English writer Gilbert K. Chesterson said, "There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds." The same can be said for your Chicago kitchen remodel in the clouds. However, once you bring those dreams down to the three-dimensions of planet earth, you have to play by the rules again. Here are some of the most important of those rules:
- Assemble idea books that translate visions of your kitchens in the cloud into earthly reality.
- Get several bids from licensed and insured designers and builders.
- Make sure pricing contains the same line items so you're comparing apples to apples.
Follow the hyperlinks for Numbers 1 and 2 to read more on those subjects. Today, we're going to talk about Rule Number 3.
Do a Line-by-Line Review When Comparing Prices For a Chicago Kitchen Remodel
We can't tell you how many times we've had calls from clients that go something like this:
Client: We just wanted to let you know that although your company was our favorite, and we love your work, we are going to use Company Z because their total cost was $XX,XXX dollars less than yours...
KB&U: Would you mind sending the pricing over? We want to make sure you're happy with your choice and it's hard to believe that Company Z could do the same work for $XX,XXX dollars less...
Not surprisingly, when we receive a copy of the other pricing, we see that several line items never made it onto Company Z's list of costs at all.
Company Z didn't specify whether the cabinets were custom, semi-custom or stock. Perhaps they left out labor charges for some of the pre-construction work, like soffit removal or the reconfiguring of the plumbing to make the new kitchen layout work. In other words, while Company X's quote looks like it's $XX,XXX less, the finished total will be that much or even more expensive when all the "little" line item details have been filled in.
The moral of this story is that if you notice a glaring dollar discrepancy between your favorite kitchen and bath remodeler and a competitor, make sure you're comparing line items and that all of the price discrepancies are accounted for.
Things to look out for include:
- Which type of cabinets are they quoting? Are they quoting custom, semi-custom or stock cabinetry? The cost, quality and efficiency of these three cabinet types can vary significantly so you want to make sure the bid is for the same type of cabinet.
- Labor costs? Do you see labor costs included for some of the additional work being done on the project. Will you be removing soffits? Does your new layout require additional plumbing or electrical work, and was that labor included?
- Did they include appliances? Whoopsie! Did the quotes include the appliances you want? Is the allowance a standard price or is it tiered for the grade of appliances you prefer?
- What about accessories? How about plumbing fixtures? Cabinet door and drawer pulls? What about lighting fixtures?
Many of the "accessory" features may be left off a quote completely, but those "accessories" can add up pretty quick when you consider that a single kitchen faucet can range from $50 to $500, and a similar cost spread exists for lighting fixtures.
In other words, if you aren't careful - and your quotes don't include detailed line items - you can think your Chicago kitchen remodel is going to cost a lot less than it really will when all is said and done. The more due diligence you do beforehand, the happier you'll be when the estimated and real costs are in the same earthly plane as your kitchen remodeling plans.
Kitchen & Baths Unlimited always provides detailed estimates for all of our kitchen remodeling projects. Contact us to schedule a consultation.
