The lower kitchen quote is worth considering. First establish whether it buys the same finished room.
Compare three things separately: the work included, the amount still uncertain and who is responsible for getting it finished. Once those agree, a price difference becomes much easier to understand.
Give Each Builder the Same Brief
Use the same dated plan, appliance list and written inclusions. Record any change made after a site visit and send it to everyone pricing the work. Otherwise, one builder may allow for a new floor while another assumes the old floor stays.
A short first discussion can establish fit. A price you can properly compare needs the products, quantities, existing conditions and extent of finishing to be sufficiently defined. Consumer Affairs Victoria recommends comparing quotes against the same plans and specifications.
Compare These Six Lines Before the Total
For each line, record one of four answers: fixed inclusion, allowance, excluded or not yet clarified. A blank is a question, not a zero-dollar inclusion.
- 1. Removal and making-good
- Protection, disconnection, waste, plaster, painting and the exact flooring boundary. Who finishes the marks left by the old kitchen?
- 2. Cabinetry and installation
- Construction, finish, hardware, drawers, storage internals, appliance panels, fillers, delivery and fitting. Compare written specifications, not similar renders.
- 3. Benchtops and splashbacks
- Exact product, thickness, edge, joins, cut-outs, support, measuring, fabrication and installation.
- 4. Appliances and services
- Models, supply, plumbing, power, gas where relevant, rangehood ducting and connections. “Appliances by owner” does not answer who installs them.
- 5. Existing conditions
- What was inspected, what is assumed and what happens if damaged or unsuitable materials are exposed. Separate necessary investigations from genuinely concealed conditions.
- 6. Coordination and completion
- Trade scheduling, site supervision, deliveries, communication, completion checks and applicable handover records. Identify who resolves the joins between trades.
Ask whether GST is included throughout. A price excluding GST cannot be compared directly with a GST-inclusive total.
An Allowance Is a Price Still Waiting for Detail
A prime cost item allows for a fixture or fitting not fully selected or priced. A provisional sum allows for work whose cost cannot yet be determined. Both need a clear basis; they are not automatically a problem.
Record the product or work assumed, the amount allowed and how a difference would be calculated, including any applicable margin and GST. Where a selection can be confirmed now, request it in the specification.
The Victorian building-contract checklist explains these terms. Calling a document “fixed price” does not remove the need to read its allowances and exclusions.
When a $48,000 Quote Can Cost More Than a $59,000 Quote
This is an invented, GST-inclusive comparison, not actual customer quotes or Bluestone pricing. It assumes the same specified kitchen and selections in both columns.
Quote A
$48,000 stated total
- Stated quote
- $48,000
- Excluded appliance supply
- + $6,000
- Excluded floor and paint work
- + $4,000
- Increase over a trade allowance
- + $3,000
- Assumed comparable outlay
- $61,000
Quote B
$59,000 stated total
- Stated quote
- $59,000
- Same appliance supply
- Included
- Same floor and paint work
- Included
- Same defined trade work
- Included
- Assumed comparable outlay
- $59,000
The $3,000 above is the assumed increase over the amount already in Quote A, not a second charge for the whole trade package. All added amounts assume any applicable margin and GST are already included. Both examples are before a separate reserve for unresolved conditions.
The apparent $11,000 saving becomes a $2,000 higher outlay under these assumptions. If the missing figures are unknown, do not invent them to force a comparison: ask for clarification. The more expensive quote is not automatically the better one either.
Send This Clarification Request
Copy and adapt this when the documents leave gaps:
Before I compare the total, could you please confirm:
- The dated drawings and specification you have priced.
- Every exclusion or item to be supplied or arranged by me.
- Each allowance, what it assumes and how a difference is charged.
- Who handles appliance connections and finishes the affected walls and floors.
- What has been inspected and how concealed conditions would be handled.
- Whether the price includes GST, and who coordinates the work through to handover.
Please identify any change to the total or timing so I can compare the same scope.
A clear written answer is more useful than a verbal assurance that “everything is included”. Keep the updated documents together.
Before Choosing and Signing
Compare the builder’s relevant work, communication, registration and proposed contract as well as the scope and price. Check the insurance and approvals applicable to your project before committing or paying a deposit.
Discuss how changes affect both cost and time. Consumer Affairs Victoria recommends documenting and signing off contract changes before the changed work begins. Necessary repairs, new selections and a different layout should not be blended into one unexplained extra.
Bring the Documents Into One Renovation Plan
Bluestone coordinates complete kitchen renovations, including the cabinetry, trades and connected building work. If that is the scope you need, start with your suburb, what you want to change and the budget you are working within.
Still testing the budget? Read the Melbourne kitchen cost guide. Already have documents? QuoteCheck can help identify questions to take back to the quoting builder; it cannot inspect the home or establish the final cost.
Official Checks
Use Consumer Affairs Victoria’s building-contract guidance alongside the linked quote, allowance and variation checklists. Sources checked 21 October 2026.
