Hi - I have just started a kitchen renovation and am overwhelmed with which way to go, despite spending dozens of hours here to get myself educated.

This project is fairly simple - no footprint change, no flooring, no taking out walls. Literally just taking out the existing cabinets/countertops/backsplash and replacing with all new. Because of this - I was not thinking I needed extensive design or PM support.

I called several places and have 3 estimates that are all so different that I need some advice.

1. Cabinet company that quoted me $11-$15k for one of their basic lines.

2. Fully custom cabinets for $30k.

3. Kitchen remodeling company that wants $22k for Kraftmaid cabinets, plus another 20% on top of that (and everything else) for project management and design.

So - I'm torn. For this type of project that should not require much coordination between various contractors (very little electrical, plumbing, etc), is there a reason I would go with a company like #3 that charges the PM fee?

Are their other options I should be considering? Given that I don't think I need a GC, I've determined my best options are a custom cabinet company or a company that just sells one of the big lines. Am I missing something by not going with a full service GC?