Price is the easiest thing to compare and the least informative. These questions tend to reveal more.
- Can you show me photographs of the actual defect?
- What is causing it, rather than what is the symptom?
- What are my options, and what are the trade-offs of each?
- Is scaffolding included, and for how long?
- What exactly is excluded from this price?
- How will unexpected timber repairs be priced?
- Who will actually be on site, and will there be a point of contact?
- How is waste removed and disposed of?
- What protection goes down before work starts?
- What insurance is in place for this work?
- What guarantee applies, and is it in writing?
- What should I expect to maintain afterwards?
Any contractor should be willing to answer all twelve without hesitation, and to put the answers in writing.