Have you done any training, on how to get permits, etc? Are you familiar with the codes in your area?

Good luck! It will be worth it in the long run! Get everything in writing and be very clear on all your expectations. Never assume. And never trust a verbal quote. Pay for as little as possible up front and make sure it's done correctly before you finalize payment. Research the permit process and requirements for your city. When in doubt ask them! For the most part the inspectors are on your side - you both want it done safely and correctly.

Thank you both! I agree with you!!

I've never done any training but I'm a fast learner and I understand the process in which things should take place as far as which professional should come in at any point of the renovation. ( I watched HGTV a lot ;)

I also called our town and will sent all the permits they've asked. I've got each professional to fill out their form. I'm submitting it this Monday so it should take a week top to approve.

Our Demo people that I've hired will take our existing kitchen down this coming Wednesday so I'll report how that goes... ( the plumber will arrive a day before to unplug water and gas related appliances to be on the safe side).

we will be without a working kitchen for about a month.. There is a 19 days between the demo to the install of new cabinets but I scheduled it this way to give the electrician time to do what he needs once old kitchen is gone and get inspector after that. Bern that this is my first Reno, I want to give things enough time so if something goes wrong or someone doesn't show up, we have time to fix it ...

Take lots of pictures! Exciting (:

When we finished our basement, I acted as our general contractor to save money! I ended up hiring at least half a dozen trades..... all this was new to me. It ended up being a great success. The basement turned out really nice and the process went very smoothly. I asked around a lot....family, friends.....and rec'd recommendations for each individual trade. We have something called homestars where I live which helped me find reviews for various trades. I know a basement is less intimidating then a kitchen but it is doable and you will save a great deal of money. Best of Luck!!

I'll take some pictures and share with you!! Stefanie, that service sounds good and I'm happy to hear that it all turned up great! A basement is a big project too! More power to you!

When looking for professionals, I actually searched online for reviews on various websites as well as took the initiative and searched on our court system public records for any law suits they might have. After a previous experience I had with a contractor that turned out to be dishonest and had lots of law suits against him I thought it would be a good thing to check in advance! Better safe than sorry I supposed.

hello everyone, so its been a few weeks and the demo went smooth and I've ended up needing to repair the floor as the original cabinets weren't install on wood floor but all went well and I've got a professional to repair the floor and I will stain the floor myself.

The instal of cabinet will start tomorrow so thats very exciting!! I'll send some pictures.

I needed advice regarding the lighting in the kitchen. we are buying 2 crystal chandeliers for the island and have a dining table right next to it and I wasn't sure if I needed to match the lighting above the table to the island lights. Any thoughts?

This is the light fixture above island:

http://www.wayfair.com/Carondelet-4-Light-Crystal-Chandelier-HOHN4755-HOHN4755.html

I advise against difficult to clean pendant lights in kitchens.

Thank you! I'll see when they arrive this Friday how challenging they are..

Hello everyone, it's been over a month but I wanted to update you and say that I finished renovating my kitchen after a lot of hard work, sleepless nights but it was worth it!! Learned a lot in the process. And here is the before and after . Thank you all for your advice !!

Looks great! Congrats on your new space!

love the backsplash!! Can you provide info...quartz??

was it very costly??

Wow that was a huge waste of time and money. Kitchen looked better before. Just needed better lighting.

Great job. I hope you really enjoy your new kitchen!

Shushe123 thank you and the backsplash is a 2cm venato style from quartz master ( in NJ) . We needed 2 slabs for backsplash and 2 for countertop and island so together with fabrication it was around $12,000. Not cheap but we love it and it really changes the feel of the kitchen completely.

Sandi125 thank you! I can't tell you enough how it made our whole space looks bigger and more importantly brighter. I love being in that space so much I even cook and bake more ;)

The updated kitchen looks really nice.

Enjoy your new space.

good luck!

Beautiful!

I found another picture from a different engle of the new kitchen before we stained the floors...

Kudos to you! The kitchen looks amazing