Wall openings: compare quotes and prices

Describe the intended result and included work

Creating a doorway, enlarging an existing opening and removing a defined wall section are different tasks. State the passage’s purpose and what should remain. A small circular service penetration usually belongs to core drilling; cutting alone is also a narrower commission than a fully completed passage.

Several locations can be described together with their known dimensions and differences. Closing an old doorway or installing a new component adds work. The contractor should understand where the commission ends and which tasks other trades undertake.

Have the structural role and work assessed

Walls may carry loads or contribute to a building’s stability. Material, thickness and a photograph do not provide a dependable assessment. An internal wall can also have a structural role. The responsible specialists establish the actual conditions and necessary design before intervention.

Where load transfer is required, the permanent structure, supports and temporary stages must work together. A desired passage does not specify a suitable beam or lintel. You need not choose a steel section or certify that the wall can be removed safely.

Existing drawings and investigations help the initial discussion. Outstanding local requirements and responsibilities are clarified in good time. An initial request is not permission to execute the work; the same administrative promise would not reliably apply to every wall opening.

Distinguish the rough opening and finished dimensions

Known width, height and wall thickness help an initial estimate. Explain whether measurements refer to the existing opening, desired passage or a door or window already selected. A component dimension is not automatically the required rough-opening dimension.

Threshold, floor build-up, frame and later finish may affect the usable passage. Several openings need an actual count and their different positions identified. Missing technical measurements may remain open initially; final survey and connection details are agreed before construction.

Consider services, surfaces and occupied rooms

Electrical, water, heating or other services may run within or alongside a wall. A visibly clear area does not establish that it contains no services. Agree who checks available documents, organises necessary investigations and undertakes any alterations to installations.

Older or unknown finishes may require material investigation. Describe available reports and visible conditions without making trial openings yourself. Assessment needs to match the actual intervention; a result at one position does not automatically cover every layer and room.

If rooms remain occupied, the work area requires coordination. Floors, furniture, adjoining rooms, access and cleaning belong in the arrangements. Protection reduces disturbance without a universal promise of completely dust-free or silent work.

Agree removal and completed interfaces explicitly

Cutting, extracting and removing materials from the property are different services. Routes through stairs, a lift, garden or garage may change the effort. Identify the actual position and access; the contractor organises suitable sections and handling.

The former wall position can leave missing flooring, skirting, ceiling or plaster. A passage may also need a frame, sealing or an appropriate façade connection. Agree whether the handover is roughly closed, prepared for later trades or visibly finished. Naming the existing material does not guarantee a visually identical replacement finish.

Compare prices for the same complete job

Count, geometry, existing condition, structural work and access affect cost. Assessment, protection, disposal and intended interfaces add to the scope. Cut-surface area, a doorway and a finished transition between rooms are different pricing bases.

A regional Zurich tariff example dated July 2026 lists CHF 950–1'650 for a doorway up to approximately 1.10 × 2.20 m in non-loadbearing brickwork 10–15 cm thick with normal access. The same tariff states a CHF 2'000 minimum order value. The individual item is therefore not a complete orderable quotation. Structural design, permission, pollutant investigation, professional electrical and plumbing disconnections, final painting and quantity-dependent disposal need separate consideration; that tariff currently states that no additional VAT is charged.

This is neither a Swiss average nor a price for structural or different walls. Check quantities, assumptions, exclusions and VAT in the actual quote. Extra work and its effects on cost and timing should be explained and approved before commissioning.

A few details for a clear request

Start with the intended result. Technical uncertainty can be assessed later; known differences between work locations should already be understandable.

• Task. Identify a new opening, enlargement or wall section to remove.
• Count and dimensions. Describe the actual count and known sizes and locations together.
• Existing condition. State known materials, available drawings and investigations.
• Access. Give the location, affected floors and visible obstacles.
• Finished result. Define material removal, fitted components and required surface condition.

From the request to a coordinated opening

An initial quote may rely on identified assumptions. Before a binding commission, outstanding technical matters, scope and execution need to suit the actual structure.

1. Describe the project. Give purpose, known dimensions, count and intended finished condition.
2. Assess existing conditions. Have structure, services, materials and local circumstances examined professionally.
3. Compare quotes. Compare matching work with preparation, removal and completed interfaces.
4. Coordinate execution. Agree work areas, sequence, responsibilities and later trades.
5. Check handover. Record the opening, surfaces, cleaning and outstanding work together.