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Questions to ask a kitchen contractor before you sign

Before you get quotes

Start with the questions that tell you whether a contractor is worth getting a detailed quote from. If the answers here are vague or written down nowhere, the price that follows it is not reliable.

Do you do this kind of kitchen renovation regularly, and how many like this have you finished in the last year?
Will one of your own team manage the job from start to finish, and who will that be?
Have you done work in my area, and can you share two or three recent, similar jobs?

Questions about scope

Scope is where cheap and dear quotes hide their differences, so get it exact.

What exactly is included, and what is not?
Will you itemise the quote (units, worktop, fixtures, plumbing, electrics, waste, decoration)?
Who supplies the materials and who installs them — is everything under one roof?
Which brands and grades are you quoting for the units, worktop and fixtures, and who pays if a substitute is needed?

Questions about cost, deposits and payment

What is the total, and how is it broken down?
What deposit do you ask for, and when is the balance due?
How do changes and extras get priced and agreed before they’re done?
Will the full price, scope and payment schedule be in a written contract I keep?

Not sure what a fair number looks like before the quotes land? See how to budget a kitchen project.

Questions about schedule

When can you start, and what is the realistic finish date?
What is the week-by-week order of the work?
What happens to the finish date if materials are delayed, or if something is found when we open a wall?
How are delays caused on my side (late decisions, late materials I supplied) handled?
What does “complete” mean — does it include the final clean and a snag list?

Questions about the contract and guarantees

Are you insured (public liability, and the right coverage for the work)?
What warranty do you give on your workmanship, separate from the material warranties?
Who handles problems that appear after the work is done, and for how long?

Red flags: when to walk away

None of these is proof on its own. Two or three together, or the same “no” to putting answers in writing, is a strong reason to keep looking.

Pressure to sign today or lose the price.
Comfortable with a large upfront deposit before anything is written down.
Reluctant to itemise the quote or answer in writing.
No clear process for changes and extras.
No references, or references that cannot be reached.
Vague on scope, start date, or who will be on site.

Turn the answers into a decision

Once you have the answers, compare the quotes line by line rather than on the total. Two quotes can carry the same headline price and completely different scope underneath. Log the differences, note what you would lose with the cheaper option, and decide on the whole package — price, scope, schedule and how they handle changes — not just the number. The full method is in how to compare kitchen renovation quotes.

A ready-made checklist and decision register. If you would rather not build this from scratch, The Kitchen Renovation Planner has a ready-to-use list of the questions above, a decision register to log each answer, and a sheet to compare every quote line by line. It is a $19 one-time, 26-page printable PDF in US Letter and A4, emailed after payment.

Get The Kitchen Renovation Planner — $19, 26-page printable PDF, US Letter + A4, emailed after payment →