Should I always avoid the cheapest quote?

No. You should always understand it. Sometimes it reflects genuine efficiency or a quiet schedule. Often it reflects a lighter specification. Asking the same specification questions of every trade tells you which, and it takes ten minutes.

Why won’t contractors publish prices?

Because the same wall can be built five different ways across a very wide range, and publishing a figure that will be wrong for most people helps nobody. What is reasonable to expect is transparency about the variables — which is what a good quote provides.

Is it worth negotiating?

Asking what could change to reach your number is more productive than asking for a discount. That conversation tells you what you would actually be giving up, which is far more useful than a few percent off the same scope.

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Why Carpentry Quotes Vary So Much

Updated July 25, 20262 min read

The short answer

A two-to-one spread across three quotes for the same wall is normal, and it is almost never about profit margin. It is about what each quote actually contains — carcass material, drawer construction, hardware grade, finish method and what is included. Standardise the questions and the spread usually makes sense.

Where the difference actually lives

Where the difference actually lives
Variable	Low quote	High quote
Carcass	Particleboard	18mm plywood
Drawer boxes	Stapled panel	Dovetailed solid wood
Slides	Side-mount epoxy, ¾ extension	Full-extension undermount soft-close
Hinges	Basic, limited adjustment	Six-way adjustable, soft-close
Finish	Brush-applied on site	Shop-sprayed catalysed
Removal & making good	Excluded	Included
Filling & caulking	Excluded or minimal	Included
Scribing	Trim and caulk the gaps	Scribed to the wall
Site protection	Minimal	Included as standard

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The legitimate reasons a quote can be lower

Not every low quote is a lighter specification. There are genuine efficiency differences between trades.

A shop with good machinery and an established process genuinely builds faster than someone working out of a garage, and that can show up as a lower price for the same product. A trade already working in your neighbourhood has lower mobilisation cost. Someone with a quiet month may price keenly to fill it.

Equally, a higher quote is not automatically better. Some businesses carry substantial overhead — showrooms, sales staff, marketing — that you are paying for without receiving more cabinet.

The only way to tell which you are looking at is to compare the specifications rather than the totals. Once you know what each quote actually contains, the price difference either makes sense or it does not.

Answers

Frequently asked questions

Should I always avoid the cheapest quote?: No. You should always understand it. Sometimes it reflects genuine efficiency or a quiet schedule. Often it reflects a lighter specification. Asking the same specification questions of every trade tells you which, and it takes ten minutes.
Why won’t contractors publish prices?: Because the same wall can be built five different ways across a very wide range, and publishing a figure that will be wrong for most people helps nobody. What is reasonable to expect is transparency about the variables — which is what a good quote provides.
Is it worth negotiating?: Asking what could change to reach your number is more productive than asking for a discount. That conversation tells you what you would actually be giving up, which is far more useful than a few percent off the same scope.

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