Home Cinema Quote Comparison Worksheet
A line-by-line sheet for laying two or three installer quotes side by side so that scope gaps, not just totals, become visible before you sign.
Reviewed for 2026, updated September 8, 2026.
Two quotes for the same room can differ by a wide margin and still both be honest, because they rarely cover the same scope. One includes the riser, the isolation assemblies, and calibration; the other lists a projector, a screen, and a set of speakers and leaves the rest to your contractor. Comparing the bottom line tells you almost nothing. Comparing line by line tells you exactly where the money and the risk sit, which is the point of this worksheet.
Copy each quote into its column at the level of detail the installer provided, mark whether each line is in scope, partial, or missing, and use the last column to record the question you will ask before accepting. The rows follow the budget structure in our cost tiers article (/blog/cost-tiers/) and the Dedicated Cinema Room Budget Estimator (/tools/cinema-room-budget/), so the totals you build here can be checked against your own estimate. Every figure is yours to enter; we do not supply pricing, and an installer's number is only meaningful once you know what it includes.
| Line item | Quote A | Quote B | Quote C | In scope? | Question to ask before signing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Room construction and isolation | Your figure | Your figure | Your figure | Yes / Partial / No | Which wall and ceiling assembly, and who builds it? |
| Acoustic treatment | Your figure | Your figure | Your figure | Yes / Partial / No | Designed from room measurements or a standard kit? |
| Projector, lens, and mount | Your figure | Your figure | Your figure | Yes / Partial / No | Which technology and light source, and why for this room? |
| Screen and masking | Your figure | Your figure | Your figure | Yes / Partial / No | Fixed frame? Acoustically transparent? What gain? |
| Speakers and subwoofers | Your figure | Your figure | Your figure | Yes / Partial / No | How many subwoofers, and where will they go? |
| Processor, amplification, and sources | Your figure | Your figure | Your figure | Yes / Partial / No | Enough channels for the layout, and no more? |
| Seating and riser | Your figure | Your figure | Your figure | Yes / Partial / No | Is the riser a construction item or a seating item? |
| Lighting and control system | Your figure | Your figure | Your figure | Yes / Partial / No | Can a guest start a film with one press? |
| Rack, conduit, wiring, and network | Your figure | Your figure | Your figure | Yes / Partial / No | Is the rack outside the room, and is the conduit oversized? |
| Design fee | Your figure | Your figure | Your figure | Yes / Partial / No | Quoted separately from equipment margin? |
| Installation, programming, and calibration | Your figure | Your figure | Your figure | Yes / Partial / No | Are video and audio calibration included or extra? |
| Contingency and total | Your figure | Your figure | Your figure | Yes / Partial / No | What is excluded, and what happens when it appears? |
https://theatrvault.com/templates/cinema-quote-comparison-worksheet/Use it in your business, share it with your team, or link to it from your own site.
Also from Theatrvault
- Dedicated Cinema Room Pre-Construction Checklist: A room-first checklist of the decisions to settle on paper before framing begins, from light control and isolation to conduit, sightlines, and who to bring in when.
- Free calculators