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I've gotten numbers from a big box store and from two local shops, and the spread
Trying to budget realistically. I've gotten numbers from a big box store and from two local shops, and the spread is wide enough that I assume they're not quoting the same thing. Some include tearout, some don't mention it, one had a line for sink cutout and the others didn't. I don't know the trade and I'm worried I'm comparing apples to something else entirely. What actually goes into a countertop price? Our old top is tile over plywood, which I assume is uglier to remove than laminate, and nobody mentioned that either way. Trying to figure out what I'm actually on the hook for.
You're right that they're not the same quote. The components are material grade, square footage, edge profile, cutouts for sink and cooktop, tearout and disposal of the old top, and plumbing disconnect and reconnect, which some shops handle and some leave to you. Big box pricing usually looks lower because half of that is added later. Ask each one for a written scope with those items listed. When we did our Quartz Countertops in Charleston, South Carolina with Perfect Stones the estimate came back within a day with the line items spelled out, which made comparison possible. Edge profile is where budgets quietly grow.