{"id":27444,"date":"2026-09-20T19:39:42","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T17:39:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/?p=27444"},"modified":"2026-10-27T18:26:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T17:26:24","slug":"checking-a-kitchen-quote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/guides\/checking-a-kitchen-quote\/","title":{"rendered":"Checking a kitchen quote: the fixed installation price, the order confirmation and the named special items"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The reliable test for any kitchen offer is a fixed euro sum for the installation instead of a line that charges installation by time.<\/strong> Last updated: September 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list kk-1min\">\n<li>The order confirmation must copy the offer line for line, because it is what fixes the price.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>A good offer names every conditional item with a price instead of hiding it in a charged-by-time item.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Installation charged by time typically ends between \u20ac2,500 and \u20ac8,000 in the offers customers bring in.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>The offer with the lowest total often has the most open items, such as appliances as a lump sum.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kitchen buying guide \u00b7 Module 8: The offer &amp; the future | Previous step: <a href=\"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/guides\/where-to-buy-a-kitchen\/\">Which supplier suits you<\/a> | Next step: <a href=\"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/guides\/kitchen-deposit-and-payment-plan\/\">Deposit and payment plan<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/assets\/blog\/kuechenangebot-pruefen-montage\/kuechenangebot-pruefen-montage.webp\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/assets\/blog\/kuechenangebot-pruefen-montage\/kuechenangebot-pruefen-montage.webp\" alt=\"Installation: wall-mounted cabinet with its doors open\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" loading=\"eager\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">During the installation of a Kolev fitted solution.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The test for any offer: a fixed sum instead of &#8220;by time&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the offers that customers bring us for comparison, installation charged by time typically ends between \u20ac2,500 and \u20ac8,000. Installation charged by time with no fixed sum is the fourth mistake in the <a href=\"\/en\/referenzen\/fuenf-denkfehler\/\">12 Kitchen-Buying Mistakes guide<\/a>. The reason is simple: a line that bills by the hour names no final sum before installation, and what ends up on the invoice depends on the time spent, not on the offer. The reliable test for any kitchen offer is therefore a fixed euro sum for the installation plus clearly named conditional items, each with a price. The table below shows, line by line, how an item often reads in an offer, how it should read, and what you can ask the supplier about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Item<\/th>\n<th>How it often reads in the offer<\/th>\n<th>How it should read<\/th>\n<th>Question for the supplier<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Item\">Installation<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it often reads in the offer\">&#8220;charged by time&#8221; or an hourly rate<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it should read\">a fixed price in euros<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Question for the supplier\">Is the installation stated as a fixed sum?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Item\">Delivery and travel<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it often reads in the offer\">missing or &#8220;to be charged&#8221;<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it should read\">free to point of use, given as a figure<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Question for the supplier\">Is delivery included?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Item\">Old kitchen: removal and disposal<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it often reads in the offer\">missing, comes later<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it should read\">a named item with an amount, or clearly excluded<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Question for the supplier\">Is the old kitchen in the price, or does it come on top?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Item\">Appliance connection for water and power<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it often reads in the offer\">&#8220;bauseits&#8221; (by others) with no explanation<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it should read\">preparation by the kitchen, final connection by the trade contractor, named separately<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Question for the supplier\">What is preparation, and what stays with others?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Item\">Carcass<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it often reads in the offer\">&#8220;carcass 16 mm, white finish&#8221;<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it should read\">board brand, emission class, thickness, edge<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Question for the supplier\">see the <a href=\"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/guides\/kitchen-carcass-material-and-thickness\/\">carcass guide<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Item\">Hardware<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it often reads in the offer\">&#8220;brand hardware&#8221; or &#8220;or equivalent&#8221;<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it should read\">the model, named<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Question for the supplier\">Which hardware model exactly?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Item\">Worktop<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it often reads in the offer\">&#8220;worktop of your choice&#8221;<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it should read\">material, thickness, cut-outs and joints named<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Question for the supplier\">Are cut-outs and joints in the price?