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Bid Fairness Checker

Kitchen Remodeling bid fairness checker.

Most kitchen bids live or die on two lines: cabinets and counters. Everything else is rounding error by comparison. A fair kitchen remodel (combined) runs $26,055 to $32,328 nationally, against about $23,731 in delivery cost. Paste the bid and the checker grades the whole bill, then shows you what each line was measured against.

Independent FatBook v3 cost indexVerified permit/source data where availableReviewed by Leonard "Chuck" Thompson
Run Your Bid

Is your kitchen remodeling bid fair?

Cost index by David Olson · reviewed by Leonard "Chuck" Thompson · 2026-07-11
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Analyzed estimates are stored anonymized (names, addresses, phone numbers, and emails stripped) to improve the benchmark. No account, no tracking.
National Average
Within the fair range.
Fair range
Fair range$26,055 to $32,328
Cost to deliver$23,731
Typical market bid$29,075
Your bid$29,075
Implied margin18%
Fair range. Cost to deliver is the break-even, the red line on the gauge, not the price to demand. A fair bid sits in the green band above it: most jobs land at a 15 to 22 percent margin on the bid, roughly 18 to 28 percent over the cost to deliver, leaner or richer by trade and market. Contractors earn that, and they should: nobody works for free, and if the job were easy you would not need one.
What Is Inside the Number
Labor$5,098 (17.5%)
Materials$11,380 (39.1%)
Permit$496 (1.7%)
Overhead$6,756 (23.2%)
Margin$5,345 (18.4%)
Cost to deliver plus a fair margin = $29,075
How the Verdict Works

Built, not guessed.

The checker rebuilds the job from primary data: Craftsman hours at your metro's loaded BLS wage, FRED PPI materials, the verified permit fee, and NAHB overhead. That sum is the cost to deliver. A fair bid sits 8 to 14 percent over it at the lean floor and 24 to 45 percent at the premium ceiling, scaled by your trade and metro. Read the full methodology. Also see: Kitchen Remodeling Bid Fairness Checker Also see: Kitchen Remodeling Bid Fairness Checker

FAQ

Bid checker questions.

What is a fair price for kitchen remodel (combined)?+
In 2026, a fair kitchen remodel (combined) bid runs $26,055 to $32,328 nationally. The cost to deliver sits at $23,731, and an honest margin lands roughly 10 to 36 percent above it depending on the metro.
What does the checker compare my bid against?+
Every benchmark is built, not scraped: Craftsman labor hours times BLS metro wages with burden, FRED PPI-adjusted materials, verified city permit fees, and NAHB overhead. The verdict places your number on a ladder from below cost to premium against the fair band for your metro.
Is a bid far below the cost to deliver a good deal?+
Usually the opposite. A bid below the cost to deliver means someone is cutting scope, insurance, or quality to get there, and the checker flags it as below cost rather than calling it a bargain.
Why should the contractor make a profit on top of the cost to deliver?+
Because nobody works for free. Cost to deliver is the break-even: labor, materials, permits, and overhead with zero profit in it. The 18 to 28 percent most contractors keep over that, a 15 to 22 percent margin on the bid, pays for the license, the insurance, the warranty callback, and the judgment you are actually hiring. If the job were easy, you would not need a contractor at all. Use the floor to spot padding, not to demand free work.
Do cabinet allowances make a bid look cheaper than it is?+
That is usually their job. An allowance pushes real cost past signing day. The checker grades what is on the page and flags what a full kitchen scope should include, so a missing line reads as missing, not as savings.
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Cost index built by David Olson, Creator of the Cost Index & Permit Dataset · Methodology reviewed by Leonard "Chuck" Thompson, LC Thompson Construction Co., Owner (retired) · 2026-07-11