Independent homes
Kitchen Budget and Scope for Independent homes
Compare like-for-like scopes by separating base work, specialist items and upgrades before requesting a quote.
Explore the ideas
Compare the options
- Set the brief
- List the functions the finished space must support, then assign items to base scope or upgrades.
- Compare
- Get quantities and materials described consistently across quotes. Ask who covers making good and waste removal.
- Before buying
- Set aside a contingency for survey-dependent work and price likely substitutions before choosing finishes.
Worked example
A quote combines new cabinets, stone counters and upgraded appliances, making alternatives hard to compare.
Request separate line items for cabinet fronts, carcasses, counter material and appliances, then compare equivalent quantities and exclusions.
How to test it
Read the exclusions back with each supplier and ask what must be purchased or arranged separately.
Apply it to this space
- Layout
- Separate hot cooking, wet cleanup and pantry access; keep the yard route clear of the work zone.
- Detail
- Use robust counter surfaces, task lighting and a ventilated pantry for dry goods.
- Trade-off
- An open kitchen improves connection but carries cooking noise and smells into living space.
- Trace grocery and waste routes
- Check daylight and exhaust outlet location
The Elixir portfolio
Details worth a closer look
