You priced the timber in March. The customer says yes in June. Here is how to make sure the difference does not come out of your wages.
3 November 2026 · 5 min read
The way to protect a quote from rising material prices is to agree, in writing and before the job starts, what happens if prices move. That means a clear validity date, materials priced as their own lines, and a short clause saying how increases are handled. Do that and a price rise becomes a conversation you planned for, not a loss you swallow.
Three habits do most of the work. Put a validity date on every quote, so an old price cannot be held against you months later. Show materials separately from labour, so if they move everyone can see exactly what changed. And buy early: once the customer accepts, take a deposit and order the materials straight away, so the price is locked in by the purchase. None of this is complicated; it just has to be done before work starts, not halfway through.
Every GraftG quote carries a “Valid until” date 30 days out. If a customer comes back after that, you are entitled to check prices and send a fresh quote, and you should, even if the new one comes out the same. It shows you price properly. See how quotes work.
For longer jobs, or materials you know are moving, add a line to your terms such as: “Materials are priced at today’s supplier prices. If a supplier increases a price before we order, we will show you the new invoice and adjust that line at cost, with no extra mark-up.” Keep it short, fair and clear. Consumer law expects terms to be transparent and fair to the customer, and a clause they understood before agreeing is much easier to stand behind than one buried in small print. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
A single lump-sum price hides where the money goes, so any later rise looks like you moving the goalposts. Separate lines for labour and each main material make the conversation easy: “the boiler went up £140, here is the supplier’s price.” If you add a margin on materials, our guide to marking up materials covers how to do it openly.
The surest protection is to buy before the price moves. Ask for a deposit when the quote is accepted and order the main materials the same week. On the Pro plan, GraftG can invoice a deposit the moment the quote is accepted. Ask your merchant too: many will hold a price in writing for a set period if you ask, especially on a trade account. And if the customer adds work midway, price it as a separate variation, as in our guide to extras and variations.
Only if your quote or terms allowed for it, or the customer agrees. That is why a validity date and a short price variation clause, agreed before work starts, matter so much. Without them, the safest course is to talk to the customer, show the supplier’s price and agree the change in writing.
Thirty days is common for domestic work and gives the customer time to decide. When material prices are moving fast, a shorter period, or a clause saying materials are priced on the day of order, protects you better.
Usually, yes. Separate lines make it clear what the customer is paying for and make any later price change easy to explain, rather than looking like a rise in your own rate.
Keep reading
Solo from £14/month — 14-day free trial. No app to install.