A quote is a promise about the future, written down. These ten questions are simply a gentle way of finding out how carefully that promise was made, and any good company will be pleased you asked.
1. Who actually makes this?
Ask whether the company designs, manufactures and installs with its own team, or whether parts of it are subcontracted. Neither answer is wrong on its own. But if three different companies are involved, ask a follow-up: when something needs fixing, whose phone rings?
2. What board is being used, and where?
Not just "plywood", which grade, in which cabinet. BWP under the sink, MR in the bedroom. If the quote just says "ply", ask for it in writing, cabinet by cabinet.
3. What thickness is the edge banding?
2mm, machine-pressed, is what you want on anything that will meet moisture. It's a tiny line item and a very honest indicator of how carefully everything else is being built.
4. Which hardware brand, and what's the warranty on it?
Hinges and runners are the moving parts, and they're the first thing to fail. Get the brand named in the quote, not just "premium soft-close".
Anything described only with an adjective, premium, imported, best quality, is not yet a specification. Kindly ask for the noun.
5. What exactly is excluded?
This is the question that saves the most money. Countertops, sink, tap, chimney, hob, electrical points, plumbing changes, tiling, painting and loft units are all commonly outside the quoted figure. Ask for the exclusions as a written list, so the total you're comparing is a real total.
6. Is GST included in this number?
Ask plainly. A quote that looks 15% cheaper is sometimes just a quote that hasn't added the tax yet.
7. What's the payment schedule, and what does each stage buy?
A reasonable structure ties payments to milestones, on design sign-off, on the start of manufacturing, on delivery, and a final portion held back until installation is complete and you're happy. Be a little cautious about anything asking for the great majority up front.
8. How long will it take, and what happens if it slips?
Roughly 25 to 45 days of manufacturing after the design is approved is normal for a kitchen and wardrobes. Ask what happens if the date moves, and how you'll be told.
9. What's the warranty, and what does it actually cover?
"Ten-year warranty" can mean many things. Ask what is covered, the boards, the hardware, the finish?, and what would void it. Get the answer in writing.
10. May I see something you finished three years ago?
This is my favourite question, and the most revealing one. Anyone can show you a kitchen photographed the week it was installed. A company that can happily show you one from three years ago, still looking well, is telling you something no brochure can.
And one small piece of advice
Get everything in writing, the design drawings, the specification, the exclusions, the schedule. Not because anyone is trying to mislead you, but because memory is a poor contract, and a friendly conversation in March is very hard to reconstruct in September. A company that writes things down clearly is usually a company that builds things carefully too.
Take your time. A good kitchen will be with you a long while, and nobody worth working with will rush you into it.
Jenitha started Aarcube in 2014 after building her own home and finding the whole process needlessly complicated. She has been quietly trying to fix that ever since.
