How to Estimate a Kitchen Renovation: A Line-by-Line Quoting Guide
A kitchen renovation quote is built by splitting the job into measurable trade packages — demolition, cabinetry and joinery, benchtops, appliances, splashback, and plumbing and electrical fit-off — then pricing each package against a measured quantity (lineal metres of cabinetry, square metres of benchtop and tiling) using your own labour and material rates. Appliances and other client-selected items are carried as prime cost (PC) allowances rather than folded into a fixed price. The sections below work through each package in order, with an illustrative example table further down — every rate shown is an example only, not a quote for a real job.
Key takeaways
- Kitchens are quoted trade-package by trade-package — demolition, cabinetry, benchtops, appliances, splashback, and plumbing and electrical fit-off — not as one lump sum.
- Cabinetry and joinery are priced per lineal metre of base and overhead run, not per cabinet, so getting the linear run right drives the whole joinery subtotal.
- Benchtops are priced per lineal metre for laminate and timber, and per square metre for stone and engineered stone, plus separate allowances for cut-outs and edge profile.
- Appliances, tapware and other client-selected fixtures should be carried as prime cost (PC) items with a stated allowance, not an assumed brand baked into a fixed price.
- Trade sequencing — demolition, rough-in, cabinetry install, benchtop template and fit, then splashback and final fit-off — is what actually determines the program and where delays come from.
The methodology behind a kitchen renovation quote
A kitchen renovation quote is really a set of smaller quotes bundled together, one for each trade package, added up with preliminaries and margin on top. Estimators typically split the job into demolition and strip-out, cabinetry and joinery, benchtops, appliances carried as PC items, splashback, plumbing fit-off, electrical fit-off, and any painting or patching needed to finish the space.
The two things that make kitchen estimating harder than it looks are prime cost items — appliances, tapware, sometimes the benchtop slab itself — and sequencing several trades through a small, tight space. Get the measured quantities and the PC allowances right, and the rest of the quote is largely arithmetic.
- Demolition and strip-out of the existing kitchen
- Cabinetry and joinery — base units, overhead units, pantry and panelling
- Benchtops — stone, engineered stone, laminate or timber
- Appliances and tapware carried as prime cost (PC) items
- Splashback tiling or glass
- Plumbing and electrical fit-off
- Coordination and sequencing across trades
Demolition and strip-out of the old kitchen
Demolition is usually priced as a single lump sum, or per square metre of floor area, covering removal of the existing cabinetry, benchtop and splashback, and disconnection of services ready for the new fit-out. It is one of the few packages commonly priced as a fixed allowance, because the scope is well defined once the site has been walked.
Before pricing demolition, confirm whether asbestos testing is required. Kitchens renovated before the early 1990s can have asbestos in old splashback sheeting, floor tile adhesive or cabinet linings, and that changes both the removal method and the price.
Check before you strip out
If the property was built or last renovated before the early 1990s, arrange an asbestos assessment before demolition starts. Removal by a licensed contractor is a separate line item — do not absorb it into a standard strip-out rate.
Cabinetry and joinery — pricing by the lineal metre
Cabinetry is the largest single cost in most kitchen renovations, and it is priced by the lineal metre (lm) of cabinetry run rather than by counting individual cupboards. Base units, which support the benchtop, and overhead units, which are wall-hung, are usually measured and rated separately, because they use different carcass heights, hardware and install time.
A takeoff for cabinetry records the lineal run of base units, the lineal run of overheads, any tall pantry or fridge housing units — which are typically priced each rather than per metre — and end panels or kickboards. Applying a base-unit rate and an overhead-unit rate to those measured lineal metres gives the joinery subtotal, before benchtops are added.
- Base units — lineal metres, rate per lm
- Overhead or wall units — lineal metres, rate per lm (usually lower than base units)
- Tall units such as pantry or fridge housing — priced each
- End panels, kickboards and fillers — priced each or per lm
Benchtops — pricing by material, lineal metre or square metre
Benchtops are priced differently depending on the material. Laminate and timber benchtops are usually quoted per lineal metre, because the depth is standard and the main cost driver is the length of run. Stone and engineered stone are typically quoted per square metre of slab, plus separate line items for edge profile, cut-outs for the sink and cooktop, and joins, because slab area and edge detail both affect cost.
Whichever unit is used, keep the takeoff consistent with how the supplier prices the slab or the run — mixing a lineal-metre supply quote with a square-metre installed rate is a common source of quoting errors on kitchen jobs.
Appliances and fixtures as prime cost (PC) items
Ovens, cooktops, rangehoods, dishwashers and tapware are almost always client-selected, and their cost can vary enormously by brand and model. The standard approach is to carry these as prime cost (PC) items — a stated allowance in the quote, clearly flagged as provisional, rather than an assumed brand and model folded into a fixed price.
A PC item still needs a figure in the quote so the client can see a realistic total, but the quote should make clear that the final cost will be adjusted, up or down, once the client confirms their actual appliance and tapware selections.
