Notes for owners · Sales management
How to quote a modular kitchen or wardrobe project so the buyer can compare
A line-by-line quotation layout for modular kitchens and wardrobes, with board, hardware, installation and exclusions on separate lines, so a buyer holding three quotes can see what each price buys.
The GullySales team · Updated 17 Oct 2026 · 6 min read
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A buyer holding three modular kitchen quotes has one question: what am I paying extra for? A lump sum cannot answer it, so the highest quote loses even when it is the better job. Give the carcass board, the shutters, the hardware, the accessories and the installation a line each. Name the brand or grade on every line, and list what you left out. It is more writing. It also lets the comparison happen on your page rather than on the price alone.
Why does a lump sum lose?
The buyer is not a carpenter and cannot tell that one workshop quoted a thicker carcass board and another a thinner one, or that one quoted soft-close channels and the other basic ones. Both quotes say "modular kitchen, 10 feet, laminate finish". The cheaper one wins on the only number the buyer can read.
An itemised quote moves the argument. Now the buyer sees that your price includes a named board at a stated thickness and that the other quote does not say. They can ask the other workshop the question themselves.
The layout
Use this table as the body of the quotation, one block for the kitchen and one for each wardrobe.
| Line | What to write | Why the buyer needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Site visit date, drawing version, room size | So both of you know which drawing is priced |
| Carcass | Board type, thickness, brand if you name it | The part they cannot see and most want to trust |
| Shutters | Material, finish, edge treatment, colour code | The part they can see, so they can match samples |
| Hardware | Channels, hinges, handles: brand and type | Where cheap and good quotes differ most |
| Accessories | Each pull-out, basket or organiser, counted | The buyer decides which to drop |
| Countertop and backsplash | In or out, and who supplies | A common source of a surprise bill |
| Installation | Included or charged, and what it covers | Where the lowest quote hides cost |
| Not included | Civil, plumbing, electrical, chimney, appliances | So there are no surprises on site |
| Taxes and payment stages | GST treatment, advance, balance | Clear before the first payment |
| Validity | A date | Why the rate may change |
Keep the descriptions in plain words. A filled carcass line might read: "Carcass: 18 mm BWP plywood, 12 mm back panel, laminate inside, edge-banded." That tells the buyer something; "premium quality" tells them nothing.
Many buyers will also ask for a rate per running foot, because other workshops quote that way. Give it as a check under the total, with a note of what the foot covers (carcass height, shutters, hardware grade) and what it leaves out. Two workshops' feet are only comparable when those three match.
Name the board and the hardware
The two lines buyers argue about are carcass and hardware, so write them in a form the buyer can ask another workshop to match. State the board type and thickness. Name the hardware brand and, if you can, the model. State the warranty you give on your own workmanship, and only the one you will honour. If the hardware maker offers its own, say so and send the buyer to the maker's terms rather than describing them.
This is also where to offer two options. A buyer who sees "standard hardware" and "upgraded hardware" with the price difference has a decision to make, not a discount to ask for.
Exclusions in writing
Many disputes on site are about what was not in the quote. Put a plain list under "Not included": wall repair, tiling, plumbing and electrical shifting, chimney and hob supply, appliances, and any civil work. Add a sentence on what happens if the wall turns out to be uneven or a pipe has to move.
The list also protects the buyer, who finds out before the work starts, not on the day your fitters arrive.
For example: a Pune workshop and a flat in Wakad
Say a workshop in Pimpri-Chinchwad quotes a 3BHK flat in Wakad for a kitchen and two wardrobes. The case is made up. The lump sum is higher than two others, and the buyer says it is too much. The follow-up message goes unanswered.
The workshop redoes the quote in the table above. The carcass line names the board and its thickness, the hardware line gives the make of channels and hinges, installation says included, and the chimney sits under "not included". The buyer carries the new sheet to the cheaper workshop and asks what board it used and whether fitting was in the price. The answers were a thinner board and a separate charge for fitting. The buyer signed the rebuilt quote, with the soft-close hinges as an extra line chosen separately. The buyer still disputed the countertop line and got the backsplash taken out of the price, so the total came down by about ₹8,000 on a job the workshop had expected to win outright. The workshop, the buyer and the figures are invented.
What if the buyer haggles line by line?
An itemised quote also invites the buyer to negotiate every line. Decide before you send it which lines are fixed and which have room. A sensible split is to hold the board and hardware lines and let the accessories flex.
Skip this layout for a single wardrobe or a small repair job. A one-page quote with the main specification and a total is enough, and a ten-line table would feel heavy for a small job.
Rebuild one lost quote
Take one quotation you lost and rebuild it in the table above. The lines you cannot fill are the gaps the buyer saw. The other buyers of furniture are on the furniture and wood products page. If you would like a hand setting up the layout, with proposal development for the document itself, tell us what you need.