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Item\">Appliances<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it often reads in the offer\">a lump-sum item<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it should read\">each appliance with its model and position<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Question for the supplier\">Is every appliance listed with its model?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Item\">Conditional items<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it often reads in the offer\">hidden in &#8220;by time&#8221;<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it should read\">named and priced, for example if the wall is not plumb: an amount<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Question for the supplier\">Which items are conditional, and what do they cost?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Item\">Delivery date<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it often reads in the offer\">&#8220;approx.&#8221; or open<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it should read\">as a calendar week, factory holidays included<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Question for the supplier\">Is the date given as a calendar week?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td data-label=\"Item\">Order confirmation<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it often reads in the offer\">recalculated, differs from the offer<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"How it should read\">a word-for-word copy of the offer<\/td>\n<td data-label=\"Question for the supplier\">Is the order confirmation item-for-item identical to the offer?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For ceramic, check the worktop line with our free <a href=\"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/guides\/ceramic-worktop-cost\/#rechner\">cost calculator<\/a>, item by item.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such installation costs charged by time are what we observe on the market. For removing and disposing of an old kitchen we deliberately give no fixed market figure, because it depends heavily on the effort and the disposal route; we try to avoid it where we can, or help you organise it, and we keep an eye on safety and clean work throughout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What delivery and installation include and what stays with others<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Kolev the installation is stated as a fixed sum in the offer, and water and power break down into two separate steps: preparing the connections through the kitchen, and the final connection by a licensed trade contractor, because drinking water and power belong in a master tradesperson&#8217;s hands. A good offer names both separately, instead of letting them disappear into the single word &#8220;bauseits&#8221; (by others), so that you can see what the kitchen delivers and what your trade contractor takes on. The old kitchen should be named too: removal and disposal are either a separate item with an amount in the offer, or clearly excluded, so they do not surface later as extra costs. Delivery free to point of use, and travel, belong in as a figure, not as &#8220;to be charged&#8221;. With us, the customer usually organises the removal and disposal of the old kitchen. We take it on as a full service on request, but by default it is not part of our offer. Ask us about it, and the removal is then a separate item in the offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/assets\/blog\/elektroplan-kueche\/elektroplan-kueche-elektro-wasserplan-limburg.webp\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/assets\/blog\/elektroplan-kueche\/elektroplan-kueche-elektro-wasserplan-limburg.webp\" alt=\"Checking a kitchen quote: electrical and plumbing plan with every connection point\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1061\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">What the kitchen prepares and what your licensed contractor connects is set out in the electrical and plumbing plan, not hidden behind \u201cby others\u201d (Limburg project).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The order confirmation is the copy of the offer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With us the order confirmation documents the offer line for line, and the price is fixed with it. The law provides, for works contracts in general, that the agreed contract price applies, and the order confirmation is the document that records that agreement. If it differs from the offer, it records a different agreement from the one you checked. What you can ask any supplier: is the order confirmation item-for-item identical to the offer? An empty or open field should be clarified before you sign, not after, hence the second question: what will be in this field when we sign? An order confirmation that differs from the offer is one of the most common points of dispute after the purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The delivery date should be named specifically, not as &#8220;approx.&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A delivery date should be named specifically, as a calendar week or a tight window, not as &#8220;approx. spring&#8221;, with the summer factory holidays and those around Christmas factored in. An open date, or one marked &#8220;approx.&#8221;, is not reliable planning but an intention that slips with the first bottleneck. The exact installation date is usually only fixed after the site survey and your approval, and is then recorded in the order confirmation as a specific calendar week, with the factory holidays inside it. How long the production of an <a href=\"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/guides\/architect-designed-kitchen\/\">Architektenk\u00fcche<\/a> takes and why is in the pillar guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The mistake: the offer with the lowest total has the most open items<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The offer with the lowest total often has three open spots at once: installation charged by time, appliances as a lump-sum item, and hardware with no model names. These three lines name no dependable sum and no reorderable type, so the final total is only settled once the kitchen is built. If the workshop drawing is missing on top of that, a later replacement front or a second shelf is hard