How to Quote a Kitchen Installation

Kitchen jobs live or die on accurate measurements, clear PC sums and a quote that splits supply from install. Here is how to do all three properly.

Kitchens are the highest stakes room in a renovation. They cost the most, take the longest, and the client uses them every day for the next decade. A bad quote here costs you both money and reputation. A good one builds the kind of trust that turns into three more jobs from the same suburb.

The trick is splitting the quote into supply and install, using PC sums for anything the client touches, and being honest about lead times. Here is how to put one together.

Measure twice, quote once

Kitchens punish bad measurements harder than any other room. A 2 mm error on a stone top costs you four figures. A wall that is out of plumb means scribed end panels and extra trim. Measure carefully and write everything down, including ceiling heights, window reveals and floor levels.

Use a laser level on the floor and check it across the full run. Old houses are rarely level. If the floor drops 15 mm across a 4 metre run, your cabinets will look wonky unless you allow for it in the install line.

• Wall lengths to the nearest millimetre
• Floor level variation across the kitchen footprint
• Window and door positions and reveal depths
• Ceiling height (and whether it varies)
• Existing plumbing and electrical positions
• Position of gas line if applicable

Split supply from install

Always quote cabinetry supply and install on separate lines. Clients want to know what the boxes cost versus what your time costs. They also occasionally try to supply their own cabinets from a flat-pack place, and you need to be able to swap that line out cleanly without rebuilding the whole quote.

If you make and fit your own cabinets, this is your bread and butter. Cabinet makers who present clear supply-and-install pricing win more jobs against the showroom kitchens because the client can see exactly what they are paying for.

If you focus on installing kitchens supplied by others, build your standard inclusions into free quote templates so you can position your service consistently and let designers and showrooms refer work directly to you.

Use PC sums for stone, splashbacks and appliances

These three categories swing thousands of dollars based on the client's choice. Engineered stone runs from $ 600 per square metre to $ 2,400. A splashback can be a $ 200 painted panel or a $ 4,000 mirrored glass install. Appliances range from $ 3,000 to $ 30,000. Work the allowances up in a free quote calculator so the totals stay accurate as selections change.

Use PC sums for all of them. State the allowance, state what is included (templating, cut-outs, install) and state that the final price adjusts on selection. The client gets a real number to work with and you do not absorb the upgrade.

Sample PC sum structure

• Engineered stone tops (templated and installed): $ 8,500
• Splashback (supplied and installed): $ 2,800
• Appliance package (oven, hob, rangehood, dishwasher): $ 9,500
• Sink and mixer: $ 1,400
• Handles and hardware: $ 600

Coordinate the wet and electrical trades

Kitchens need a plumber for the sink, dishwasher and sometimes the fridge. They need an electrician for the hob, oven, rangehood, lights and at least four GPOs. If you are running the project, line those trades up before you quote a finish date.

Carpenters who manage kitchen installs end to end usually charge a coordination fee on top of the subcontractor quotes. 15 percent is fair. Less than that and you are working for nothing during the rough-in week.

Add a separate line for any dry-wall reinstatement, painting and floor protection. Clients forget that the painter has to come back to touch up the bulkhead and the floor needs covering during install. Quote it now or eat it later.

Be honest about lead times

Custom cabinetry takes 4 to 8 weeks from order to delivery. Stone tops need a final template after the cabinets are installed, then another 1 to 2 weeks to fabricate. Tell the client this upfront and put it in writing on the quote.

Build the lead times into your payment schedule. A typical structure is 30 percent deposit on order, 30 percent on cabinet delivery, 30 percent on stone install, 10 percent on completion. That keeps your supplier paid without you funding the float.

If you want a wider view of how to position your kitchen business against the bigger fitters, look across the specialist trades: solo operators and small teams win by competing on quote quality rather than price.

Sample kitchen quote total

For a mid-range L-shape kitchen with island, polyurethane doors, engineered stone tops and standard appliances:

• Cabinetry supply (custom, polyurethane finish): $ 22,000
• Cabinetry installation: $ 6,500
• Stone tops (PC sum): $ 8,500
• Splashback (PC sum): $ 2,800
• Appliances (PC sum): $ 9,500
• Plumbing (rough-in and fit-off): $ 2,400
• Electrical (rough-in and fit-off): $ 3,800
• Painting touch-ups and floor protection: $ 1,200
• Project coordination: $ 4,500
• Total indicative: $ 61,200

Common mistakes to avoid

• Lumping cabinetry and install into one number
• Quoting stone and appliances as a fixed price before the client has chosen
• Forgetting the appliance cut-outs on the stone allowance
• Promising a 4 week install timeline when cabinet lead time alone is 6 weeks
• Not allowing for floor and wall protection during the install

The bottom line

Kitchen quoting rewards precision. Measure properly, split supply from install, use PC sums for the moving parts, and be honest about lead times. The clients who hire you will tell their friends, and kitchen referrals are some of the highest value leads in the trade.

QuoteGenio is built for this kind of work. Create free quotes and invoices for kitchen installers in minutes. Itemise the scope, send via WhatsApp, and convert accepted quotes to invoices in one tap.