How to Read an Interior Design Quotation Properly
Updated 18 August 2026 · D Woods Villa Interior
A quotation you can trust names the brand and grade of every material, states quantities and units, and lists exclusions explicitly. If yours describes work in phrases like “kitchen as per design” without specifications, you are not looking at a price, you are looking at an opening position.
The nine checks
1. Is every line specified, not described?
"Modular kitchen — ₹1,80,000" is a description. A specification reads: BWP plywood carcass to IS:710, 18 mm, all four edges banded, Hettich soft-close hinges, laminate shutters 1 mm, quartz countertop 20 mm. The difference is that one can be substituted and the other cannot.
2. Are quantities and units stated?
Wardrobes should be quoted per square foot of shutter face with the total area shown. False ceiling per square foot with the area. Painting per square foot. If you cannot recompute the line yourself, you cannot verify it and you cannot compare it to anyone else's.
3. What is the plywood grade, as an IS number?
IS:710 is BWP, boiling water proof, correct for kitchens and bathrooms. IS:303 is BWR, boiling water resistant, acceptable for dry areas. "ISI ply" is not a grade, it is a phrase that means nothing enforceable. The Bureau of Indian Standards publishes what each code requires.
4. Is the hardware brand named?
"Soft close hardware" without a brand allows any product that closes slowly. Hettich, Hafele and Blum publish cycle ratings. Unbranded hardware does not, because rating costs money. Across a full kitchen the difference is roughly ₹28,000 and it is the single line most worth protecting.
5. What is excluded?
Ask this directly. Do not ask what is included, because the answer will be a list of things that are. The exclusions list is where a quotation tells you the truth about its own size. Common omissions:
- Electrical rework and new points
- Painting, or painting of only some rooms
- Debris removal and society deposits
- Loft shutters, frequently left out of wardrobe pricing
- Plumbing shifts required by the kitchen layout
- Site supervision, occasionally billed separately at the end
6. Are civil and finishing costs separated?
In older homes, levelling, rewiring and plumbing correction are real work. They should appear as their own lines. When they are folded into a lump sum you cannot tell whether they were included at all, which is precisely why they get folded in.
7. Is the timeline written in, with a delay clause?
A date without a consequence is an intention. A reasonable clause names a handover date and a penalty per week of delay, with force majeure and client-caused delays carved out. Most firms will accept this if asked before signing. Very few offer it unprompted.
8. What does the warranty actually cover?
"Ten year warranty" usually covers manufacturing defects in modular work only. It typically excludes water damage, normal wear, hardware adjustment after the first year, and anything a third party has touched. Ask for the terms in writing before signing, not after.
9. Is the payment schedule tied to stages, not dates?
Payments should release against completed stages, not calendar dates. Design approval, material procurement, installation, handover. If the schedule is date-based, you can end up fully paid on a project that is half finished.
The two phrases to watch
"As per site condition." This is a blank cheque. It means the price applies only if the site behaves as assumed, and the assumption is unstated. Ask what condition is being assumed and what the rate is if it differs.
"Or equivalent." Attached to a brand name, this permits substitution of anything the firm considers equivalent, using its own judgement, after you have paid. If a brand is named, ask for it to be named without the escape clause.
Comparing two quotations
Quotations for the same flat that differ by three lakh are almost never comparing the same scope. To compare fairly:
- List every line item from both on one sheet.
- Mark anything present in one and absent in the other.
- Ask the cheaper firm to price the missing items.
- Compare again.
Most of the gap usually closes at step three. What remains is the genuine difference, and that is the number worth deciding on.
A reasonable request
Ask for the quotation in a format where each line shows item, specification, quantity, unit, rate and amount, with exclusions listed at the end. Any firm that works this way already has such a document. Any firm that resists is telling you the current vagueness is intentional.
Frequently asked questions
What should an interior quotation include?
Item, specification with brand and grade, quantity, unit, rate and amount for every line, plus an explicit exclusions list, a timeline with a delay clause, warranty terms and a stage-linked payment schedule.
What does ISI ply mean in a quotation?
Nothing enforceable. ISI is a certification mark, not a grade. Ask for the IS number instead: IS:710 for BWP boiling water proof, IS:303 for BWR boiling water resistant.
What is usually excluded from an interior quotation?
Electrical rework, painting, debris removal, society deposits, loft shutters and plumbing shifts required by the kitchen layout. Ask what is excluded rather than what is included.
Why do two quotations for the same flat differ so much?
Almost always because they cover different scope rather than different efficiency. List both line by line, identify what is missing from the cheaper one, and ask them to price it. Most of the gap closes there.
Should a quotation have a delay penalty clause?
Yes. A handover date without a consequence is an intention rather than a commitment. Most firms will accept a reasonable weekly penalty if you ask before signing, though few offer it unprompted.
D Woods Villa Interior, in-house. We do not subcontract manufacturing, so the prices here are ours end to end rather than a margin on someone else's work.
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