Most big box stores offer special terms on financing. I took advantage of this option for any purchase over $300. If a specific item was on a special sale, I got it before we were ready to install it to be able to take advantage of the sale price and special financing terms. Of course, this will only work if you have a general layout, are using standard sizes and have some place to put the items before install. The extra money saved not paying finance charges really added up ALOT. So far, I have not paid one cent of finance charges! I picked certain items ahead of time so when the promotions came up, I was ready to go complete with item descriptions, model numbers and sku numbers to ensure I was getting exactly what we wanted at the price we wanted to pay. OK, so I'm a little obsessive, but on this project, that defect of my character served to save us alot of money.

Pick it all at once, to ensure it all fits in your space. Order based on the lead time for the product.

My cabinets have a 5 week lead time, and my appliance store needs a 2 week lead time. So, when I get my cabinet delivery date, I count back two weeks, add a little padding just-in-case, then order the appliances.

--Janet

One issue for buying early is that you have to store the stuff. Where will you be making the cabinets? Do you have more space in addition to this workspace storage space?

In a previous thread I talked about having to deal with 2 cast iron sinks in boxes for 9 months because I bought on sale right after Thanksgiving. We moved them about from one end of the addition to the other and back again. Was that a savings or a horse anchor?

We will store the appliances in the garage. Cabinets most likely in the garage/living room as well.

I picked my appliances first, so I'd know how much space they were going to take up, and design the cabinets accordingly (at lest that was the theory, but that's a whole other story). I was able to get them held until I needed them.

Unless you are going with odd/fancy appliances

Your frig, microwave, range, and dishwasher are all
pretty much standard sizes these days. Wall ovens and
cooktops are not.

I'd recommend doing a layout with the big box kitchen designer first then picking up the appliances. You might find that buying a counter depth frig is better for your space then a normal one.. for example. Appliance lead times are usually much shorter then cabinet ones (up to 5-6 weeks)

I dont usally pimp stores but i've had a eally good experience with Lowes. I am in Howell, NJ. Cabinets arrvied on schedule for a really good price, and any minor belimishes were taken care of immediatly no questions asked.

I am also DIYing my kitchen.. my wife says that HD and Lowes have become my mistress given how often I am there.

Mike

I think the answer is to be comfortable with your layout. When this happens it wouldn't matter too much which you pick first.

I am DIYing my kitchen and what I did was come up with a layout. then get Home depot to design a kitchen for me that i loved. Then go home and shop for every single potential appliance and determined if any of their measurement will affect the cabinets if it did then i wanted to narrow that down to actual make and model that i can afford (this could take hundreds of hours and tonnes of research but trust me its worth it). Then i ordered the cabinets and started scheduling my appliance purchase to align with up coming sales.

For example as i did my layout/cabinet design i figured out i would need a MW drawer. If i went out and bought a MW first then i'll have to return whatever i bought.

I used a local appliance dealer a "hometown" dealership and purchased all 4 appliances through them. I did this about two months in advance and secured credit through them at 0% financing. This was the smartest, most convenient way to take care of these first choices.

I was able to place the order, and he did not apply the order to the credit card until the day of delivery. He was able to obtain, any brand, size, color ect. He matched any price, and for the two months if there was a sale or special, he would adjust the price. I was able to run around to a gazillion stores and touch, price, examine each individual purchase, then I ordered all in one place.

We had to delay the delivery 3 times, and it was a simple phone call to one place. The stove had a big dent in it and he was able to swap it out that very day and he upgraded it within hours. He also helped me obtain all the rebates and rebate forms, and warrenties. If I have any problems, or if I need to service anything, it will be just one phone call to one place.

Again, nothing was applied to the credit card until the delivery day, and I was able to change my mind on size or brand up until they were loaded on the truck the day before delivery. He also helped with style and gave wonderful advise such as matching the handles of the Whirlpool refridgerator with the handles of the Bosch stove.

If you have a local dealer with a good reputation, you may want to try something like this. It was so convenient to have the delivery guys haul appliances right up the stairs and into their spots in the kitchen, rather than having to worry about storing them for weeks and hubby or contractor being responsible for "dings" along the way trying to get them into the kitchen!!!

I agree with figuring out your layout THEN purchasing appliances, but going with a local store that will hold onto them for you until necessary..

We purchased our appliances FIRST.. Although it was a new build, I wish I had figured out the layout first and gone from there b/c I feel like I modeled my kitchen for my appliances instead of vice versa. I would have bought a warming drawer a double oven and a larger cook-top! Meanwhile, we picked appliances, cabs, plumbing, then granite. in that order..

On a side note.. I grew up in Cranford, and my mother still lives there. I live in MA now, but just yesterday had a email conv. with another GW'er who lived there for a short time..

We are extending and doing our new kitchen from scratch so we have a lot of leeway as to layout.
Our kitchen was planned around getting a Chambers stove as the centerpiece. We bought that 3+ years ago and it has been in the garage since. We also decided on a separate fridge/freezer set which we bought 3 years ago before one son's bday since the work was soon to begin (Ha!), so we used it for party prep/leftovers and ever since (in our garage). We got our Bosch in a scratch n dent sale for pennies on the dollar and that has been (you see this coming) in our garage for 3 years.
Since everything was abruptly put on hold in '07, it has been annoying to scoot past a vanity, toilet in a box, vent fans, all lighting fixtures, medicine cabinet, shelves, etc... in our already too small house. Now that we are back on track, I was able to hit the ground running with most of the materials here on premises (which our contractor loves). There is no question about sizes, delivery dates, busting the budget, etc... Almost all materials were bought on sale (our new kitchen's gorgeous 1940 Kohler sink was even FREE!).
I was whining about living in limbo all this time to the contractor when we first met a few months ago, but when he saw all that was already purchased, he told me I had so much less work to do at this stage than any previous homeowner he worked with that I should be thrilled it was all done before. I now feel like I have so much to do, despite all our pre-planning and purchasing, that he is 100% right.
I vote for get what you find that you love, especially when it is on sale and you can work around it all. If you love the layout first, then buy appliances to fit it. If you have the appliances first, then you lay out accordingly. There is no one way to do it all.
I remember choosing backsplash tile as one of my first steps because that was a focal point to go with our dream stove I had in my mind and some tile saleswoman I spoke to was shocked that it was my first choice when I did not have measurements at the ready. I remember thinking that we all have our priorities and who is she to say mine are wrong? It is our kitchen and we'll do it how it feels right to us. I wanted to find the right color tile and accents and would plan my backsplash based on those choices, including it's size.
Figure out what is most important to you. Some pick the cabs and then make counter top choices after. Some know which counter they want and pick the cabs to match. Your appliances could affect those choices or your choices could affect which color appliances.
It is the chicken and the egg argument, which is appropriate for a kitchen!

WOW...thanks for all the responses. I guess I'll never be happy with my layout...10x10 with 3 doorways isn't much to be happy about. But I love our house and am determined to make it work. We are keeping original footprint of the kitchen...appliances and such will pretty much stay where they are, not much room to work with. Although shoe-horning in a dishwasher somewhere will be a challenge (since there is not one there now). Still original 1950's with metal cabinets.

Gillylily...I'll send you a note but if you are reading this still, my husband was born and raised in Cranford. We love it here. He's a firefighter in town, and my father in law is a retired Cranford police officer. He asked what year you graduated...again, you can send me an email separately if you like.