Kitchen remodeling glossary

Allowance. A dollar placeholder in a contract for something you have not chosen yet — tile, fixtures, appliances. If the allowance is set low, the bid looks competitive and you pay the difference later. Replace allowances with real selections before signing wherever you can.

Linear foot. The unit cabinets are priced in: horizontal feet of cabinet run along a wall, uppers and lowers counted separately. Fixr's ranges are $100–$300 stock, $150–$650 semi-custom, $500–$1,200 custom.

Template. The measuring step where the countertop fabricator captures the exact dimensions of your installed cabinets. It happens after cabinets are set, and fabrication starts after that. This is why there is always a gap between cabinet install and countertop install.

Overlay. How much of the cabinet face frame the door covers — partial overlay leaves frame visible, full overlay covers most of it, and inset sets the door flush inside the frame. Inset is the most expensive to build and the most sensitive to seasonal wood movement. Rough-in is the plumbing, gas, and electrical work done inside open walls, and it is what has to pass inspection before drywall goes back up. Toe kick is the recessed base under lower cabinets; filler is the strip that closes the gap where cabinet runs meet a wall that is not square.

How to choose

Challenge every allowance in a bid

Ask what the allowance buys at your actual retailer. Low allowances are the most common way a bid is made to look cheaper than a competitor's.

Ask for pricing per linear foot

It is the only way to compare cabinet quotes between kitchens and between bidders.

Know when the template happens

After cabinet install, before countertop fabrication. Put the date in the schedule so the gap does not surprise you.

Ask which overlay you are being quoted

Inset costs materially more to build than full overlay. Two bids can differ by thousands on this alone without either being wrong.