Splashback, plumbing and electrical fit-off — and the sequencing that ties it together
Splashback, whether tiled or glass, is priced per square metre, with cut-outs for power points and the rangehood affecting labour time more than material cost. Plumbing fit-off covers reconnecting or relocating the sink and dishwasher, plus any tapware changes, and is usually priced as a fixed fit-off rate rather than a detailed material takeoff. Electrical fit-off covers power outlets, task lighting under the overhead units, and any relocated switches, again typically a fixed rate per point.
None of this happens in isolation. The standard sequence is demolition, then rough-in plumbing and electrical, then cabinetry installation, then benchtop template and fit, then splashback, then final plumbing and electrical fit-off. Getting that order wrong — tiling the splashback before the benchtop is templated, for example — is one of the most common causes of kitchen renovation delays and rework.
What a kitchen renovation quote looks like line by line
The worked example below shows how the packages above come together into a single quote. The rates shown are illustrative examples only, used to demonstrate how the line items are structured — a real quote should use current labour, material and PC rates, adjusted for the specific kitchen and site.
| Line item | Unit | Example rate | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demolition and strip-out | Lump sum | Example only | Confirm asbestos status before pricing |
| Base cabinetry | Per lineal metre | Example only | Standard carcass, soft-close hardware |
| Overhead cabinetry | Per lineal metre | Example only | Usually lower than the base-unit rate |
| Benchtop — engineered stone | Per square metre | Example only | Plus cut-outs and edge profile |
| Splashback tiling | Per square metre | Example only | Add for power point cut-outs |
| Appliances (oven, cooktop, rangehood, dishwasher) | PC item allowance | Example only | Adjusted once the client confirms selections |
| Plumbing fit-off (sink, dishwasher) | Fixed fit-off rate | Example only | Assumes no relocation of wet areas |
| Electrical fit-off (power and lighting) | Fixed fit-off rate | Example only | Per point, includes under-cabinet lighting |
How My Trade Hub speeds up kitchen renovation quoting
My Trade Hub is built to take the packages above off spreadsheets and out of manual scaling. Upload the kitchen plan and the automated quantity takeoff measures cabinetry runs, benchtop area and splashback area straight from the drawing, instead of a person scaling a PDF by hand with a ruler.
An editable rates library holds your own base-unit, overhead-unit, benchtop and fit-off rates, and applies them automatically to the measured quantities. Appliances and other client selections are handled as proper PC items, with the allowance clearly flagged in the output rather than silently built into a fixed price. The result is a professional quote or tender document, ready to send, with every figure traceable back to a measured quantity and a rate you control.
Builders and joiners using My Trade Hub to prepare a priced kitchen renovation quote report doing it 60–75% faster than building the same quote manually in a spreadsheet.
- Automated takeoff of cabinetry lineal metres and benchtop or splashback area from uploaded plans
- Editable rates library for base units, overheads, benchtops and fit-off rates
- PC-item handling for appliances and client-selected fixtures
- Professional quote and tender document generation
- 60–75% faster than manual spreadsheet estimating
Frequently asked questions
How do you estimate a kitchen renovation?
Split the job into trade packages — demolition, cabinetry, benchtops, appliances, splashback, and plumbing and electrical fit-off — measure each one (lineal metres of cabinetry, square metres of benchtop and tiling), apply your own labour and material rates, carry appliances as PC allowances, then add preliminaries and margin.
Is kitchen cabinetry priced per cabinet or per metre?
Per lineal metre of run, not per cabinet. Base units and overhead units are usually measured and rated separately, since they use different carcass heights and install time, with tall pantry or fridge housing units typically priced each.
What is a PC item on a kitchen renovation quote?
A prime cost (PC) item is a stated allowance for something the client will select later, such as an oven, cooktop, rangehood, dishwasher or tapware. It gives the client a working total while making clear the figure will be adjusted once the actual product is confirmed.
Does a kitchen quote change once appliances are chosen?
Yes. Appliances are carried as PC allowances precisely because the final brand and model are usually not confirmed at quoting stage, so the quote is adjusted, up or down, once the client locks in their selections.
What order do trades work in on a kitchen renovation?
The standard sequence is demolition, then rough-in plumbing and electrical, then cabinetry installation, then benchtop template and fit, then splashback, then final plumbing and electrical fit-off. Working out of that order is a common cause of delays and rework.
Do I need an asbestos check before kitchen demolition?
If the property was built or last renovated before the early 1990s, arrange an asbestos assessment before strip-out begins, since old splashback sheeting, tile adhesive or cabinet linings can contain it, and licensed removal is priced separately.
How can I quote a kitchen renovation faster?
Use software that measures cabinetry, benchtop and splashback quantities from the plan automatically, applies your own rates library to those quantities, and handles appliances as PC items. My Trade Hub users report preparing a priced kitchen renovation quote 60–75% faster than doing it manually in a spreadsheet.
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