How to Quote for a Kitchen Fitting Job
A kitchen has more moving parts than almost any other domestic job: units, worktops, appliances, plus plumbing and electrics that all need to land in the right order. Most kitchen quoting problems aren't pricing problems, they're scope problems, work that everyone assumed someone else was covering. Get the scope explicit and the pricing takes care of itself.
Units and carcasses: the core labour
Building and installing base and wall units is the backbone of the job and the easiest part to price accurately, since unit count and layout complexity are known before you start. Quote per unit or as a day-rate build, but either way factor in scribing to walls that are never quite square, corner unit fiddliness, and end panel and filler work, which eats more time than people expect.
Worktops: template, material and fitting are separate costs
If you're not cutting the worktop yourself, templating and fitting a stone or engineered worktop usually goes through a specialist supplier, and your quote should state clearly whether that cost is included or the customer deals with it directly. If you are fitting a laminate or wood worktop yourself, price the cutting, jointing and upstand work as its own line, since a run with a sink cutout, a hob cutout and a mitred corner takes a lot longer than a single straight length.
Coordinating plumbing and electrics without doing their job for free
A kitchen fit only goes smoothly if first-fix plumbing (sink, dishwasher, washing machine feeds) and electrics (sockets, under-unit lighting, cooker circuit) happen at the right point in the sequence, whether that's you doing it, a sub, or the customer's own trades. State in the quote whose responsibility coordination is, and don't assume you're managing someone else's trade unless you've priced project management time for it.
Appliance allowances: name a figure, not a vibe
If you're supplying appliances, give each one a named allowance (an oven at this price point, a hob at this price point) rather than a vague "appliances included." Customers regularly want to upgrade once they see brochures, and a named allowance means the price difference is simply the gap between the allowance and their choice, not a fresh negotiation.
The install sequence, written down
A short sequence in the quote (first fix, unit build, worktop template, worktop fit, appliance install, finishing) does two jobs: it shows the customer you know what you're doing, and it gives you a reference point if delays happen on someone else's trade, so it's clearly not your fault the fit slipped.
Waste, protection and making good
Old kitchen removal generates real waste, and floor and wall protection during the fit matters on a job this messy. Either line-item a skip/waste carrier or state the customer arranges it, and include a making-good allowance for any wall or floor patching left from the old kitchen's removal.
Templates for the trades involved
TradeQuoteKit has free quote templates for plumbers and electricians too, so every trade on a kitchen job can quote in the same clear format.
Browse all templatesKitchen fitting quote FAQs
Should my kitchen quote include the appliances?
Only if you're supplying them. Most fitters quote installation labour for customer-supplied appliances and state clearly that appliances themselves are excluded unless listed as a supply item. If you do supply, give a named allowance per appliance so a customer upgrading their oven doesn't assume it's covered.
How do I quote when the electrician and plumber are someone else's subcontractors?
Quote your own fitting work clearly as excluding first-fix plumbing and electrics, name who is responsible for coordinating those trades, and set out the sequence and rough timing dependencies so nobody assumes you're managing a trade you haven't priced for.
What if the walls aren't square, which they never are?
Scribing and packing units to out-of-true walls and floors is normal kitchen fitting, not an extra, and your day rate should already assume it. What's genuinely extra is a wall so far out that end panels, fillers or a full re-plan are needed, which is worth a specific note in the quote rather than an assumption either way.
How long does a standard kitchen fit take, for quoting purposes?
A straightforward like-for-like kitchen typically runs 5 to 7 working days once electrics and plumbing first fix are done: unit build and installation, worktop template and fit, appliance install, and finishing. A full reconfiguration with wall removal or major electrical changes takes longer, quote it as its own phase.