Got a builder's quote in Croatian? A glossary of the terms you will meet

Sooner or later, anyone who builds or renovates in Croatia receives a quote written entirely in Croatian. It may be a neat spreadsheet or a single photographed page, but the vocabulary is the same: trades, units, taxes and payment terms, often abbreviated. Translation apps help with whole sentences, but they struggle with the shorthand of the building trade.

This glossary covers the terms you are most likely to meet. It is a reading aid, not legal or tax advice: for the contract, VAT and guarantees, ask a Croatian lawyer or accountant. If you would rather not decode the quote line by line, our free builder's quote check accepts quotes in Croatian as a PDF, photo or Excel file and gives the results in English, with a rating and up to three items that sit furthest above the market range. The basic result is free; every item compared, warnings and questions for the builder are in a more detailed check, a paid extra.

The documents

• Ponuda. A quote or offer: the builder's proposed price for the work described.
• Troškovnik. A bill of quantities: a list of every item of work with its unit, quantity, unit price and total. Usually prepared by the architect or engineer so builders price the same thing. See our guide to the troškovnik.
• Predračun. A pro forma invoice or estimate, often sent before an advance payment.
• Račun. An invoice.
• Ugovor o građenju. A construction contract between the client and the builder.
• Investitor. The client who commissions and pays for the work. In a quote, that is usually you.
• Izvođač / podizvođač. Contractor / subcontractor.
• Nadzorni inženjer (stručni nadzor). The supervising engineer who checks the work on behalf of the client, required for certain types of work.

The columns of a quote

• R. br. (redni broj). Item number.
• Opis stavke / opis radova. Description of the item or of the work. Read it carefully: what is written here is what has been priced.
• Jed. mj. (jedinica mjere). Unit of measurement.
• Količina. Quantity.
• Jedinična cijena. Unit price: the price for one square metre, one metre, one piece.
• Iznos / ukupno. Amount / total for the line or for the whole quote.
• Rekapitulacija. A summary at the end that adds up the totals for each group of works.

Units and abbreviations

• m². Square metre, used for plaster, tiling, painting, floors and waterproofing.
• m¹ or m'. Linear metre (dužni metar), used for skirting, pipes, cable runs, edges and silicone joints.
• m³. Cubic metre, used for concrete, excavation and rubble.
• kom (komad). Piece, used for doors, windows, sockets, toilets.
• kpl (komplet). A complete set, for example one bathroom fitting with all its parts. Ask what the set includes.
• h or sat. Hour of labour.
• paušal / paušalno. A lump sum for an item or for the whole job, without a measured quantity. Convenient, but harder to check. The word paušalist also describes a small trade taxed at a flat rate, which is a different matter.
• cca. Approximately.
• fco gradilište (franko gradilište). Delivered to site, with transport included in the price.

The trades

• Pripremni radovi. Preparatory works: setting up the site, protection, access, temporary connections.
• Rušenje / demontaža. Demolition / removal of existing elements, such as tiles, fittings or partition walls.
• Zemljani radovi. Earthworks: excavation and backfilling.
• Betonski i armiranobetonski radovi. Concrete and reinforced concrete works.
• Zidarski radovi. General building or masonry works: walls, plastering, screeds and similar.
• Tesarski radovi. Carpentry for formwork and timber roof structures.
• Krovopokrivački radovi. Roofing: laying the roof covering.
• Izolaterski radovi. Insulation and waterproofing works.
• Vodoinstalaterski radovi. Plumbing: water supply and drainage.
• Elektroinstalaterski radovi. Electrical installation works.
• Keramičarski radovi. Tiling: floor and wall tiles.
• Gipskartonski radovi. Plasterboard (drywall) partitions, linings and ceilings.
• Soboslikarski i ličilački radovi. Painting and decorating.
• Stolarski radovi / stolarija. Joinery: doors and windows. Stolarija often means windows and external doors as a whole.
• Bravarski radovi. Metalwork: railings, gates, steel elements.

Words inside the item descriptions

• Štemanje. Cutting or chiselling into walls and floors, for example chases for pipes and cables, or removing old tiles.
• Odvoz šute. Removal of building rubble from site. Šuta is the rubble; deponija is the landfill. Check whether loading, the skip (kontejner) and disposal are included.
• Žbuka / žbukanje. Plaster / plastering, inside or out.
• Glet / gletanje. A fine skim coat of filler applied to walls before painting, to get a smooth surface.
• Estrih. Screed: the levelling layer laid on the floor slab before the final floor. Plivajući estrih is a floating screed laid on an insulation layer.
• Hidroizolacija. Waterproofing, essential in bathrooms, on terraces and on foundations.
• Toplinska izolacija. Thermal insulation.
• Fuga / fugiranje. Grout joint / grouting between tiles.
• Silikoniranje. Sealing joints with silicone, for example between the tiles and the bath.
• Izravnavanje. Levelling, usually of a floor with a self-levelling compound.
• S materijalom / bez materijala. With / without materials. Labour-only quotes are common.
• Materijal investitora. Materials supplied by the client.

What is written in the description is what has been priced. What is not written usually has not been.

Tax, prices and payment

• PDV (porez na dodanu vrijednost). Croatian VAT. Check whether prices are shown bez PDV-a (without VAT) or s PDV-om (with VAT). Some small businesses are not in the VAT system and do not charge it; ask your accountant how this affects you.
• Predujam / avans. An advance payment before work starts. Read our guide to deposits and payment schedules.
• Privremena situacija. An interim valuation: a periodic statement of work done so far, used for staged payments.
• Okončana situacija. The final account, issued when the work is complete.
• Obračun po stvarno izvedenim količinama. Payment based on the quantities actually built, measured on site, rather than on the quoted quantities.
• Naknadni / dodatni / nepredviđeni radovi. Additional or unforeseen works, outside the original quote. Agree them in writing before they are done.
• Rok valjanosti ponude. How long the quote remains valid.
• Rok izvođenja. The time allowed to carry out the work.

At the end of the job

• Primopredaja. Handover of the finished work from the builder to the client. See what to check at handover.
• Zapisnik o primopredaji. The written record of the handover, listing anything still to be fixed.
• Jamstvo / garancija. Guarantee or warranty. Jamstveni rok is the period it covers.
• Građevinski dnevnik. The site diary, kept on larger projects.

Reading your quote with this glossary

Start with the rekapitulacija to see how the total is split between trades, then read each description, not just the prices. Look for vague lines priced as paušal or kpl, check whether VAT and materials are included, and note anything you expected that does not appear. Our guide on how to compare builder quotes shows how to line several quotes up side by side.

When you are ready, upload the quote to the quote check and read the result in English, or use the renovation calculator to see whether the total is in a sensible range for your project. For anything that touches the contract, VAT or guarantees, take the quote to a Croatian lawyer or accountant before you sign.