Just some initial thoughts: Cabinets: you need to think about whether you want framed or frameless cabinets. I think the ones you've been looking at are all framed, but frameless might be a better choice in your small space. I linked one of the (many) threads on this below. Also, your hinge concern shouldn't be an issue on any cabinet you choose. Photos: if you are using photos from your computer, you can only show one per post by using the "Image file to upload" at the top of the message box. You can get around this by posting multiple posts, each with one photo each. Eventually you'll want to open a PhotoBucket account or another photo site account to store your (at least) kitchen related photos. When you do that, you can click on the "html code" provided by them which copies it so you can paste it into your message box. This way you can post multiple photos into the same message box. Timing: Do not rush this project! Every moment you spend in research and reflection will pay off in spades beginning on demo day. Your #1 item at this point is layout for function. I'm guessing you have a KD on the case, but post here anyway to get feedback. It's amazing what people here have to offer on how you can improve on what you have from big to small stuff. Have you thought about where you're going to keep your paper towels? Spices? Large pots? Bread? Have you considered a DW drawer vs a full size DW? Use of inside corners? Other options for flooring? I know there are other NYC apt. folks who may have very helpful suggestions for a kitchen specific to NYC issues. Hey! Congratulations. Here is a link that might be useful: Framed vs. Frameless

Thanks, windowsonwashington. And to the novice, I've done some further digging and I now feel dumb about the amount I was about to pay for windows. I did not realize the mark-up until I priced the Ultimate and Integrity product without the installation (Do this first if you can before you invite anyone into your house. I did not). On average, I was being charged $1700 per window for window and install of the Marvins (Integrity, Infinity and Clad) and about $1,050 per Inline window installed. This seems a lot given that only a few were full frame replacement. Worse, only one of the six quote did a decent job explaining the installation process. A word of advise to folks window shopping, be discipline, methodical, analytical and do not treat the process as something to get done immediately (though I understand why you would feel this way). If you do, you likely will be taken advantage of. Do yourself a favor and give yourself the time to work through the process. Also, there's lot of misinformation out there about the superiority and inferiority of one product vis a vis another. Caveat emptor certainly applies for a purchase this costly. Another thing, read the warranty before you sign. By doing this, I was able to rule out the Infinity product, much as I liked the aesthetic of the casement. I'm sure there's more to come.

I see two different issues here. One is people looking at an expensive room on Houzz and thinking they can make their room look like that for pennies. That is unrealistic. If you go with the cheapest labor, you will usually get what you pay for. And if you go with tile from a big box store, it will likely not look like the Ann Sacks that you saw in the picture. The other issue is whether you can/should trust a professional to do their job correctly, or whether you are foolish not to do the research every time you spend big money on a job. Roarah, I don't know why you are blaming yourself for not having researched the tile specifications. You are not a professional tiler. Your GC hired a professional tiler, and he should have known about the potential problems and explained them to you before he laid a single tile. When we renovated our kitchen and two bathrooms seven years ago I knew nothing about tiling, or really any other aspect of renovation. I relied on our GC (who also did the tile work) to help me on the layout, and to tell me what could/couldn't be done. I paid quite a bit of money for the reno (I live in NYC suburbs, so labor costs are high anyway) and I maybe (naively) expected that he know his stuff and he would do a good job for me. Luckily he was a very good GC and a very good tiler. I was quite happy with our job, although of course you always come up with things you would do differently if you were doing them again. I understand that my luck could have gone the other way with a different contractor. I recently reno'd our downstairs level and needed 600 feet of LFT laid to replace existing carpet. When I had the job quoted, I was hoping to find someone cheaper than the original contractor, and I got two other quotes in addition to his from contractors who were highly recommended by friends and neighbors. Original contractor told me about the issues involved with LFT, and warned me that his quote would be high because of all the prep/leveling work involved. Contractor #2 wanted to lay the tile right over the existing carpet (!!??). Contractor #3 told me that he could do whatever layout I wanted with whatever sized grout line and it would come out just *fine* and he could do it very quickly. Ironically, all three quotes were in the same high ballpark price-wise. Anyone with common sense would reject Contractor #2's tile-over-carpet solution, but would it have been crazy to go with Contractor #3 if you didn't know the about the issues with LFT? Once I heard the difference in approach between the original contractor and Contractor #3, I read up on LFT issues because I wanted to see who was right, and ended up rehiring the tried and true contractor. But conceivably, I could have gotten several bids from highly recommended contractors and not have been told about these issues at all. But if you are a regular homeowner who has no interest in reading design forums or tile manuals, shouldn't you be able to hire a tiler without reading up on tile specifications? Assuming you are not looking for a ridiculous bargain basement price for the labor, or not overlooking other glaringly obvious warning signs, I think you should be able to trust that your professional tile layer knows how to lay tile, and if you get screwed, blaming yourself is misplaced blame, IMO.

Alexsis, seriously? What about your shower waterproofing, HVAC system, vapor barrier - every single thing in your house has to be installed according to the manufacturer's specifications. Otherwise the warranty is void, at a minimum. If you're really unlucky your home insurance could be called into question. Be upset with your contractor, not Andersen.