I'm no expert and I hope others will chime in....

Backsplash:
Can the drywall be repaired? You don't need to tile a backspalsh - you can just leave it painted. Benjamin Moore makes a great paint you can scrub clean. You could paint it now and tile later if you feel you need to do that to see the house.

Could you tile? If you got tile that had a mesh backing (smaller tiles) it might be easier for you to do the tiling yourself. How complicated is your BS?

My Home Depot has sheets of what looks like stamped aluminum (it is really plastic) that can be used as a backspalsh. You would just have to make sure if it is near a heat source it won't melt. You would just have to adhere it to the drywall. I don't know the cost.

Lighting:
Is the lighting replacing existing or is it new? We replace fixture on our own, but then again, electricity is a tricky thing.

Cabinet Doors and Drawer Fronts:
Some posters have used Ikea cabinet boxes and put their own doors on. I would think having them made by an Amish man would mean more $$$. How many do you need and what are the sizes?

Here are some options for cabinet door and drawer fronts:
Evans Cabinet and Door Ltd.
http://evanscabinetanddoor.com/doors.htm

Scherrs Cabinets and Doors:
http://www.scherrs.com/index.html

Cabinet Painting:
I would probably do this myself if I could. Other posters have done this to their cabinets and they look amazing. I believe Benjamin Moore has a line of paints that can be used on cabinets where you don't have to strip the cabinets of the old finish.

Knobs and Pulls:
You can buy a handy-dandy cabinet door and drawer template (made by Liberty) at Home Depot or Lowes that will help with knob and pull placement placement. It is plastic and looks like a ruler/triangle. We installed our own knobs and handles in our last kitchen - the cabinet guy messed them up and we had to get new doors. Just make sure you adjust the doors and drawers before you drill the holes and be consistent where you place them so everything will line up.

Paint yourself.
If your DH can miter he can install crown (baseboards too). If he can do flooring; then he must be able miter. I might even save the crown for later.
Install the knobs/pulls yourself. Make a template and drill away.
Did you check Rockler or cabinetparts to compare prices on the hinges? I have no clue what hinges cost but will be finding out shortly for myself.

I think you've really kept it pretty reasonable. Don't let it get to you... sounds like you're doing a great job.

I'd leave the hardwood floor in the family room for later - unless you're going with natural cherry it's not likely that the wood floor in the kitchen will darken. Maybe you can convince DH that it's a separate project and needs its own budget.

I also agree you can hold off or eliminate the backsplash. Many people just paint the wall instead of tiling it. You can add a backsplash later if you like.

kitchenredo2--The drywall can probably be repaired, although it did get pretty torn up when we took the old laminate (with a 4 inch attached BS) out.

Maybe I could tile it myself, I don't know. I've never done anything like that. If I will be painting, too, though, I think I'd never get it done. But something to consider.

Lighting--We are replacing existing lighting. DH could probably replace the chandelier over the table and the pendant over the sink, but we are also having the big ugly flourescent light box removed and a flush mount to replace it. I know we couldn't DIY that.

As far as the other cab companies, this Amish guy is definitely the best priced, and by using him through my GC, I also get the GC to do all the measuring to convert to full overlay. GC will also take full responsibility for quality control and correct meausurement, something I wouldn't have if I used Scherr's (which I did price).

remodelfla, my DH will only be "assisting" his friend in the flooring install. Friend will be doing most of the work. DH has never done anything like this, so no way would I let him do the crown moulding :) He also just doesn't have the time.

I will try to install the hardware myself (not hinges, but knobs and pulls) using the template. Anyone done this themself? I'm afraid of ruining my new doors that I will have put a lot of time into painting myself. Is that worth $100 to have GC do?

What do you all think about painting the cabs myself? How hard is this really? I just don't want it to end up looking like a bad DIY job. How do I make it look "professional"?

