#1 Rule: It always costs more than you think. So start thinking about budget first thing, and that means how much and where the money is coming from. 10-20% of your home's value is a good guide for what's "reasonable" to expect to spend on a kitchen reno. If you're outside those guidelines significantly, then you'd better drop back and take another look at the project.

Rule #2: It starts with a good design. You wouldn't drive from New York to Cleveland without a map and having considered alternate routes that may be more scenic, quicker, or intersect more places on the way. You shouldn't even begin looking for light fixtures and tile until you have the floor plan together. That may take more tries than you have patience for, but you only do this once or twice in your life, and it's worth the extra time to get things right. You don't have to "just replace what's there". You can improve, even if it's only small things.

It's hard to answer your question w/o all the facts. Are you gutting the entire space; are you keeping the floor and the same layout; are you improving the design by moving a fridge, adding an island, etc...First thing I would do is determine the "look" you want. Traditional? Contemporary? Country? And work from there. If you work with a kitchen designer, they will help you determine what stays, what goes.
If it's a total redo, choose cabinets, flooring, countertop, appliances, then your fixtures like sink and faucets. All these things work in conjuction. If you are updating, make sure you get things that fit! And don't forget about the lighting.
Things that get done last: tile, paint, window treatments. The process is very logical and orderly, if done right!

Thanks. We are doing the entire kitchen over - combining a small kitchen and open family room into one big kitchen so all new cabinets, layout, appliances, floor, paint, lights, etc. We already have the layout completed, cabinets ordered, GC hired, appliances decided (will order within next week). The GC is scheduled to begin end of June.

I just didn't know the small (or large) things...how far in advance do I need to find the granite?, when to start looking for the backsplash - before or after cabinets are installed?, paint goes before or after cabinet installation?, etc.

So I was looking for a list of everything needed and the order to purchase everything (or to start looking for the items).

I'm trying to space myself out, b/c with two small children, I don't want to try to do everything within a small timeframe. Plus I have to schedule the babysitter, b/c sometimes difficult to drag the kids to all the diff stores (well as long as I have enough snacks, they are ok with it LOL!!)

First...watch this site daily. I have learned so much from all of you.
Expect the unexpected !!!!! For Sure. It will take longer because of these things. For example : Our floor tile would not come up easily..so more days to jackhammer... yes jackhammer..... The drywall guys dropped the thermostat while taking a wall out.. that was the first of May and it is still not repaired properly. It will be way over 1,000.00 Thank goodness the contractor will have to pay.
Plan Plan Plan. Find tons of pics of kitchens you like to take to your KD or contractor. Write notes on the pics..pros/cons
Take your time and get what you want and last but not least
Realize this is just a kitchen renov......
We have had 2 family deaths since starting our project and kept our grandchildren for a week w/o a kitchen etc
You must put this all in perspective
It is a Kitchen Renov.... not life or death
Keep it FUN !!!! and be thankful you are able to do the renov in the first place !!!

Start packing up the rooms now. I did it over a period of a couple of months. By doing it in small stages, you can see what you will need when you are without a kitchen more easily. And you won't be overwhelmed at the last minute. There were a few things that I initially packed, then within a week realized that I still needed it. And be sure to label what is in each box in case you find you do need something!

painting before or after the cabinets:
You can do it either way. If you do it before the cabinets, the job is easier/cheaper for the painter because he/she does not have as much cutting-in or masking to do. They can also use the sprayer more readily. You also have sleeker finish where the cabinet meets the wall which may not be hidden by trim pieces etc, then you may have to put the end panels/trim pieces after they finish painting, which means the cabinet installer or the GC has to finish that on the second phase.

Go look at your design and see if there are many places where it maybe difficult for someone to paint, ie tiny sections of dry wall between the cabinet and corner, ie above the cabinet and trim does not go all the way to ceiling AND you have different ceiling color from the wall color. (can you even get your hand in there....) If there are many of these, you definitely want to paint before the cabinets.

I like painting before the cabinets go up for the remodels that we have done. Even if you paint before the cabinets, they need to come back for touch up where people will nick/scratch a little. This always happens at job sites.

GCs will do what they are used to doing or base the schedule on the painter's and other subs availability. You can drive the order of the job if you feel strongly one way or the other.

The same is true for hardwood. Some prefer to finish before and others after the cabinets. We are opting to finish (not lay down hardwood, that is done before the cabs.) before the cabinets. We feel that the we have spent so much money on the cabinets that they are the last to go on so there is minimal risk of damage to them.

I would talk to the GC you selected and see what he/she prefers as his/her work order. Either way, paint color is very important to pick early on so that other palette works well with it.

Many years ago, I screwed up royally with a paint color: it was a DIY job and I was young. It turned out to be pink and salmon at the same time, and I thought I was getting cream. Since then, I don't mind paying someone to help me pick a color or at least have a second second of eyes.

Hello all,
I am new here and so glad I found this site before my kitchen reno started.

We are just beginning this process. We unloaded the kitchen cabinets last weekend. I thought I would share a few of my ideas to keep things organized but easily accessible.

Instead of boxing up everything, we bought two large, high quality utility shelf units from Lowes for about $90 each, put them up in the dining room and moved small appliances and dishes to the shelf units.

This keeps things handy if we need them and to keep everything clean, we covered the shelf units with king size flat sheets. When the demo starts next week, I plan to put a heavy plastic drop cloth over them as well.

