The first step will be deciding how you are going to pay for the list. :) You may not realize it, but you're probably talking 100K+ of projects here. Do you have any DIY skills that you can bring to the table to lower the cost? What about the timeline? Do you want this all done at one time? Where will you live while this is going on? I'm not saying that you're biting off more than you can chew here, but it's possible that you could be taking a darn big bite.

And there are a few "penny wise pound foolish" things on the list. If you plan on remaking so much of your kitchen cabinets, and putting in new everything else, then you are talking about spending as much as a set of good quality budget cabinets like American Woodmark would cost. Plus if you do new cabinets, you get to tweak your layout for better function. Putting a all new bathroom around old cabinets is like putting the lipstick on the proverbial pig. An additional $300 in a 12K bathroom redo won't break your budget, but it could completely wreck the look of all of your new work.

Decide which room on your list is the priority and get some DIY skills going so you can bring some costs down. Start slow, like a bedroom. And don't try to work on everything at once or you'll go nuts with no safe haven from dust and noise. A good place to start building skills would be painting the rooms and changeing the ceiling fans out. Both are pretty easy beginner projects. After you've completed those projects, take a fresh look at your list to decide what other DIY skills you are willing to learn. Or if you'd rather get a second job to pay a pro to do them. :)

This is a townhouse with total Sq ft of 1400. I plan on doing this before I move in. I just want to hire contractors in the smartest way. Right now I'm still under 30K. My DIY skills are limited, and no time with my job. Thanks for your input, all suggestions are welcome.

I'm sorry, but there's no way 30K is going to touch that list. And because you're talking about a multi-family dwelling, you have to be a lot more particular in the contractor's that you use. Not all are licensed to work on multi-family dwellings.

30K could do your kitchen on a budget, or the two bathrooms, or maybe the floors and painting or about half of the windows and doors. But, I'm serious about learning some DIY skills here. It will stretch that 30K much farther if you can do the painting and crown molding yourself. There are some realistic DIY projects on your list that a beginner would be able to tackle.

But, if you're not interested in DIY, then you're going to have to pick 30K worth of work off of that list, and when you're paying contractors, that won't go very far. I'd definately suggeswt doing the floors and at least one bathroom before you move in, and that's about as far as your money will go. You can tackle everything else later after you save up more money.

It seems like a long list for a small townhouse. Are you comfortable with the ratio of work you need to do versus the inherent property?

If you go ahead my thought would be to do the windows first if they truly need replacing, as well as anything else of a structural nature.

Can you give more information about what's needed in the kitchen and baths? For example, replacing countertops need not be all that expensive (depending on what material you use), but enlarging an oven opening will mean replacing cabinets or having a carpenter remake the ones you have. And by "totally remodeling the bathrooms," do you mean inexpensive cosmetic upgrades like towel bars and faucets, or do you mean new flooring and tile? I ask because you mention keeping the cabinets, and most total remodels would involve replacing those.

Don't townhouses usually involve HOAs? Will they allow you to replace windows and doors? You might want to check whether there are strict guidelines you need to follow when you change the exterior.

I'd start with the bathroom & kitchen remodels. Lots of dirt and dragging of large heavy items, you want this done on your old floors.
Bathrooms first.
Then kitchen cabs & counters.
Then floors.
Then windows/doors.
Then painting/trim/fans, which are all cosmetic items.

Once you find a good GC to oversee your project, that person will have a lot of input on the preferred order of work. Most GCs have a roster of subcontractors they often work with and are used to setting a certain specific rythm to their work. Your job will largely be to prioritize expenditures.

Have fun!

I certainly don't think it's realistic to say that replacing counters and appliances is going to cost 30K or more, unless you're getting awfully fancy with your choices, and I've seen plenty of townhomes for sale around here that need that much work and are offered at prices where it would be worth putting the money into them. Circuspeanut's list of what to do when is a good one.

But like mcmjilly, I do wonder about your HOA, especially about changing that slider for a French door. To replace windows with new ones that look like the old ones, yes, that's usually no problem, but a visible exterior change like changing the door type--you did check about this? I live in a townhouse and we can't even swap out the hideous old bronze aluminum framed sliders for a different color--have to special order bronze frames for replacements.

And I agree that so far the bathrooms are a wild card, since you haven't explained what you need to do there.