Any sources for discount flooring? I need to get Bruce Dundee Plank in gunstock. The price online has gone up over $1.00/sq ft since I originally priced it 3 months ago. Can't use anything else because the family room is open to the kitchen and hall where we have this hardwood.

Please keep the suggestions coming! I really need some sort of direction.

Regarding the online hardwood: We ordered our Bruce Dundee Plank (Butter Rum) from Internet Floors.com. Don't know how much it was or where you already priced from, but they have it for $4.12 sq ft w/free shipping. We ordered about 1300 sq ft from them almost 2 years ago and had no problems or issues.

I like to do what I can around the house. I am just starting to prep my mudroom/utility room cabinets for painting. It is time consuming but not difficult. I am lightly scuffing with scotch brite pads and then using a product called Easy Liquid Sander to clean and degloss so the paint takes well. I first filled all the holes from moving the cabinets to a new configuation and the hardware holes with wood putty and sanded that smooth. Then I will use a low odor oil based primer before I paint. I've never done this before but so far they look good and my handyman is checking my work. :)I am also using joint compound to repair the walls where the wallpaper I removed didn't come off too easily. I'll prime and paint them. Again, never done it before but I'm learning. I'm not so young anymore and even though I'm in good shape I am finding little used muscles. You can do it!

A $100 isn't going to make much difference one way or the other. I have only used the attached drawer jig once to attach a sample handle to a sample drawer front but it came in handy. Having just screwed up on installing a bifold door (which is a decidedly low skill task) I can say DIY is not always a guaranteed saving (however in the "teach a man to fish" line of thinking I have aquired a new skill and the second one will get a better paint job and have the handle in the right place).

Here is a link that might be useful: cabinet + drawer jig

Flooring...cherry wood "catches up" in 9 months. I suspect the other woods also "catch up". So, if you do delay the wood floor, then once you put it down it will catch up to the rest of the flooring in 9 months.

If you have an area rug or other things on your wood floor (furniture, plants, etc.) for any length of time, when you move them they will also be a different "color". Those areas will also "catch up" w/the rest of the floor in 9 months.

You're the only person who really knows if you're capable of painting the cabinets yourself. Most of us who are DIY had to start somewhere, and often each job only gets done once, so we're not really much further ahead than you -- other than we are aware of how important prep work, and being careful is! :>) Measure, remeasure, and measure again...

How many doors and drawer fronts are being made for $1420? That sounds like a really good price!

If you decide to paint- go with a top quality paint- don't scrimp there! My Benjamin Moore dealer is so good at helping out- maybe you could even take a door there, and see if someone would be willing to walk you through the steps and help you with the first door. If you buy the paint, start with one door and then if you decide you're not happy, you haven't lost anything except a little time- and you can still then hire your GC to do the painting. I am in the process of painting all the doors in my house (bedroom, bathroom, laundry, closet, etc). Even though they are not perfect, they are SO much better than the crappy existing doors that they're replacing- I never really noticed all the flaws in the finish that they had. That is one problem with DIY you do become so MUCH pickier!

raehelen asked 'How many doors and drawer fronts are being made for $1420? That sounds like a really good price!'

ITA! It's a great price! 31 doors and 11 drawer fronts.

So I think I will go ahead and paint the cabs myself. Should I use oil or latex paint? GC said since the cabs are unfinished wood, I'd need 1 coat of primer and 2 coats of paint. I know oil is supposed to hold up well (but does it hold up better than latex?), but I worry about it yellowing, not to mention being harder to work with. Any opinions?

I may also see if GC would be willing to spray on the final coat for me. His price divided by 3 (coats) would be about $400. Would this be a good idea? I know I have read on here that some people prefer to have the paint hand applied vs sprayed on so that touch-ups are easier. Thanks everyone for helping me with this!

I am preparing to paint unfinished doors in the next kitchen I'm working on and my conclusion is there is no advantage to working with alkyd paints (more VOC's, longer dry times and tougher clean up is mostly what you get for your trouble). A lot of folks are working with BM's Waterborne Impervo. I am going to do some tests with Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Primer as that seemed to garner the most raves in my research (in terms of primer).

