- What changes if I keep the existing cabinets?
- It is one of the real levers, and worth raising early. The two Phoenix specifications above differ by roughly $53,000 on the same 200 sf room; one keeps the cabinet boxes and refaces them, the other replaces the cabinetry outright — but they also differ in appliances, countertops, lighting and the sink, and the report does not separate out what each change contributes. So refacing is a strategy rather than a stated saving. It works when the layout suits you and the boxes are sound, and it does not work when the layout is the problem you are trying to solve.
- Does moving the sink really change the price that much?
- It is usually a step rather than an increment. Keeping the plumbing where it is makes a kitchen a finish project. Moving a sink or a gas line means opening a wall or a slab, permits, inspections and a different trade sequence. The size of that step depends on where the drain runs and what the floor is, which is why it is worth resolving on a drawing rather than after cabinets are set.
- Which parts of a kitchen price are usually allowances?
- Appliances, tile, plumbing fixtures, lighting and sometimes countertops. An allowance is a placeholder for something you have not chosen yet, and it only tells you the truth if it is set against a real product or a showroom range you have actually looked at. Ask what each allowance covers, whether it includes installation, and when it gets reconciled — our guide on allowances and change orders sets out where the same tool goes wrong.
- Are design fees and permits inside a kitchen price?
- Sometimes, and you should not assume either way. The published research above does not state how it treats them, and contractors handle them differently: some carry permit fees in the contract, some carry an allowance, some bill them at cost. The same is true of drawings and any structural engineering. Ask directly, on both proposals, because it is a common reason two numbers look further apart than the work actually is.
- What happens if something is wrong behind the cabinets?
- It gets priced and approved before it is fixed, in a written change order. Failed supply lines, a drain that does not run where anyone thought, undersized wiring and water damage are the usual finds in older Phoenix stock, and none of them is visible until demolition. What is fair to expect is not that nothing is found, but that it is found early, documented when found, and priced before the work proceeds.
- How do I compare two kitchen proposals that are thousands apart?
- Compare the allowance schedules and the cabinetry specification before you compare the bottom line. A lower number with thinner allowances is the same kitchen with more of its cost moved into a phase where you have less leverage. Then check the four things above — layout changes, permits, tax treatment and the change-order process — because a difference in any one of them can account for the whole gap.
