Custom Kitchen Costs in Morgan Hill: Comparing Scope and Allowances

A custom kitchen proposal is comparable only when the work behind the total is comparable. For a Morgan Hill kitchen, organize pricing by identifiable assemblies and selections rather than treating a price per cabinet or linear foot as a complete budget. This guide does not provide a market price or a project estimate; it explains the information needed to evaluate one.

Create an assembly schedule

Give each cabinet run, island or specialty assembly a reference that also appears on the drawings. For each reference, record quantity, dimensions or drawing reference, door construction, exposed ends, interior finish, hardware and accessories. Identify decorative panels separately when they are not included in the cabinet description.

A useful comparison line might read: island assembly; current elevation reference; finished rear and end panels; drawer hardware identified; countertop excluded. It describes the work without inventing a price. Ask each bidder to respond to the same line, including any qualification.

Distinguish an allowance from an exclusion

An allowance is an amount carried for a defined item whose final selection is unresolved. Its description should explain the item covered, the pricing basis and how a final selection changes the contract amount. An exclusion means the work is not included. A blank line does not reliably establish either condition; request clarification.

For example, an unresolved decorative pull selection should not obscure whether installation of those pulls is included. Likewise, an appliance panel allowance should identify the affected appliance and what information must be confirmed before fabrication.

Compare the surrounding services

Check whether shop drawings, field verification, samples, packaging, delivery and unloading are included. Identify responsibility for demolition, utility work, countertops, appliance connection and installation instead of assuming that the word kitchen covers them. Installation requiring a contractor's license is performed under a separate agreement by appropriately licensed independent contractors.

Compare delivery and installation responsibilities with the same care as material selections. Different exclusions can explain a difference between totals without indicating a difference in manufacturing quality.

Keep revisions separate from the approved baseline

Once a scope is accepted, identify its drawing revision and selection schedule. A change should name the affected assembly, describe the added or removed work and state the price and schedule effect. Do not combine a new design request with settlement of an existing allowance without explaining both.

Information that makes a review productive

Provide the same current drawings, appliance information and finish direction with each proposal being compared. Highlight unresolved items rather than filling them with assumptions. Millwork USA can review a proposed package for scope and manufacturing fit; project pricing must be tied to that review.

Prepare missing design information using the planning guide: millwork-usa.com/resources/custom-kitchens-in-morgan-hill-planning

Request a project-specific review: millwork-usa.com/request-project-review