How to Compare Kitchen & Bathroom Remodeling Estimates

01 / Give every estimate the same starting point.

Use the same room photos, dimensions, requested changes and product list. Record the date or revision of each estimate. If your scope changes, ask each company to update its response to the same revision.

CSLB: finding the right contractor

02 / Put the differences side by side.

Copy each answer from the written estimate. Mark included, excluded or unknown; add who is responsible and the page or line that supports the answer. Leave an unresolved amount unknown instead of treating it as zero.

Compare	Estimate A	Estimate B	Estimate C
Scope and drawing revision	To confirm	To confirm	To confirm
Protection, removal and disposal	To confirm	To confirm	To confirm
Surface preparation and repairs	To confirm	To confirm	To confirm
Product models, quantities and finishes	To confirm	To confirm	To confirm
Who buys, receives and checks materials	To confirm	To confirm	To confirm
Installation and related connections	To confirm	To confirm	To confirm
Exclusions and owner-supplied items	To confirm	To confirm	To confirm
Allowances or provisional items	To confirm	To confirm	To confirm
Approvals and specialist responsibilities	To confirm	To confirm	To confirm
Schedule assumptions and dependencies	To confirm	To confirm	To confirm
Cleanup and completion checklist	To confirm	To confirm	To confirm
How changes and unknown conditions are handled	To confirm	To confirm	To confirm

03 / Turn gaps into written questions.

A product is included, but is installation?

A vanity line may describe the cabinet only. Ask separately about delivery, assembly, fitting, countertop, sink and related connections. Record the actual answer; do not assume those items are included.

A selection is still provisional.

If an estimate uses an allowance or provisional sum, ask exactly what it covers, what quantity or product it assumes and how the final selection changes the total. Compare the same specification before comparing amounts.

The start date depends on something.

Ask which selections, deliveries, access arrangements and approvals must be resolved before dates can be agreed. Record dependencies separately from a confirmed schedule.

“Please confirm whether this item includes supply, installation and disposal, who is responsible for each, and where any exclusion or provisional amount is recorded. Please send the revised scope and total together.”

Compare totals after the differences are documented. Keep unresolved items visible. This guide does not determine project feasibility, required permits, contractor qualifications or a start date.

ORCA Build Group works throughout the entire San Francisco Bay Area. City-specific permit notes above are a starting point for that jurisdiction, not a limit on where we work. Verify current requirements with the city before relying on them.