Renovation estimates and additional work in Poland: what Article 630 says and how to agree changes

The planned-work list: what cost-estimate remuneration means (Article 629)

Cost-estimate remuneration, defined in Article 629 of the Civil Code, is remuneration set on the basis of a list of planned works and expected costs — in other words, an estimate with line items, units and prices. That's what separates it from lump-sum remuneration (Article 632), which is a single fixed amount for the whole result, regardless of how much actual work it ends up taking.

The mechanism in Article 629 also works the other way: if, during the renovation, an order from a competent state authority changes the official prices or rates, either party may demand a corresponding adjustment of the agreed remuneration — but this doesn't apply to amounts already paid for materials or labour before the change. For a small renovation business this specific case is rare; what matters more is that a cost estimate, being a document with line items, gives you a basis for discussing an extra charge that a lump-sum contract usually doesn't.

That's why it's worth deciding early which jobs run on a cost-estimate basis and which run as a lump sum — it determines whether you'll even have the right to ask for more when something turns out more complicated than expected. The more precisely the line items are written out, the easier it is later to show what counts as extra work — more on the pricing process itself in the article on quote automation.

Unforeseen work: Article 630 and the right to a higher price

Article 630 § 1 of the Civil Code is direct: if, in the course of the work, it becomes necessary to carry out work that wasn't included in the list of planned works underlying the cost-estimate remuneration, the outcome depends on who drew up that list. If the client did — the contractor may demand a corresponding increase in the agreed remuneration without further conditions. If the contractor drew it up themselves (the typical case when quoting a renovation), they may demand an increase only if, despite exercising due diligence, they could not have foreseen the need for the additional work.

That distinction matters in practice: if you priced a bathroom renovation yourself and didn't remove the tiles before quoting, it will be harder to prove that the pipe corrosion "couldn't have been foreseen" — unless it genuinely wasn't visible without breaking the plaster. That's why a note in the estimate saying "priced on visual inspection, without breaking plaster" carries real evidentiary weight.

Paragraph 2 of the same article is even stricter: the contractor cannot demand higher remuneration if they carried out the additional work without obtaining the client's consent. In other words — even where the right to a higher price theoretically exists, doing the extra work without consent cancels it. That's the actual reason the order has to stay fixed: first the discovery, then the information to the client, then their consent, and only then the work.

When the increase is significant: Article 631 and the client's right to withdraw

Article 631 of the Civil Code gives the client an emergency exit: if the necessary increase in cost-estimate remuneration turns out to be significant, the client may withdraw from the contract — but must do so promptly and pay the contractor a corresponding part of the agreed remuneration for the work already done. This is a useful argument when talking to a client who's worried that "extra charge" means losing control of the budget: the law gives them a way out if the cost truly spikes, provided they decide quickly.

For the contractor this also cuts the other way: the faster you report a discovery and quote a price, the less you risk the client withdrawing after you've already put many hours into the additional work. Reporting the same day, with a price attached, is in your interest just as much as the client's.

Illustrative example with assumed figures — substitute your own: an estimate for replacing flooring and painting in an apartment came to 42,000 zł. During the work the crew found corroded pipes under the floor — an additional line item (materials and labour) priced at 6,200 zł net. Once the client approved it, the new remuneration is remuneration_after_extra = cost_estimate_remuneration + sum_of_additional_items, i.e. 42,000 zł + 6,200 zł = 48,200 zł. That's exactly why each additional item gets reported and priced separately as it's found, rather than added up only at the end.

Agreeing an extra charge before you start: photo, description, price, consent

This sequence turns Article 630 § 2 from a risk into routine: before anyone touches the additional work, the client sees the photo, knows what it costs, and confirms it in a message.

"Written consent" doesn't have to mean paper with a signature — a text message, an email or a reply in a messenger app also has evidentiary value, as long as it clearly confirms the scope and the price. What matters is that consent exists BEFORE the work starts, not what form it takes.

What to include in the message to the client

A message about additional work should contain: exactly what was found (with a description, not just "pipe problem"), a photo from the same day, the scope of the proposed additional work, the net and gross price, the effect on the completion date if there is one, and a request for explicit confirmation — not a plain "ok", but something like "I confirm the work at the stated price." The absence of such a sentence in the client's reply is the most common gap that later makes it impossible to prove consent.

The cost estimate as a document: minimum fields and what's usually missing

An estimate meant to serve as the basis for a discussion about an extra charge has to be comparable with what was actually done. The table below shows the fields you need to be able to defend a claim under Article 630.

An additional-work protocol — a separate document, not a note in the margin

An additional-work protocol is a short, separate document that refers back to the number of the original estimate, not a note pencilled into its margin. It should contain: the date and the number of the original estimate, a description of the discovery with a photo, the priced line item, and a place for the client's confirmation (a signature, or a text message or email attached as a record). Because it's separate, you can attach one every time something new is found, without rewriting the whole estimate each time.

When the client refuses to pay: contract form, complaints and the withdrawal deadline

When a client refuses to pay for additional work, two different deadlines from the Consumer Rights Act come into play, and they're easy to confuse. The first concerns complaints: under Article 7a of that act, unless separate provisions say otherwise, a business must respond to a consumer's complaint within 14 days of receiving it, and failure to respond within that period means the complaint is deemed accepted. The response has to reach the client on paper or another durable medium — an email qualifies, a phone call does not.