to obtain to the exact size, but with us the workshop drawing is archived permanently and names every board and every fitting. The honest price for an open item is not saved, only paid later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What we do not need: time pressure and a second price<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A price that is only valid until Saturday says something about the calendar, nothing about the kitchen. Our offer has one price, in writing, valid for three weeks, and the same price is in the order confirmation. We have no second price, which is why the first one is the best. Get three offers and compare them line by line, and you will see which one names every line and which leaves them open. What makes up a fixed price is shown in the <a href=\"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/guides\/architect-designed-kitchen-cost\/\">cost guide with a cost calculator<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How we do it at Kolev<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Kolev the installation is a fixed price, not a charged-by-time item, and the order confirmation is the line-for-line copy of the accepted offer. There are crooked walls in every home, and a reason why an installation becomes more work can always be found. With us that does not turn into an extra charge: I planned the kitchen and priced in the installation, so that is my risk and not yours. Every item is named in the workshop drawing, every fitting by name, <a href=\"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/guides\/kitchen-hardware-hettich-blum-kesseboehmer\/\">Hettich, Blum, Kesseb\u00f6hmer<\/a>, and the run ends with 3 to 5 mm of clearance to the wall. Cheap hardware causes trouble in the long run, and we reject it so firmly that we carry the price difference to good hardware out of our own margin. It is fitted by our own installation team, not by changing subcontractors. The workshop drawing stays archived permanently, so that a shelf or a front can be remade to the exact size even years later, as long as the finish is available. A kitchen starts from \u20ac14,999 incl. VAT, including planning, delivery and installation; for the warranty, the statutory provisions apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does &#8220;installation charged by time&#8221; mean?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Installation charged by time means that the installation is billed by the hour rather than as a fixed sum. The final total is only settled after installation. In the offers that customers bring us for comparison, it typically ends between \u20ac2,500 and \u20ac8,000. Only a fixed price plus clearly named conditional items is reliable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Must the order confirmation match the offer?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With us the order confirmation is the line-for-line copy of the accepted offer, and the price is fixed with it. Check that items, models and prices match. Anything added afterwards belongs in a variation agreement in text form. How things go after you sign, with the deposit and instalments, is in the guide <a href=\"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/guides\/kitchen-deposit-and-payment-plan\/\">deposit and payment plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does &#8220;bauseits&#8221; (by others) mean in a kitchen offer?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Bauseits&#8221; means work that you or your trade contractors carry out, for example the final electrical connection and the water connection. We prepare the connections; the actual connection is made by a licensed trade contractor. Ask what is preparation and what stays with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Should the disposal of the old kitchen be in the offer?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The disposal of the old kitchen is in the offer if it is named as a separate item. Otherwise it is not included and may be charged separately. Before you sign, ask whether removal and disposal are included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is retention of title when buying a kitchen?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Retention of title until the final instalment is in almost every kitchen contract, including ours. The more important question is when the final instalment falls due: with us, after acceptance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Next step: the first consultation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have an offer on the table and want to know whether installation is in it as a fixed sum or &#8220;by time&#8221;, what stays with others and whether the delivery date is specific, then let&#8217;s talk. In the first consultation we look at your room, your wishes and your budget, directly with the architect, 45 to 60 minutes, for Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region. <strong>Personal. Free of charge. No sales pressure.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And a piece of advice no kitchen studio likes to give: get three offers and compare them. We are one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"\/en\/start\/\">Book a first consultation<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kitchen buying guide \u00b7 Module 8: The offer &amp; the future | Previous step: <a href=\"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/guides\/where-to-buy-a-kitchen\/\">Which supplier suits you<\/a> | Next step: <a href=\"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/guides\/kitchen-deposit-and-payment-plan\/\">Deposit and payment plan<\/a><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Installation charged by time can reach \u20ac2,500 to \u20ac8,000; the test for any kitchen offer is a fixed euro sum plus named conditional items, and the order confirmation a line-for-line copy of the accepted offer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27445,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78,91],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","category-buying-process"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27444"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29234,"href":"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27444\/revisions\/29234"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kolev-kuechen.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}