“What Is Not Included” in Heavy Timber Quotes: A Builder Checklist to Prevent Scope Gaps

Published March 18, 2026 by MVP Pro Timber

A builder-side scope-gap checklist: what is commonly excluded from heavy timber quotes and how to confirm responsibilities before schedule and budget get hit.

# “What Is Not Included” in Heavy Timber Quotes: A Builder Checklist to Prevent Scope Gaps Most heavy timber quote pain is not price. It is scope: who owns what, what is assumed, and what gets discovered late. Builders can prevent a large percentage of schedule and budget surprises by clarifying exclusions early—before ordering, not during install week. ## Builder checklist: common ‘not included’ items to confirm ### 1. Engineering and stamped drawings Confirm what is provided: shop drawings, structural engineering, connection engineering, or none of the above. ### 2. Steel plates, knife plates, and specialty hardware Is steel included, supplied by others, or builder-procured? If included, confirm finish and field-weld assumptions. ### 3. Connection kit completeness and staging Confirm whether the kit includes all bolts/washers/anchors and whether it is staged by frame/bent or delivered as bulk. ### 4. Post bases, anchors, and embeds Who supplies and who installs embeds? What tolerance is required? What happens if embeds are out? ### 5. Finish and protection Are timbers delivered raw, sealed, stained, or finished? Who owns jobsite protection and touchups? ### 6. Field modifications What field changes are allowed (if any), and who approves them? ### 7. Delivery logistics Who owns offload equipment, site access prep, re-delivery costs, and staging materials (dunnage/tarps)? ### 8. Crane day labour and supervision Does the timber supplier provide onsite support, or is the builder fully responsible for set-day execution? ### 9. Enclosure interfaces If SIPs, roofing, or other enclosure systems interface with the frame, confirm who coordinates and what drawings are required. ### 10. Schedule assumptions Lead time, revision cutoffs, and what changes trigger re-price or re-fabrication should be explicit. ## Builder move that prevents most scope-gap surprises Ask for a one-page exclusions/assumptions summary and review it with your site lead before you commit. If an item is unclear, treat it as a risk until it is written down. ## Where MVP Pro Timber helps We help builders run an RFQ + exclusions review so scope boundaries are clear and quote comparisons are apples-to-apples. The goal is fewer ‘we thought it was included’ surprises.