I did box up silverware and small utensils in plastic storage containers so they are readily available too. We are fortunate to have a built in pantry closet that is not part of the cabinets so food, spices, paper products, etc. don't need to be moved.

After the kitchen is done, my husband plans to use the utility shelf units in the basement for storage, so it's not money wasted.

I posted a link to the shelf unit if anyone is interested.

Here is a link that might be useful: Shelf

Thanks everyone for their advice.....please keep it coming!

Know what color switches you want and tell the electrician ahead of time. I am having brown on our stained wood island, white on our white cabs.

Let your contractor know that you are TKO and will notice if something is 1/8" off and that 1/8" off is not okay (if that's how you feel ;)

Be clear who is responsible if the guys drop a window or f up a cabinet. Be clear that you are serious about stuff being done correctly.

Lining up the right GC can take awhile, both in identifying the right one and in getting your job in his schedule. My GC also like the work of particular subs, particularly the stone fabricator, so their schedules also controlled a lot of the timing. If you are ordering through your GC, he will tell you when he needs what.

As to granite/stone: Slabs come and go, and this can make a difference if you want a *busy* (vs. uniform) stone or something with a lot of veining or if you want to ensure all your slabs come from the same lot since, as a natural material they can vary. How long slabs can be held for you probably differs from place to place. Also, I was able to specify where my templates were placed on the slab (so as to include veining or not) at my particular place; not sure if all places let you do that.

My compromise? I lived with boxed kitchen cabinets and other kitchen stuff in my living room (garage was not an option) for quite a few weeks. Glitches in ordering always occur -- like the wrong tile was sent -- so I wanted to be sure I had everything on hand ahead of time.

Along the lines of Nishka's advice: We emptied our bookshelves of books, moved them, and filled them with kitchen gear. I think my husband left most of the kitchen utensils in their drawers, then stacked them two high in a couple of boxes.

1) Take the Sweeby Test

2) Read the entire "Read Me" thread including all the links. Good luck and have fun... it's a long journey, but usually worth it!

Here is a link that might be useful: Read Me - New to Kitchens thread

If you are doing yourself:

1) Open all cabinets and inspect before doing any demo
2) Take your time
3) Research all aspects of the job to be prepared
4) Expect the unexpected
5) Keep thinking big picture when the work gets hard
6) Have plenty of help for demo day
7) Buy supplies and appliances before starting.
8) Know the easiest way to Lowes/Home Depot and make friends with the best people at each store.
9) Not all Home Depot/Lowes are the same..find the good ones in your area and use them.

Better order those appliancs asap if you've already ordered cabinets, sometimes you find out that the appliance you liked last week is now discontinued or has a 12 week lead time--so do that right away!

then get the sink and faucet picked out, some of those can have long lead times too--i think in this down market companies aren't keeping as much inventory

paint before the cabinets go in but after all the prep work for lighting and plumbing has been done--then you'll just have to do touch up after cabients are installed

next look at granite, you may get lucky and find exactly what you want first time you go or you may have to wait for just the right shipment to come in

last is handles/knobs and backsplash bec in my opinion, you can have a working kitchen without those items

this is your gc's job by the way, to keep you on track and let you know when he needs decisions by or when he needs items by--just let him know you need extra time, he may think you can drop everything at the drop of a hat just because you're a stay at home mom

I think it's important to remember that the choices you see in magazines and on t.v. shows and movies and, yes, on this forum are heavily influenced by the kitchen industry and the ebb and flow of fashion. ("TKO" here has a number of meanings. One is "picky and aware" and one is "in love with fashion.") Be sure that you carefully think through design elements and expenditures for yourself, especially if you have to meet a budget and if your kitchen will be one you have to live with for a long time. Like forever.

If you want a high-functioning, attractive kitchen and have a slim budget, you can do a lot but you need blinders on your eyes while dealing with the kitchen media. There are a lot more actual options than you will see here and in the Parade of Homes. It takes energy, guts, and time to ferret them out and employ them. On this forum and elsewhere, you need to dig about, but you will find some fabulous real-world solutions to practical problems.

Recently I spent an hour with a designer in a high-end tile shop. Her office works with kitchen designers getting ready for luxury demo house tours. But when she lets her hair down, she makes fun of people who buy high-end residential appliances and range hood shrines and expensive tile for the purpose of impressing others. She's a farm girl and she knows what a kitchen is for and she knows what other purposes the extra thousands of dollars could have been used for. She also says that most of these buyers don't cook and that the kitchens are mostly for show. Uncle Thorvald would like her. (See the Modest & Quirky thread for more explanation.) She and her fellows congratulated me for my choices and told me I had saved $1200 outright by choosing wisely--and that was despite their being dealt out of a commission.

I talked to a salesperson at Ikea who is also a design student at the University. She says that there are people who come in and design an entire kitchen in 2 hours, start to finish. (I asked if they were men. She thought for a moment and said, "Yeah!") She finds that appalling because she knows what it takes to make a kitchen work.

Remember: stuff is just stuff, but there are some things that mere dollars cannot guarantee: structural integrity, efficient and useful walkpaths, top quality plumbing and electrical and heating runs, the emotional serenity that emanates from suitable choices in decorative elements, the compatibility with the people who will live and work and eat in that kitchen, and the longterm payoff as a financial investment and a conduit for personal satisfaction.