Choosing a bespoke kitchen manufacturer often gets reduced to comparing three numbers at the bottom of a quotation. That’s a mistake - the difference between a good order and a bad one is decided earlier, in details that may not show up in the price list at all. Here’s a guide to what to ask and how to read a quotation.
What to ask before the first meeting
- How many completed projects can the workshop document with photos? Not renders - real photos of finished kitchens, ideally with the location noted.
- Does the carpenter make the carcasses themselves, or buy them ready-made? The difference between in-house manufacturing and assembling bought-in parts shows up both in price and in how much custom adjustment is possible.
- How long has the company been in business? A longer track record means a better chance the workshop will still be around in five years, when you need servicing.
How to read a quotation - what must be included
The most common source of disputes isn’t the price itself, but what is or isn’t included in it. A fair quotation should clearly itemise:
- Carcass and front material - the specific board type and thickness.
- Type of fittings - not just “quality fittings”, but the specific range or mechanism type.
- Whether installation and delivery are included in the price, or invoiced separately.
- Whether the design is included in the price, and what happens if you ultimately withdraw from the order.
- Delivery time - a specific number of weeks, not “as soon as possible”.
For a detailed look at which terms to look for in a quotation and what they mean, see our glossary of terms.
Who does the installation and how is payment handled
Ask whether installation is carried out directly by the workshop’s own employees or by an external installation crew - communication about additional adjustments tends to be easier with in-house staff. For payment, it’s common practice to pay a deposit on order and the balance after installation is completed, or to split payment into several instalments by project phase (manufacture, installation). The payment schedule should be part of the quotation, not something that only appears in the contract signed on site.
How many quotations to compare
A single quotation tells you almost nothing - it only makes sense in comparison with others. It’s worth asking at least three workshops for the same brief (dimensions, material, appliances) and comparing the itemised breakdown, not just the total price. A significantly lower quotation usually means something is missing - typically installation, delivery, or cheaper fittings than the competition uses.
References - how to verify them
Photos on a website aren’t enough. Ask for contact details of at least one older customer - not from the last few months. With a kitchen that’s two to three years old, you can tell how the fittings and edges held up in real use, not just at handover. With smaller workshops, it’s common to view completed projects in person if the client agrees.
Warranties
A standard warranty on kitchen furniture typically runs for several years, while quality fittings often carry a substantially longer functional warranty. Ask specifically: what the warranty covers (construction, fittings and appliances tend to have different warranty periods), and how claims are handled - does the carpenter come to your home, or is the piece removed and taken back to the workshop.
Project timeline
A realistic timeline for a bespoke kitchen includes the site survey, design and approval, manufacturing and installation - typically a few weeks to a few months in total, depending on the workshop’s workload and the complexity of the order. If a quotation promises a complete bespoke kitchen in a few days, check whether it’s really custom-made or a stock design.
Point of contact and communication during the project
With smaller workshops, it’s often an advantage that one specific person - the owner or production manager - handles the whole order from site survey to installation. That saves time when dealing with changes, and it’s clear who to contact if something doesn’t go according to plan. With larger companies, ask who will be your contact after the contract is signed, and whether it’s the same person you dealt with during the quotation, or whether the order is passed on to the production department.
A final check before signing
Before you sign a quotation, you should have in writing: an itemised list of materials and fittings, the price of installation and delivery, the delivery date, and the warranty terms. If any of this is missing from the quotation, ask - a good workshop will add it without any trouble, a bad one will avoid giving a specific answer.
Want to know what the price is made up of and what range it realistically falls into? Read our breakdown of bespoke kitchen pricing.