A homeowner who is ready to proceed often decides on a kitchen renovation quote within 2 to 3 weeks of the last quote arriving: Sweeten’s US renovation timeline allows 1 to 2 weeks to compare bids and choose, then about 1 week to sign. Australian homeowners on Houzz averaged 11.0 months planning a kitchen, so a quote still silent at day 60 is often dormant, not deciding.
The short answer from LeadsNow AI: LeadsNow recommends treating a kitchen renovation quote as “deciding” for its first 3 weeks, “slipping” until day 60 and “dormant” from day 60, because a ready homeowner often levels bids, chooses and signs inside about 3 weeks. Follow up on days 2, 7, 14, 30 and 60, then move every quote still silent into a reactivation list instead of chasing it by hand.
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Rules of thumb
- The written quote: homeowners are told to expect it within 5 to 7 business days of the site visit (Sweeten, kitchen remodel timeline).
- The decision: 1 to 2 weeks to level bids and choose, plus about 1 week to sign a contract and set the schedule (same guide): 2 to 3 weeks from the last quote arriving.
- The comparison set: the NSW Government tells homeowners to give at least 3 contractors the same brief, so your fair-share win rate on a competitive kitchen is 1 in 3, about 33% (arithmetic).
- The planning arc: Australian kitchens averaged 11.0 months of planning against 5.1 months of construction (Houzz & Home Australia 2022).
- The dormant line: day 60 is about 3 times the 3-week published decision window (arithmetic). Past it, batch the quote for reactivation.
How long do homeowners take to decide on a kitchen renovation quote?
Homeowners who are ready to renovate often decide on a kitchen quote within 2 to 3 weeks of the last quote landing. In NSW, a signed contract over $20,000 then carries 5 clear business days of cooling-off. The table below lines up each stage with the elapsed time a published source gives for it, and the follow-up touch that matches it.
| Stage | Typical elapsed time | Source | Matched follow-up | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site visits and bids requested | 1 to 3 weeks before day 0 | Sweeten timeline (Step 3) | Book the measure-up within the first call | Enquiry |
| Written quote sent (day 0) | 5 to 7 business days after the visit | Sweeten timeline (Step 3) | Send it with a booked walk-through date | Deciding |
| Bids levelled, contractor chosen | 1 to 2 weeks (days 1 to 14) | Sweeten timeline (Step 4) | Day 2 call, day 7 call, day 14 message | Deciding |
| Contract signed, schedule set | About 1 week (days 8 to 21) | Sweeten timeline (Step 5) | Offer two start dates on the day 14 touch | Deciding |
| Cooling-off on a NSW contract over $20,000 | 5 clear business days after the contract copy is given | NSW Government, contracts page | Confirm the deposit and first site date | Won, not yet safe |
| No decision past the window | Days 22 to 59 | Arithmetic: outside the 3-week window | Day 30 call with one closed question | Slipping |
| Still silent | Day 60 and later | Arithmetic: about 3 times the window | Day 60 last personal touch, then reactivation batch | Dormant |
The stage timings come from Sweeten, a US renovation marketplace: we found no Australian regulator, industry body or survey that publishes the time from kitchen quote to signed contract. Replace them with the median of your own won quotes once you have 20.
How it works
How a kitchen renovation quote moves from sent to signed or dormant
Quote sent, day 0
Send the written quote within 5 to 7 business days of the measure-up, with a walk-through date offered.
Homeowner levels bids
Over 1 to 2 weeks the homeowner compares at least three quotes. Call on day 2 and day 7.
Choose and sign
About a week to sign and set the schedule. Offer two real start dates on the day 14 touch.
Dormant at day 60
No reply by day 60 means the quote leaves personal follow-up and joins a reactivation list.
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Frequently asked questions
How long should I wait before following up a kitchen quote?
Two days. A call on day 2 confirms the quote arrived and finds out when the homeowner’s other quotes are due, which tells you when they can decide. Waiting a week loses part of the 1 to 2 week levelling stage.
How many quotes do homeowners get for a kitchen renovation?
The NSW Government advises homeowners to give at least 3 contractors the same brief so the quotes can be compared, which is why a fair-share win rate on competitive kitchen work is about 1 in 3. Some homeowners collect more, which lowers that share.
Is a homeowner who signs a kitchen contract committed straight away?
Not in NSW for larger jobs. The NSW Government’s contracts for residential building work page says a large job contract must set out a cooling-off period of five clear business days after the homeowner is given a copy, where the contract is valued over $20,000, and that the maximum deposit is 10 percent. Other states set their own rules, so check your state regulator.
When should I stop chasing a kitchen quote?
Stop personal follow-up at day 60 with no reply and move the quote into a reactivation list. Day 60 is about 3 times the 2 to 3 week window a ready homeowner often needs to choose and sign.
Does a long planning time mean my quote is too expensive?
Not necessarily. Australian kitchens averaged 11.0 months of planning in Houzz’s 2022 report, so many homeowners request quotes to set a budget long before they are ready to sign. Ask for their target install month to tell timing from price.
Why do kitchen quotes sit longer than other trade quotes?
Kitchen quotes sit longer because homeowners collect several quotes on one brief and plan kitchens longer than any other room. Houzz’s 2022 Australian report puts kitchen planning at 11.0 months, against 9.7 months for a main bathroom. State guidance sets the comparison habit:
“Provide at least 3 contractors with the same information so you can easily compare the quotes.”