Spraying the last coat won't hide flaws in the undercoats like brush marks or drips so I wouldn't bother.

Have you painted cabinets before? Do you really want to spend the money on new cabinets and then risk it by not having them professionally painted? I really think you should skip the backsplash or extra flooring for now or increase your budget a little - that way no regrets.

I agree with weissman. Unless you do a really good job painting (hard to say since you don't have much experience), it may be better to leave this one with the pros. It's kind of like sewing a great dress but ruining the looks by not ironing it properly; only the ironing is easier to fix. A poor paint job can create work if you need to redo. Plus, getting the contractor can do it may mean that it gets done faster.

I also think the backsplash can wait, as well as the new flooring, if money is that tight.

I am impressed at what you are doing for so little money. Congratulations! It'll look great when you're done!

Hey, I had my own "Blew the budget" thread. A very wise KF guru (Buehl) gave me this great advice:

To decide what you can do to cut costs, I recommend asking yourself the following questions:

(1) What is not that important to me and doesn't add functionality? [Candidate for elimination altogether]

(2) What can I do at a later date? [Candidate for deferring until a later date]

(3) What can't be done at a later date and I can't live without? [Candidate for keeping and doing now]

I know that you are also asking about what you can do vs. paying for a contractor, but you may want to narrow down the list with this logic first. At least that will help you to prioritize. It sounds like you have found at least one candidate for "what can I do at a later date" with the backsplash.

For me, my moldings as a cross between 1 and 2 (doesn't add functionality and can be done at a later date), so that was going to save me a lot of $.

Once you have your prioritization, then maybe you could break the project into phases with the #3s in the first phase, #2s, then finally #1s - mixing in the parts that you think you can do yourself.

Good luck - it's tough making these choices, and it often feels like an "all or nothing" proposition.

So would I actually risk ruining the cabinets if I decide to paint them myself? I would hate to spend the money and the huge amount of time it would take to find out that I ruined them. I have never painted cabinet doors before. I have painted walls and a dresser, but no cabinetry. I am patient and would not rush the process and would research how to do it properly, but I am still no pro. And I am not looking forward to such a massive undertaking (31 doors, 11 drawer fronts, cabinet frames, crown moulding, and baseboards). But, if it means I can get the hardwood in the family room, it would probably be worth it. For the last several months I've planned on replacing that carpet, so I haven't been as diligent about the "no shoes in the house" rule (at least in the family room) so now it's looking pretty crappy. It is 8 yrs old anyway, and wasn't the greatest to begin with. I hate looking at it everyday. I'd gladly give up a backsplash to be able to get hardwood. But I'd still need to do the painting myself, which I'm not so sure is a wise choice anymore.

Don't forget to consider the time factor. Painting such a tremendous amount of cabinetry/trim is going to take a LOT of time, especially since you plan to do it right--especially if the kids are around! Inital sanding, cleaning after sanding, priming, sanding, cleaning after sanding, painting first coat, sanding, cleaning after sanding, painting second coat......well, you get the picture! Plus, cleaning brushes and paint trays after you're done each time. Also, consider whether you have room to lay out the cab doors, etc to dry w/out them being in danger of getting bumped/smudged.

I'm not saying I don't think you can do it, just wanted to encourage you to consider how much *your* time is worth, as well.

The more house projects I do, the more I've come to realize how important the prep work is, as well as how much time it can take in order to do it properly. I always underestimate how long it will take me to complete the project!

Let us know what you decide--and progress pictures are always welcome here :-)

I'd be curious to hear from some people on here who have painted their own cabinets. I also considered painting my own cabinets (still haven't ruled it out). Seems like a huge undertaking, but would the results really be that inferior to having a painter do it? I'd be having them hand-painted, not sprayed, if I have them done professionally. So if I (or OP) hand-painted them, what would be the main difference in terms of finished product?