Cost guide · 7 min read
How to read a remodel quote without a construction background.
Allowances, exclusions, and change-order terms tell you more about a contractor than the bottom line does.
Find the allowances first
An allowance is a placeholder budget for something you have not chosen yet — tile, fixtures, cabinet hardware. Two quotes can look far apart simply because one used a realistic allowance and the other used a low one.
Ask what each allowance assumes per square foot or per unit. That single question makes most quotes comparable.
Read the exclusions like they are the scope
Exclusions are where surprises live: permit fees, dumpster rental, electrical upgrades required by code, painting after drywall repair.
A quote with a thorough exclusion list is usually written by someone who has been through the process carefully, not someone hiding costs.
Understand the change-order terms
Every remodel has changes. What matters is whether changes are priced in writing before work proceeds and whether the markup percentage is stated up front.
Payment schedules should track completed milestones, never a large deposit against a promise.
A note on pricing figures
For orientation: bathrooms commonly run $9,000 to $35,000, kitchens $18,000 to $75,000, and whole-floor renovations well beyond that. Allowances for tile, fixtures, and cabinetry account for most of the spread.
Use these as a sanity check on the quotes in front of you, not as a target price.