Cost & Budget Guides
How to Compare Carpentry Quotes
Updated 2 min read
The short answer
Three quotes for the same project are usually three different products, and comparing the totals tells you almost nothing. Ask each contractor the same six specification questions — carcass, drawer boxes, hardware, finish, inclusions and payment terms — and the quotes become genuinely comparable. The lowest number is normally specifying less, not working for less.
The six questions to ask every quote
Ask all three contractors the same questions, in writing, and compare the answers rather than the totals.
- What is the carcass made from, and how thick? (18mm plywood and thin particleboard are different products.)
- How are the drawer boxes built? (Dovetailed or dowelled solid wood, or stapled panel?)
- What slides and hinges? (Full-extension undermount soft-close and six-way adjustable, or not?)
- Where is it finished? (Shop-sprayed catalysed finish, or brush-applied on site?)
- What is included — removal, disposal, drywall repair, filling, caulking, painting, electrical?
- What are the payment terms, and what is the warranty period in writing?
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Warning signs in a quote
- A single line item
- "Kitchen cabinetry — $X". Nothing about the specification. This is not a quote, it is a number.
- No drawings
- If nobody has drawn what you are buying, you and the contractor are imagining different objects.
- Large deposit up front
- A deposit is normal. A very large one before any material is ordered is worth questioning.
- Cash-only discount
- Consider what else is being skipped alongside the paperwork, including insurance and warranty.
- Reluctance to put the warranty in writing
- The term and what it covers should be a simple written answer.
- "We can start Monday"
- Good trades usually have a queue. Immediate availability is not always a red flag, but it is worth understanding why.
Answers
Frequently asked questions
- How many quotes should I get?
- Two or three is sensible. More than that tends to produce decision paralysis without new information, particularly if you have not standardised the questions. Two well-understood quotes beat five vague ones.
- Should I tell contractors my budget?
- Yes, a range. Without it you get designs you cannot proceed with, and everyone wastes time. A contractor who quotes exactly your maximum every time is a separate problem, but withholding the budget entirely tends to cost you more in wasted design cycles.
- Is it rude to ask a contractor to match a lower quote?
- Not rude, but often unproductive. If the specifications genuinely differ, matching the price means matching the lighter specification. A more useful conversation is asking what they would change to reach your number — that tells you what you would actually be giving up.
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