it as a price checker before you accept a quote, as a cost calculator when you are budgeting a job and want the realistic NI range rather than a GB average, or as a sanity check when a quote feels too high or suspiciously cheap. It takes about 30 seconds, and the verdict comes with the checklist of what the quote should include and a ready-to-send message for negotiating.
The checker currently covers 8 job types, each backed by its own researched guide: kitchens, bathrooms, extensions, rewires, oil boilers and heating, re-roofs, windows and doors, and gas safety work. Checks are anonymous, and the aggregate pattern of what NI homeowners are being quoted feeds back into keeping the Index honest. When you are ready to hire, you can post the job free or browse vetted NI trades by category.
You pick the job, the spec, and enter the price you were quoted, including whether VAT is included. The tool compares your quote against verified 2026 Northern Ireland price ranges from the NI Home Improvement Cost Index, compiled from written NI trade quotes and published pricing, and tells you whether it is below, within or above the typical NI range. Unlike GB-wide calculators, every range is NI-specific: NI prices typically run 10 to 20 per cent below the GB mainland.
Every range comes from the NI Home Improvement Cost Index 2026, which is compiled from written quotes gathered from Northern Ireland tradespeople in 2026, published NI installer pricing, and Republic of Ireland cost guides as cross-checks. Each job type links to its source guide, which documents the full methodology, and every figure carries a review date. The data is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0, including the open datasets published alongside it.
Because in Northern Ireland it genuinely changes the answer. Many NI sole traders are below the VAT registration threshold and do not charge VAT at all, while larger firms add 20 per cent. A £10,000 quote plus VAT is a £12,000 job. The checker normalises for this before comparing, and extension benchmarks are handled excluding VAT, which is the build-cost convention.
Do not accept it without competition. A high quote is sometimes justified by difficult access or premium specification, but the only way to know is to have other trades price the same scope. You can post the job free on NI Trades and up to three vetted local tradespeople will express interest, so the market tells you whether the price is right.
Sometimes, but treat a very low quote with the same scrutiny as a very high one. Quotes far below the range often exclude materials, skip certification, or signal corner-cutting. Confirm the scope in writing line by line, verify insurance and credentials on the day of hire, and never pay a large deposit up front, our guide to hiring safely in NI covers the full checklist.