What to put in the exclusions section of a bathroom remodel proposal

Exclusions are the least exciting part of a proposal and the part that saves you the most money. A lot of the disputes tile contractors tell me about start with one sentence: "I thought that was included."

What is an exclusion, and why does it matter?

An exclusion is a plain statement of what's not in your price.

It matters because the homeowner fills every gap in your proposal with their own assumptions, and their assumptions are always in their favor. If your proposal doesn't say the glass door is by someone else, they'll assume you're handling it. If it doesn't say what happens when there's damage behind the wall, they'll assume it's on you.

A good exclusions list does three things:

• It sets expectations before money changes hands. Nobody's surprised later.
• It protects your margin. The work you didn't price doesn't quietly become work you do for free.
• It makes change orders normal. When something outside the scope comes up, you point at the line they already read. More on that in change orders for tile jobs.

What should a bathroom remodel proposal exclude?

Every job is different, so treat this as a starting list, not a template to paste blindly. Keep what applies to how you work and cut the rest.

Other trades

• Plumbing. Disconnecting and reconnecting fixtures, moving or replacing valves and drains, anything that needs a licensed plumber.
• Electrical. New outlets, lighting, fans, heated floor connections, anything that needs a licensed electrician.
• Glass. Shower doors and enclosures, unless you sub them and price them in.
• Carpentry and framing. Moving walls, building out new framing, anything structural.
• Drywall and paint outside the tile area. Patching, texture and paint above or beside the tile.

Hidden conditions

• Damage found after demo. Rot, water damage, mold or failed framing that couldn't be seen at the walkthrough. Say that you'll stop, show the homeowner, and price the fix as a change order before going further.
• Out-of-level or out-of-square conditions beyond what you'd normally correct as part of your prep. Keep this one plain and short.

Materials and fixtures

• Tile, if the homeowner is buying it. Say who orders it, who's responsible for quantity, and what happens if it arrives damaged or short.
• Fixtures and hardware. Vanity, toilet, faucets, shower valve trim, grab bars and accessories, unless you supply them.
• Matching existing tile. If you're patching or extending old tile, say you can't promise a match.

Site and logistics

• Permits and inspections, if the homeowner is pulling them or they're priced separately.
• Moving furniture, contents or appliances out of the work area.
• Dumpster or haul-away, if you don't include it.
• Work outside the bathroom, like protecting or repairing the hallway floor beyond normal care.

Anything the homeowner asked about but didn't commit to

If the homeowner floated a heated floor, a bench or a second niche and didn't decide, say it's not in this price and can be added. That one line heads off "I thought we talked about that."

How do you word exclusions so they don't sound defensive?

Write like you'd say it across the kitchen table. Short, calm, specific.

Sounds defensive:

Contractor shall not be liable for any and all pre-existing conditions, concealed defects or latent damage discovered during the course of work.

Sounds like a pro:

Hidden damage. If we find damage behind the walls or under the floor once demo is done, we'll stop, show you, and give you a written price to fix it before we go any further.

Same point, said plainly. One of them makes the homeowner nervous, and the other makes them feel taken care of. Have an attorney look over the terms your proposal relies on.

A few rules that keep the tone right:

• Pair the "no" with the "how." Don't just say plumbing is excluded. Say you can recommend a plumber, or coordinate one, if that's how you work.
• Skip the legal words. "By others" and "not included" are clear enough. Save the legal language for your terms, and have a professional review those.
• Keep the list short enough to read. Ten clear lines beat forty boilerplate ones nobody reads.

Where should exclusions go: line by line or at the end?

Use both.

On the line. If an exclusion belongs to one piece of work, put it right there. "Glass enclosure by others" goes on the shower line. "Tile supplied by client" goes on the floor line. The homeowner reads it in context, at the moment they're thinking about that part of the job.

At the end. Keep a short general list for things that apply to the whole job: hidden conditions, permits, other trades, site logistics.

Line-level exclusions are the ones that actually get read. A list on page five is easy to skim past. A note on the line they're looking at isn't.

What's the difference between an exclusion and an allowance?

People mix these up, and it causes trouble.

If the homeowner hasn't chosen tile yet, an allowance keeps the job moving. Just say clearly what the allowance covers and how the difference gets billed if they pick something above it.

How do exclusions connect to change orders?

Directly. Your exclusions list is the map of where change orders come from.

When something on that list comes up mid-job, you're not inventing a new charge. You're doing exactly what the proposal said you'd do: stop, explain, price it, get a signature. That's why the conversation doesn't have to be awkward. The homeowner already agreed to the process when they signed.

If you want the scripts for that conversation, read how to handle scope changes without the awkward conversation.

How BidCraft handles exclusions

In BidCraft, each line on a proposal can carry its own exclusions and material notes, so "glass by others" sits right on the shower line where the homeowner will read it. With exclusions turned on in your proposal style, they're drafted along with the proposal, and you can tell Biddy to add, change or remove one in plain words, like "add 'glass enclosure by others' to the shower line." See how to edit a proposal by asking Biddy.

When an excluded item does come up mid-job, you can send a change order the homeowner signs on their phone, and the original signed proposal stays exactly as it was.

If you want to see your next proposal come out with exclusions already on the lines, start the 14-day free trial (card required) from the pricing page and pick a proposal style that shows them.