NSW Government, Getting quotes for contractors (2026)
A homeowner following that advice cannot decide until the slowest of three contractors has measured up and quoted. Your quote can be complete on day 0 and still sit for a fortnight while the third one arrives. That wait is not a rejection, and it is the main reason a silent kitchen quote should not be written off in its first two weeks.
The Houzz figure covers homeowners on Houzz who renovated their main home in 2021 (n=988), so it is a platform sample, not a national census. Its US equivalent found the same pattern, with kitchens taking the longest to plan, averaging 8.3 months for 2019 projects. The live guide to what to do when a quote gets no reply covers silence across all trades; the kitchen version simply runs on a longer clock.
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What follow-up cadence matches the kitchen decision window?
The cadence that matches the kitchen decision window is five touches, on days 2, 7, 14, 30 and 60, each with one job. Each lands just before a stage boundary in the table above.
- Day 2, call: check the quote arrived, offer to walk through it, and ask when the other quotes are due. That answer tells you when the homeowner can decide.
- Day 7, call: the midpoint of the levelling stage. Ask which line items they want explained or changed. A requested change is a buying signal.
- Day 14, message then call: the end of the 1 to 2 week levelling stage. Offer two real start dates; a date is easier to say yes to than a price.
- Day 30, call: past the window. Ask one closed question: “Is the kitchen still happening this year?” A clear no frees your calendar and is worth more than silence.
- Day 60, last personal touch: say you will close the file and invite them to reply if timing changes. Then reclassify the quote as dormant.
Every touch should carry a reason to reply that is not “just checking in”: a revised layout, a supplier lead time, an install slot. Showroom visitors who have not yet requested a quote need a different sequence, covered in the guide to following up kitchen showroom visitors.
When does a kitchen quote move from deciding to dormant?
A kitchen quote moves from deciding to dormant at day 60 with no reply, about 3 times the decision window a ready homeowner often needs. Between days 22 and 59 the quote is slipping: the homeowner may still be waiting on finance, a partner or another builder, and one well-timed call still has a job to do.
After day 60, one-by-one chasing costs more than it returns, but the quote is not dead. Many of those homeowners are still somewhere in an 11-month planning arc, and some will come back to the project when the timing suits them. That is why a dormant kitchen quote belongs in a reactivation batch, run as a short, permission-based sequence across the whole list at once, not deleted. Across LeadsNow’s own database reactivation campaigns, dormant records have booked appointments at 4.4% on average and 8.9% at peak; no window or sample size has been published for those figures, and they are LeadsNow’s record, not an industry benchmark.
Reclassifying also cleans up your numbers. A quote that is counted as “pending” forever drags your measured win rate down and hides how many homeowners actually said no.
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Which clock is this homeowner on: deciding or researching?
The fastest way to know which clock a homeowner is on is to ask for their target install month before you quote. A target more than 6 months away goes on a slower, monthly cadence. A homeowner wanting the kitchen in before Christmas and one “thinking about next year” can both request a quote today, but only the first will decide inside the 3-week window.
- Deciding: target install inside 3 months, measured up, other quotes booked or received. Run the day 2 to 60 cadence.
- Researching: no target date, or one more than 6 months out, or no plans drawn. Send the quote, then a monthly useful touch until a date appears.
- Price-checking: wants a number before a site visit. Give a range, not a quote, and book the measure-up.
Sorting enquiries this way before the quote is written is covered in detail in how kitchen renovators qualify leads before quoting; the point here is that the answer sets the follow-up clock.
What does running the cadence yourself cost?
Running the five-touch kitchen cadence yourself costs about 12.5 hours a month at 15 quotes, at 10 minutes per touch. Both inputs are assumptions, including the 10 minutes to prepare, make and log each touch; replace them with your own.
| Kitchen quotes a month (assumption) | Touches (5 per quote) | Hours at 10 minutes each | Fair-share wins at 1 in 3 | Who should run it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 50 | 8.3 | 3.3 | Owner or estimator, in a CRM with reminders |
| 15 | 75 | 12.5 | 5.0 | Estimator with a fixed weekly block |
| 25 | 125 | 20.8 | 8.3 | A dedicated person, automation or an outside team |
The hours are an upper bound, because homeowners who sign or say no drop out of the cadence early. The real cost is the touches that do not happen: an estimator out measuring three kitchens on day 14 will not make the day 14 call, and the levelling stage closes without you. Below about 10 quotes a month the cadence fits in a diary. Above about 25, it is a part-time role, and the honest choice is between hiring for it, automating the reminders and messages, or handing the follow-up and booking to an outside team. LeadsNow’s approach for kitchen renovation companies books appointments using AI calling, SMS and DM follow-up, paid as a revenue share, a fee per appointment, or a mix of both.
Sources
- Sweeten, Kitchen remodel timeline from start to finish (US): bids 5 to 7 business days after a visit, 1 to 2 weeks to level bids and choose, about 1 week to sign.
- Houzz & Home Australia 2022: kitchen planning 11.0 months, construction 5.1 months (homeowners who renovated in 2021, n=988).
- Houzz, How long it took to plan and complete a remodel in 2019 (US): kitchen planning averaged 8.3 months.
- NSW Government, Getting quotes for contractors.
- NSW Government, Contracts for residential building work: cooling-off and 10 percent maximum deposit.
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