- Visit home improvement stores and thumb through remodeling magazines to get an idea of the type of kitchen you want.
- Plan your kitchen around the style of your home.
- Hire a kitchen designer to draw a design to scale.
- Try to incorporate the way your kitchen is presently used.
- Buy your cabinets, appliances, flooring, lighting fixtures, sink, faucet, tiles, baseboards and paint in advance; store onsite.
- Obtain permits, if required.
- Interview contractors. You may need an electrician, plumber, HVAC contractor, drywaller, painter, flooring and / or tile installer, demolition crew.
Demoing the Kitchen
Although you may find personal satisfaction by smashing a wall like Kathy Bates in Fried Green Tomatoes, it's better to have a systematic approach.
- Remove cabinet doors first.
- Most cabinets are attached to the wall by 2 screws, unscrew them.
- Carefully remove doorway and window trim (if you plan to reuse them) by sliding a putty knife next to the nails and gently tugging, working your way to the corner.
- Shut off the power, and remove appliances and lighting fixtures that are directly wired; cover exposed wires with wire nuts.
- Use a crowbar to force sheets of paneling from the walls.
- Employ a sledgehammer for brute force but do not smash the studs.
- Recycle old appliances and take everything else to the dump.