The second deadline concerns a completely different situation: if the renovation contract was concluded away from the business premises (for example, in the client's own home rather than the company office) or at a distance, the consumer — under Article 27(1) of the Consumer Rights Act — may withdraw from it within 14 days without giving a reason and without bearing costs, subject to the exceptions listed in the act. That's a real risk for renovations agreed at the client's home, and one many contractors simply aren't aware of.

Which of these two rights applies in a specific dispute, and how to phrase a complaint response so it actually holds up, is a matter for a lawyer to assess, not something a single paragraph of a guide can settle. What you can do yourself is avoid the dispute altogether: agree every extra charge in writing before the work starts, as described above. Once consent records are in order, it is also easier to invoice the extra work based on them — more in the article on invoicing automation and KSeF.

A general contractor's website: the GeneralContractor structured-data type

For renovation and construction businesses operating as a general contractor, schema.org has a separate structured-data type: GeneralContractor, a subtype of HomeAndConstructionBusiness, which is itself a subtype of LocalBusiness. Marking a website with this type instead of the generic LocalBusiness describes the business's profile more precisely for search engines and other systems that read the site's data.

It's a small but real part of tidying up a company website — alongside the basic address and opening-hours data. If a renovation company's site doesn't have correct structured data or a clear service structure yet, that's usually the first step before any further optimisation — something that can be handled while building or rebuilding the site with Websites and stores.

Do it yourself: the "no consent, no work" rule and a site log

One rule resolves most extra-charge disputes before they start: no written consent from the client means no additional work, no matter how urgent it seems. The exception is a genuine safety risk (an active gas installation, for example) — in that case you secure the situation immediately, but you still get separate consent for the actual repair.

A simple site log helps here: a list of every discovery and extra charge on a given renovation, with a date, a photo, a price and the consent status. It doesn't need to be an elaborate system — turning each day's agreements into a short task list (the Tasks service) with a deadline and a responsible person (who sends the message, who's waiting for a reply — the same idea covered in the article on follow-up automation) is easier to track on one shared list than to keep in a site manager's memory — more on keeping such a list in the article on process automation in a company.

A step-by-step additional-work protocol template

1. Photograph the discovery right away, with the surrounding context visible (a section of the original wall, for example).
2. Briefly describe what was found and why it requires additional work.
3. Price the item separately — materials and labour, net and gross.
4. Send the client the photo, description and price in one message, asking for explicit confirmation.
5. Wait for a reply confirming the scope and the price — only then start the work.
6. Add the item to the estimate and keep the confirming message as an attachment to the protocol.

What this looks like when a system handles the extra charges

This isn't a promise that disputes disappear — it's a description of what has to happen manually anyway, just without retyping the same data a third time and without a text message lost two weeks ago.

Aura lets you line this up into one flow: an interactive calculator on the website (Cost Calculators) gives the client an approximate price as early as the inquiry stage, and CRM and automations bring requests from every channel into one funnel together with client data, instead of three different messaging apps. Sending the extra-charge message and its confirmation can run on Automatic messages: confirmations and reminders go out on their own by SMS, email or WhatsApp.

Frequently asked questions

Can I start additional work without the client's written consent if it's urgent?

Formally, Article 630 § 2 of the Civil Code makes no exception for urgency — the absence of consent means the absence of a right to higher remuneration, whatever the reason. In practice, where there's a genuine safety risk, you secure the situation immediately, but you still send the client a message with the description, photo and price as fast as you can, rather than waiting until the end of the day.

What's the difference between cost-estimate and lump-sum remuneration when it comes to extra charges?

With cost-estimate remuneration (Article 629), an extra charge for unforeseen work is possible under the conditions in Article 630. With lump-sum remuneration (Article 632 § 1), the contractor generally cannot demand a higher price even if the scope of the work couldn't have been foreseen at the time the contract was signed — the only exception is where a court allows it, when carrying out the work would expose the contractor to a serious loss.

What if the client doesn't reply to my message about the extra charge?

No reply means no consent — and without consent, Article 630 § 2 rules out claiming a higher price for work already done without it. The practical answer is not to start the additional work until you have an explicit confirmation, and, where possible, to agree with the client in advance in what form and how quickly they respond to such messages.

How long do I have to respond to a complaint about a cost estimate?

Under Article 7a of the Consumer Rights Act, you have 14 days from receiving the complaint to respond, on paper or another durable medium (email qualifies). Failing to respond within that period means the complaint is automatically deemed accepted, regardless of whether you think it's justified.

Can a client withdraw from a contract signed at their own home?

Yes — if the renovation contract was concluded away from the business premises (for example, in the client's home) or at a distance, Article 27(1) of the Consumer Rights Act gives the consumer 14 days to withdraw without giving a reason, subject to the exceptions listed in the act. That's a good reason to inform clients about this right in writing right away for such contracts.

Is it worth marking a renovation company's website as GeneralContractor?

If the business operates as a general contractor for construction and renovation work, the schema.org GeneralContractor type (a subtype of HomeAndConstructionBusiness) describes the business profile more precisely than the generic LocalBusiness. It's one of the elements of tidying up a site's structured data, alongside address, opening hours and service area.