A good kitchen quote is a slightly boring document. It tells you what you are getting, what you are not getting, what it costs and what happens if something changes. You should be able to read it twice and reach the same conclusion both times.
A lot of quotes are not that. Many quotes are one page, one number and a cheerful paragraph about quality craftsmanship. That is not a quote. That is a hope.
What should be included in a kitchen renovation quote?
A complete kitchen quote should name the materials, list the trades, state the price type and set out the exclusions. At minimum, it needs a described scope of works, an itemised specification for cabinetry and benchtops, a clear statement of whether the figure is fixed or an estimate, the payment schedule, how variations are handled, and the contractor’s licence number.
Here is what each of those actually looks like on the page.
- A described scope of works. Not “renovate kitchen”. A list of what is being removed, what is being supplied, what is being installed and where. If you can’t picture the finished job from the scope alone, it is not detailed enough.
- An itemised cabinetry specification. The board the carcasses are built from, its thickness, whether it is moisture resistant, and the edging on exposed faces. Then the hardware: the brand of the runners and hinges, not just the words “soft close”. This is the part of a kitchen you never see and never stop using, and it is the clearest line between custom cabinetry and a flat-pack kitchen.
- The finish, named. Which material and colour for the doors and panels, as the difference between melamine and a two-pack painted finish is thousands of dollars and about 15 years of appearance.
- The benchtop, specified. Material, brand, thickness and edge profile for the benchtop. “Stone benchtop” is a category, not a specification.
- Which trades are in? Plumber, electrician, tiler, floor patching. Each one either appears or it doesn’t, and if it doesn’t, that is a quote you will need to go and get yourself.
- A program. Lead time for manufacture and an indicative on-site duration. Manufacture is usually the longest part of a kitchen renovation, and the figure varies a lot between companies.
- A payment schedule and a variations clause. When payments fall due and what they are tied to, plus how a change in scope gets priced and approved. In writing, before anything is signed.
- Licence number and insurance. It should be on the document. If it isn’t, ask.
Fixed price, or an estimate?
This is the single most important line in a quote for a kitchen build or renovation, and it is often missing entirely.
A fixed price means the number holds unless you change the scope. An estimate means the number is the company’s best guess and the final invoice may differ. Both are legitimate. Being unclear about which one you are holding is not.
Related to this are allowances: figures set aside for items not yet chosen, usually tapware, handles or appliances. They look fixed, and they are not. If you are weighing up several quotes, the allowances are where the real differences hide.
The seven exclusions to look for
None of these is dishonest. Most have a sensible reason behind them. But each one is a cost that still has to be paid by somebody, and if it isn’t in the quote, that somebody is you.
- Appliances. Many cabinetmakers deliberately leave appliances out so you can shop the sales yourself, which can genuinely save you money. Ask the follow-up question, though: who installs them, and is the installation included? An integrated dishwasher needs a door panel made to fit it, and that panel has to be in the quote whether the appliance is or not.
- Electrical and plumbing. The phrase to watch for is “by others”. New circuits, relocated waste pipes, an isolation point for the dishwasher and a switch for the rangehood all cost money and need licensed trades. Ask whether the quote includes them, and whether the compliance certificates come to you afterwards.
- Demolition, disposal, and what’s behind the old kitchen. Taking the old kitchen out is labour and skip hire. More significantly, nobody can price what they cannot see. Old plumbing, undersized wiring and out-of-square walls are routine findings in older Illawarra homes, and they are exactly the sort of cost that doesn’t appear on the original quote. Ask how those are priced when they turn up.
- Flooring, patching and making good. When the old kickboards come out, the floor underneath them was never finished. Same with the wall behind the old splashback. Someone has to patch, paint and finish. Quotes very often stop at the cabinetry edge.
- Sink, tapware and accessories. Frequently an allowance rather than an inclusion, and occasionally neither. Bins, organisers and internal accessories are the same story. These are small items individually and a surprisingly large number collectively.
- The splashback. This one has a practical reason behind it: the splashback usually cannot be measured until the benchtop is installed, so it is often quoted separately and later. That’s fine, as long as you know it is coming and have budgeted for it.
- Site access, protection and the final clean. Floor protection, dust barriers, parking, and the clean at the end. Minor on paper. Memorable in person if nobody has thought about it.
What your kitchen quote is about to become
In NSW, a renovation or new kitchen quote you accept turns into a contract with rules attached, and the rules change at two thresholds.
Residential building work over $5,000 requires a written contract, and the contractor must give you a copy of the Consumer Building Guide before you sign. Between $5,000 and $20,000, that is a small jobs contract. Above $20,000, it becomes a large jobs contract, which carries more requirements, including home building compensation cover, a stated payment schedule and the statutory warranties written in.
One detail worth knowing: the five-day cooling-off right applies to large jobs contracts over $20,000. It does not apply to small jobs contracts at or below that figure. Deposits are capped at 10 per cent of the contract price either way, and statutory warranties of six years for major defects and two years for everything else apply regardless of what the paperwork says.
If your job involves moving walls rather than merely swapping cabinetry, check whether it needs development approval before you worry about any of this, because that changes the program.
Before you sign
Read the exclusions first and the price second. Then, ask one question: “If everything on this quote goes exactly to plan, is there anything else I will have to pay for?” A good answer to that is worth more than a discount.
Krauss Kitchens has been designing and manufacturing in Unanderra since 1974. If you want a detailed online quote for your kitchen renovation, a free in-home consultation is where it starts. It also helps to know roughly what a kitchen costs in the Illawarra before the first document lands in your inbox.
This article is general information about residential building quotes and contracts in NSW. It is not legal advice. Confirm contract, licensing and insurance requirements with Building Commission NSW or a qualified adviser before signing.
