I wonder if it would have helped to talk to a kitchen designer first. They often have better ideas than the contractor, who carries out the plan, but might not be a creative who can create the vision. Then talk to the contractor about the how-to.

Some remodelers will have in-house design staff and others don't do any design, they simply execute plans produced by others. I encourage you to involve your selected remodeler as early in the design phase as possible so the design can be informed by real-world cost information.

You went in the wrong order, and had incorrect expectations. A builder builds what a designer designs. Design work comes first. You asked the wrong end of that equation for things they do not provide. And while "everyone" thinks renders are 100% easy and should be a part of what a contractor does, that is completely incorrect assumption. Your chosen designer can add that service, with an additional fee. But a designer doesn't design without a retainer paid, up front. And a contractor doesn't build without a contract and money down. No free lunches for looky lous.

I was sure that GCs offer renderings and 3d visualization (maybe as he did they can refer me to one) but renovating and basically anything related to your home is an emotional decision.

Well, get UNemotional. This is a lot of money, and mooning around over stuff you can't afford is useless emotion. Figure out a budget, and add another 10-20% for design work. Then work with a designer. They are there to help you figure out what you want, what you can afford, and to communicate all of that to the contractor with design documents that illustrate it. Design documents are NOT renderings.

I can find everything under the same rooftop? i mean it would be a lot easier for me to work with one who's responsible - the GCs who has everything under his control.

There are GCs who provide this 3d visualization?

I brought my designer and contractor (the one my designer often works with) in together to walk through the house before I even put in an offer. (They work well together.) Together, the designer could help with a vision and the contractor could talk about what was possible, since we moved / removed walls, changed flooring and plumbing, etc. Take your time and good luck! It's stressful but can also be exciting and of course rewarding at the end.

Do you want a designer designing what the contractor wants rather than what you want? Because if a contractor pays the designer, that's who is in charge of everything. Not you. And things you want, that they don't want to do, suddenly become unaffordable, or too complicated. Which may be true, but, with the contractor paying the designer, could also be a load of horsehockey.

So, what do you want? What's your budget? Where are you located in the country, roughly? Have you looked at industry average costs for standard remodeling projects? Someone getting ready to drop a couple of hundred thousand on tearing apart their house should have already done a ton of research. And started out with a kitchen and bath designer.

https://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/major-kitchen-remodel-upscale?y=2023

https://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2023/

It sounds like you want a design build company - they should in theory be able to work together more seamlessly. i would never expect a gc to do 3d rendering. i also never had any 3d rendering done before kitchen or bath remodel so there is that…

otherwise you would hire a KD and bring the detailed plans to your GC to execute. GCs aren’t usually the best at the design part of the project, especially if you need significant assistance with it.

You need to start with a kitchen designer first. Once you have plans, products, and specifications, that is when you bring in a contractor. The contractor uses all of that to give you a price, and as a roadmap to do the job.

Design involves balancing the client's lifestyle needs and preferences, the constraints of zoning, and architectural covenants, code and structural requirements, and the client's budget. I've seen too many projects end up in the waste basket after the designer was paid in full and the client finds out from multiple remodelers that what's been designed far exceeds their budget. I find it's more time and cost efficient if projects are approached as a collaborative effort of client, designer, and remodeler from the outset. You can do that working with a design/build firm or you can assemble your own team of professionals.

Do you want to share your general location? If you are in LA I have a really great designer and 3 very good contractors I can recommend. Also have a good kitchen designer.

I’m going to suggest that you start another thread to get suggestions and design advice for your kitchen, from the many knowledgeable and talented designers on the Kitchen Forum.

You will need to post a floorplan of the kitchen and relevant adjoining areas, with dimensions, and the other information requested in the sticky post by buehl that floats around the top of the post list.

I would do this even if you decide to hire a designer, which you probably will want to do. It will make you an informed client, clearer on your own priorities, and more likely to get a good result in the end.