Kitchen Renovation Quote Checker: Compare 3 Contractor Quotes (Excel + Google Sheets)

Which kitchen quote is actually cheaper once the missing items and allowances are counted?

Kitchen quotes are hard to compare. One contractor includes the hood ducting, worktop templating and sink cut-outs. Another leaves them out. A third puts a $7,000 "allowance" against cabinets you'll actually spend $11,500 on. This spreadsheet adds those gaps back and shows each contractor's true cost.

In the worked example: Quote A was the cheapest on paper at $27,000. Once you add 18 missing items ($10,100), low cabinet, worktop and appliance allowances ($13,465) and the VAT it never mentioned ($2,528), its true cost is $53,093. That makes it the most expensive of the three. The best value was Quote B, at $51,466, even though its headline price was $14,850 higher.

What's inside

• Scope Checklist: 40 kitchen lines, plus 8 rows for your own. It covers strip-out and waste, plumbing first and second fix, gas, dedicated appliance circuits, the panel upgrade, the range hood and ducting, cabinet supply and installation, hardware, fillers and plinths, worktop templating, cut-outs, upstands, backsplash, flooring, the ceiling, painting, making good, snagging and more. Mark what you need and add a rough cost for each line, by quantity × rate or as a lump sum.
• Quote Comparison: 3 contractors, line by line. Mark each line Included, Excluded, Provisional allowance or Not mentioned, and the sheet works out:
• the headline quote vs the TRUE adjusted total (incl. tax)
• how many scope lines are missing and what they will cost
• allowance risk, with an overrun % you can change
• how VAT is treated (included, excluded or not stated)
• deposit, payment terms, warranty, programme and how long the quote is valid
• the rank by headline and the rank by true cost, with a plain-English verdict
• Allowances Check: compares the quotes' cabinet, worktop, appliance, sink, lighting, hood, flooring and backsplash allowances against your own figures. After signing, it tracks each allowance against what you actually chose.
• Red Flags: 8 automatic checks (deposit over 30%, VAT not stated, missing scope, thin cabinet, worktop or appliance allowances, warranty under 12 months, price held for under 14 days) and 11 you answer yourself, such as asking for cash, no licence or insurance, no written programme, or a hood type and duct route that are never specified.
• Questions to Ask: a ready-to-send list for each contractor, written from the gaps and allowances in their quote, plus 14 questions to ask everyone.
• Change-Order Log: every extra, whether approved, pending or rejected, with the days each one adds and how the final cost moves away from the contract price.
• Payment Schedule: deposit, stage payments, extras and retention. Each stage shows what's paid and what's left, and flags OVERDUE or "paid ahead of checked work".
• Dashboard: the cheapest on paper vs the cheapest in reality. Then the contract price, the final cost, paid, overdue and budget left, with two charts.

Works in any currency. Type in your own currency symbol ($, £, €, AED, SAR, ₹ …) and your VAT or sales tax rate.

You get

• Kitchen_Renovation_Quote_Checker_BLANK.xlsx
• Kitchen_Renovation_Quote_Checker_SAMPLE.xlsx (full worked example)
• Quick Start Guide (2-page PDF)

Compatible with Google Sheets (free) and Microsoft Excel 2019, 2021, 2024 and Microsoft 365, on Windows and Mac. Not compatible with Apple Numbers. No macros.

Good to know: this is a comparison and tracking tool, not professional, legal, tax or building-code advice. Your own estimates drive the adjusted totals. It is an instant digital download, so nothing is shipped. Personal use only.