It’s the moment every kitchen renovation estimator dreads. You pick up the phone, and it’s another customer asking you for the average kitchen remodel cost in 2022. You’ve heard this before – many times – so you give them the standard answer.
Sometimes, that might be that you don’t give budget prices over the phone. Or maybe you give them a very broad range that really doesn’t mean too much. Some estimators even have rough costs per square foot worked out, so you provide them with a range of those numbers.
The simple truth, however, is that there’s really no way to give anyone an accurate price when they ask for the average kitchen remodel cost in 2022. Here’s why that is and what you can do about it.
The first thing you might need to know a little more about is why you (and most other contractors) can’t answer the question of what the average kitchen remodel cost is in 2022.
Sure, you might throw a few random numbers out there when you’re asked, but you also know that if your clients want an accurate price, they need to get a proper quote. Here are a few of the reasons why this is the case.
When people start searching for average kitchen remodel costs in 2022, they usually find one or two articles that will give them some answers. However, very often, those articles aren’t in their city, let alone their state.
Average remodeling costs from different geographical areas are meaningless because everything from material costs to labor rates varies by city, region, and state.
When calculating the cost for a brand-new kitchen – even if it’s in a new development and will be duplicated many times – it’s easy to arrive at a price because all of the kitchens will have a similar layout.
Maybe your clients will be able to choose from a handful of slightly different layouts, and you might offer a basic or upgraded material package, but the basics are the same.
When you are renovating a kitchen, anything is possible. You will have vastly different layouts from one project to the next, and some might even involve structural changes. Some kitchen renovations will require plumbing and electrical changes, and others might use high-end tile and natural stone, while others might go with subway tile and quartz.
The design and material possibilities for a kitchen renovation are endless, so there’s no way to have a pre-calculated cost ready to go.
Another huge factor that makes calculating an average kitchen remodel cost in 2022 on the fly is that there are always hidden surprises you had no idea you’d be dealing with.
Maybe they’ve got galvanized pipe, and it’s rusted. Maybe there’s mold in a wall, or maybe someone else did an earlier renovation, and they didn’t support the structure properly.
All of those issues can add many thousands of dollars to the cost of renovating the kitchen, and there’s no way to anticipate them before you start.
As much as every estimator dreads being asked about the average kitchen remodel cost in 2022, very often, it’s the first thing people want to know.
Their reasons are very valid too. They usually want to know if they can afford to do the work or if they have to wait a while. Maybe they’re considering getting financing to cover the cost, and they want to know what they will have to apply for, or maybe, they’re just shopping around to see what’s out there.
Whether they’re getting ready to get the work done or they’re just tire kickers, for now, there are some very valid reasons why people ask for budget prices for things like kitchen renovations.
The good news about the problem of customers who want budget quotes is that there are a few things you can do to help them get the information they need. Here are some tips that could work for you.
While you still can’t guarantee that you can give customers a completely accurate price for their kitchen renovation over the phone, sight unseen, if you start calculating average costs based on projects you’ve completed, you can have better information on hand.
Divide the jobs you do into different levels; for example, you could use standard, plus, and luxury.
Calculate the square footage of each job, and then put it all into a spreadsheet, with the final price divided by the square footage. Create a formula to calculate the average cost per square foot, and you will always have up-to-date averages to give your customers.
This is a lot easier to do if you use kitchen renovation estimating software, so you have accurate quote figures at your fingertips!
If you’re still calculating your quotes with a pencil and paper or in an old version of Excel, you probably have no idea what the average kitchen remodel cost in 2022 is – let alone being able to tell customers who ask!
Modern estimating software lets you access quote information quickly and easily, and you can see at a glance what similar jobs in a similar area cost. So, while you still can’t give customers a firm price over the phone, you can give them a much better idea.
One of the reasons our customers love Bolster so much is that once your line items and assemblies are created in the system, you can generate a quote in just a few minutes. The system even uses a web crawler to keep supplier pricing up to date in real time.
So, with estimating software like Bolster, you can ask your customer to email or fax you a drawing of their kitchen, and you can generate a budget price estimate and send it back within the hour. Since customers are looking for a combination of convenience and information when they ask about average kitchen remodel costs in 2022, that’s the perfect compromise!
Perhaps there is one thing that estimators dread more than being asked for budget pricing, and that is being asked to provide several options. This is understandable when you’re doing your quotes the hard way and you have to calculate each option as a separate quote!
However, when you use construction estimating software like Bolster, you can create as many options as you would like simply by offering customers different material and fixture options. Even better, when they receive their quote, they can toggle through all the options until they find the combination that suits them best.
People want options, and when you use a great construction estimating software like Bolster, it’s easy to give it to them.
Hopefully, if you’ve read this far, you’ve realized why you’ve been avoiding giving customers budget pricing when they ask about average kitchen remodel costs in 2022, as well as a few strategies that will let you provide better information when they do.
Budget pricing and even quick quotes don’t have to be as unpleasant as they are now. If you upgrade to the right construction estimating software and do just a little data capturing, you can have all the information you need at your fingertips.
If you’re ready to take your estimating to the next level and you want to find out more about the revolutionary Bolster construction estimating system, we’d love to chat. Contact our team here to ask questions or to schedule a demo.