Getting a modular kitchen made in Bengaluru

Each firm's prices, with what each says is in:

The third firm puts a complete 2BHK kitchen at ₹2.5 lakh to ₹4 lakh, with a granite top, chimney, hob and fitting in. Adding up every extra at its top price gets to about ₹6 lakh (question 3). A big firm's Bengaluru page starts a straight 8 ft kitchen at about ₹1.1 lakh.

No carpenter publishes a whole-kitchen price we could check. Content sites put a carpenter's labour at about ₹275 to ₹450 a sq ft, which we read only in a search summary, so it's rough. On about 90 sq ft of cabinet front for a 10 + 8 ft L, our estimate, his labour works out to about ₹25,000 to ₹40,000. That leaves out the plywood, laminate, hardware and countertop, and the plywood is the biggest part. Branded hardware alone is ₹30,000 to ₹60,000 for a medium kitchen at one firm.

Renting, with ₹60,000 to ₹80,000 at most? That's below the lowest firm price we read, ₹75,000 for a straight kitchen, and a fitted kitchen stays with the flat. Our advice: shutters and a few base units under the existing platform cost less, and steel units that stand on their own go with you. No one we read prints a price for either.

Our sum: at one Bengaluru firm's prices, an L-shape of 10 ft plus 8 ft works out to about ₹10,000 to ₹19,500 per running foot. That's its standard L-shape of 10 + 8 ft, ₹1.8 lakh to ₹3.5 lakh, over 18 feet. Use it to put a running-foot quote next to a lump sum.

The floor area of the kitchen is a different number. A 10 by 8 ft kitchen is 80 sq ft of floor. If a rate looks very high per sq ft, ask if it's per sq ft of floor.

Measure your own kitchen before the first call. Run a tape along each wall where the counter will go, in feet, and note the window, the door and where the sink pipe and gas point are. Add the walls together for the running feet. Send the same numbers to every maker.

Our sum: a ₹2.5 lakh cabinet quote, with the countertop, chimney and hob, breaking out, pipes, wiring and wall tiles at one firm's prices, works out to about ₹3.6 lakh to ₹6 lakh. The ₹6 lakh is every extra at its top price. The same firm puts a complete 2BHK kitchen, with a granite top, chimney, hob and fitting, at ₹2.5 lakh to ₹4 lakh, so plan around that.

In an old flat, plan these before the cabinets go in:

• The old platform. Breaking out a kadappa or granite slab means dust, debris to clear and tiles to redo.
• The pipes. Old pipes may not line up with the new sink. Have a plumber check them first.
• The plug points. Chimney, hob, mixer, water purifier, microwave and fridge. Moving one later means cutting into new cabinets.
• The chimney duct. It needs a hole through the wall or window. Ask your association if you can drill an outside wall.

The family carpenter of 20 years. Put the materials and the price on paper anyway, and ask to see a kitchen he made recently. It keeps things easy with him if something goes wrong.

Is the designer pushing the expensive finish? Our advice: ask for the same kitchen priced in laminate and in acrylic, and choose yourself.

"Factory-made" at a local shop. Ask where the cabinets are cut, and look at the edges: machine-sealed on every side is a good sign.

Buying the hardware yourself for the carpenter. You can. Then the hardware's warranty is the maker's, and a badly fitted hinge is between you and the carpenter.

• See an old kitchen. Ask each one for a kitchen they fitted two or more years ago, and to talk to that owner. Look at the cabinet under the sink and open the drawers.
• Check the GST number. The government's GST site lets you search a GST number and see the business's name. A quote with no GST number has no bill behind it.
• Read the low reviews. On Google, the one- and two-star reviews tell you what happens after fitting.
• Ask who fits it. The firm's own fitters or a contractor, and who comes for a service visit.
• Ask for a sample warranty card before you pay anything.

Repairs. Our advice: ask a local fitter too. A sagging hinge doesn't need the firm that made the kitchen.

What the same firm charges for each step:

• Shutters per sq ft: laminate ₹1,250 to ₹1,750, acrylic ₹1,750 to ₹2,300, PU or lacquered glass ₹1,850 to ₹2,500.
• A plywood box in place of a cheaper board: ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 more for a kitchen.
• Branded hardware: ₹30,000 to ₹60,000 for a medium kitchen.

A second Bengaluru firm prices each step per sq ft:

A big firm's starting prices climb the same way: from ₹1.5 lakh in laminate, ₹3 lakh in acrylic, ₹4 lakh in veneer and ₹4.5 lakh in PU. It doesn't say what a starting price covers.

Will a ₹2 lakh kitchen look cheap next to a ₹6 lakh one? In a photo, the shutters and handles do most of the showing. The box and the hinges are what decide how it lasts, so spend there first.

Why the sink cabinet swells, even when it's sold as waterproof. Water gets in at unsealed edges and the hinge holes. Sealed edges and a steel tray or mat under the sink keep it dry.

Our advice on checking the plywood. Ask to see the sheets on site, or photos of them at the factory with your order on them. Good plywood carries the ISI mark, its IS number (710 for marine, 303 for BWP and BWR) and a licence number you can look up on the Bureau of Indian Standards' BIS Care app.

Hinges and runners. One Bengaluru firm puts branded hardware for a medium kitchen at ₹30,000 to ₹60,000. A known brand is worth it, but a badly fitted hinge still sags, so ask who adjusts them after the first year and what that costs.

Termites and cockroaches. Have the walls and floor treated before the new cabinets go in. Steel and aluminium cabinets don't get termites, but they dent and bang when you shut them.

Our advice: hold back a part until the last fix. Before you sign, ask to change the last payment to "10% after the snag list is done", and have it written into the order. A local shop or carpenter will usually agree. A big firm may not, and then the snag list on the day of fitting is your hold.

Backing out after the advance. Our advice: before you pay a booking amount, ask whether it comes back if you walk away, and get the answer in writing.

If the firm closes, its warranty goes with it. A known brand's hinges and runners can still be bought and fitted by anyone.

1. Days 1 to 3

   Measuring and the design, at one Bengaluru firm. Your old kitchen stays in use.

2. Days 4 to 21

   The cabinets are made in its factory, 15 to 18 days. Your old kitchen can still stay in use.

3. Days 22 to 25

   Fitting, 3 to 5 days. Add the breaking out and the countertop in an old flat. This is when you're without a kitchen.

Our estimate: one to two weeks without a kitchen in an old flat, if the old one stays until the cabinets arrive. Plan an induction plate somewhere else in the house. One big firm says 4 to 6 weeks in all, and another 45 days to delivery with fitting in a week or less.

The association. We found no Bengaluru rule on work hours or deposits. Each society sets its own. Read yours and give it to the firm before dates are fixed. A carpenter cutting in the flat runs into the rules more.

Workers in the house. Agree in writing who cleans up each day and where the debris goes. Tea is a kindness nobody can ask for, and many people give the fitters a small tip at the end. If you're handling the site alone, ask for one named person who answers to you, and keep everything on WhatsApp.