Most homeowners collect three quotes and compare the bottom line. That is the one number on a kitchen quote that means the least, because the three companies almost never quoted the same kitchen. One priced particleboard boxes, one left the permit “by others”, one used an allowance for countertops that will grow the day you pick a slab. Here is how to read a quote so the comparison is real — from a company that writes them every week.
The nine lines every quote should have
- Demolition and disposal. Who removes the old kitchen, who hauls it, is the dumpster included. A missing line here is $1,300–$2,200 you will pay later.
- Cabinets — with the box material named. “Custom cabinets” tells you nothing. Ask for the box material (plywood or particleboard), the drawer construction (dovetail solid wood or stapled), the hinges and slides (soft-close or not), and whether the price is for the count in the 3D drawing. This single line explains most $6,000 differences between quotes.
- Countertops — material, slab count, fabrication, edge. “Quartz” is a category, not a price. Which line, how many slabs, which edge profile, is templating after installation included.
- Backsplash — tile named, height stated, installation included.
- Plumbing and electrical — the specific work: sink relocation, island circuits, range circuit, disposal, under-cabinet lighting. “Electrical as needed” is an allowance in disguise.
- Structural work, if a wall moves — engineering, beam, framing inspection. If it is not on the quote and the wall is load-bearing, it will be a change order.
- Permits and inspections — which ones the scope needs and whether the fees are in the price. Read our permits guide for what needs one.
- Project management — one named person, or “the crew”?
- What is excluded — appliances, painting beyond the kitchen, flooring, HOA fees. A clear exclusions list is a sign of a serious quote, not a red flag.
The allowance trap
An allowance is a placeholder: “countertops — allowance $3,000”. It makes the bottom line look small and moves the real decision to a showroom visit weeks later, when you have already signed. A fixed-price quote names the material and the quantity. If a quote has allowances, add 30–50% to each before you compare — that is what they typically become.
Plywood versus particleboard, in dollars
Two quotes at the same price can be two different products: one with all-plywood cabinet boxes, one with particleboard. They look identical the day of installation. In a Florida kitchen — humidity, a dishwasher leak, a wet sponge left in the sink base — they stop looking identical in two to three summers. Because we build our own cabinets, plywood boxes, dovetail drawers and soft-close hardware are standard on every Dreamery kitchen; when a competing quote is lower, ask what the box is made of first.
Four questions after the numbers
- “Can the price change after I sign, and how?” The right answer names one mechanism: additions you request, priced in writing before they are done. Anything else is a starting price.
- “What is the finish date, and what happens if you miss it?” A date in the contract with a penalty schedule is a commitment; “about six weeks” is a hope.
- “How are payments scheduled?” Milestones tied to work completed (ours: 10% / 40% on cabinet ordering / 40% at install start / 10% at walkthrough) protect you. Half upfront does not.
- “Who is actually in my house?” Employees or subcontractors, and who answers the phone when something needs a decision.
A quick way to normalize three quotes
Put the nine lines in a spreadsheet, one column per company. Where a line is missing, write in the market number from our 2026 kitchen cost guide. Where there is an allowance, add 40%. Now compare bottom lines. In our experience the cheapest quote on paper is rarely the cheapest after this exercise — and the difference is usually in cabinets and permits.
What a Dreamery quote looks like
One page, every line priced, nothing “by others” except appliances (billed at store price if we buy them). It arrives within 5 business days of the free in-home consultation together with the 3D design; the design package is $99 instead of the regular $500, credited in full when you go ahead. See how the process runs in our week-by-week timeline.