I would suggest mapping out a hand drawn to scale of your kitchen with your ideas of placement and post it to get feedback first. That way, you will know what cabinet sizes and numbers that you need to get preliminary numbers.

Talk to contractors but tell them that you want them to be competitive with cabinet pricing. Make them break out the details. I have no issues with paying the contractor's fee. It's all the other lump sum that bothers me. My bathroom contractor quoted $2500 for a 12"H X 30"W X 18"D wall mount vanity (unfinished and installation is not included.) I can get a premade vanity for $200-400 or custom for a fraction of that cost.

Do your diligence and get quotes from custom cabinet makers as well. You can also price out Ikea just to get an idea.

You can save some money doing certain things yourself if you decide to go with a contractor. Tell them upfront what you will be responsible for. For example, I saved $1500 on demo and had my uppers saved for reused in the laundry room and garage by using handymen.

Put your room dimensions into the ikea kitchen planner and start playing around with it. If you can make the ikea cabinets fit they are going to be the least expensive decent quality cabinets.

I had a good experience with Lowe's. The kitchen designer was very thorough and patient, and the GC (hired through Lowe's) did a good job. The price seemed reasonable.

Seconding ikea. I think your budget will be very tight. If you can diy at least some things, that would help. Assembling ikea cabinets is pretty easy.

I had a good experience at Home Depot eleven years ago doing a remodel in a different house. Good, not great. The cabinets were gorgeous, the install was fine (done by DH), but the layout could have been better. It wasn't bad but not as efficient as it could have been and I can look back now and see that some of the cabinetry we purchased was more to up the price than it was to give us a super-efficient kitchen. Of course, designers are going to vary a lot so please come back here with whoever designs your space and let us help you tweak it.

I doubt very much you'll really "need" custom cabinets and I doubt you can get the for your budget. OK, custom, yes. Custom just means bespoke or built specifically for your space. Custom doesn't mean quality.

Yes, I doubt that we need "custom cabinets." That said, there is one or two tricky points in our situation, that could make things stranger. Details below - do you think these issues are pedestrian, or do they signal that I need to be with a local contractor who can problem solve the sticky points?

Potential Complication One: Our walls are brick, not drywall. Also we live in an old rowhouse, which can sometimes unexpectedly make a seemingly straight forward question more "interesting."

Potential Complication Two: I have to figure out how to install 25" D and 25" W compact washer and dryer (stacked) and make them blend into the kitchen. I should probably create a separate thread about this issue. Long story short: I'm just not sure how to install these compacts in a cabinet so that I can get them in and out easily, and I'm not sure how to deal with the extra ~6" of depth or width the dryer vent requires. Consequently, I'm not sure what I need in a cabinet, and I'm uncertain what kind of pro I need to tell me the solution.

I could ignore this bizarre problem by stuffing it inside a deep closet - on the second floor - but I got the idea from the one contractor to whom I have spoken that running water lines over to that space - a closet in a room next a bath, but without any plumbing itself -- would be expensive. He never said how much, but more or less said I don't want to go there.

Between this and the laundry forum, I think you're in the right place to get most of these questions answered. I don' t know how long you've been reviewing posts here, but there are some awesomely helpful and creative folks who can fool around with your layout once they have the requisite information from you.

With respect to the dryer vent, I think most if not all compact dryers are condensing, i.e. there's no vent and the moisture is collected in a reservoir that you have to empty periodically (unless it's possible to connect to a drain). I'm in the same boat and need to find out if a 25 inch deep washer and dryer can actually be pushed flat against the wall so that it won't stick out beyond a 25" countertop.

Compact FL washers and dryers are like dishwashers - you don't put them IN a cabinet, you leave a 24" opening and slide them in between the cabinets. The only difference is they can also be stacked and boxed in by high cabinets like a fridge. Asko used to make a panel ready set but sadly they have been discontinued, and I don't think any other manufacturer offers panel ready models in the US. So you either get to look at a washer and dryer (they come in stainless now) or you have to figure out another solution, like building it a closet to live in.

@avatarwalt- the water lines and drain could probably be recessed between the studs if you need to scoot the washer back farther.

I do like the idea of using Ikea if it'd be a good fit. Their line of gray cabinets appeals to me. The only thing that weirds me out a tiny bit is that I've bought many ikea products in the past. Some have been just wonderful, and others lackluster.

It's good to know that HD/Lowes have at least been "good" experiences. It would be a shame not to optimize the space usage in our very small kitchen. That said, my in laws did go this route on their kitchen, and seemed very pleased with the results.

If you don't mind me asking, how was it going through HD or Lowes contractors? Did you get a sense for whether HD/Lowes are approachable if there is a problem associated with installation?

@AvatarWalt: I think you are right that most compact dryers are condensing units. That said, Asko, Blomberg, and GE appear to offer compact dryers that vent.

The condensing dryers seem to get a lot of flack from people, and I've never used one. So I'm a little worried about designing the kitchen for a condensing dryer, only to be disappointed by it. But, like you, I sure would love to get these units to work with a typical cabinet depth, and that makes the vent an annoying detail.

Maybe I should buy a condensing dryer and play with it to see if I like it. :p

Ikea cabinets are some of the best quality things they sell. The boxes are sturdy and the door hinges and maximera drawers are made for ikea by Blum.

Many people hire an independent installer if they don't want to DIY their ikea kitchen. Most urban areas with Ikea stores have contractors who are experienced with using their cabinets. Some areas even have companies dedicated only to designing and installing ikea kitchens. If you are going with any RTA cabinets on a tight budget you should plan on at least assembling the boxes yourselves to save labor costs.

Definitely get quotes on putting in the vent. We host people at our home via Couchsurfing and several Europeans have stayed with us who have non-vented dryers at their homes who have commented that our vented dryer actually gets their clothes dry. As if that was unusual. A few have been on the beginnings of their trip and have actually been a bit shocked. They tell me that their dryers only partially dry and then they hang dry to finish the drying. I have read reviews online that state the same.

I agree that you should prioritize getting the W/D out of the kitchen.

Has anybody really answered your question about who to contact? Since this is new to you, I would explore all those options. Get quotes from GC's and copies of their contracts to review. Have a few trades people give you quotes on the individual parts of the project you need help with. Go to kitchen stores with kitchen designers and look at their products, have a preliminary chat with their designer, and then do the same at Lowe's/HD. We're all different with different skill and comfort levels. Any of these choices might be the best choice for YOU. So it's hard to give you a definitive answer.

Just know that you'll likely pay the most for a GC because you're paying him/her to handle all the sub-contractors and other details. If you feel comfortable doing this yourself, you might just hire a plumber, electrician, etc, separately. But if your area is one of those experiencing a bit of a building/remodeling boom, it might be harder for you to get them into your home for small projects. And none of them will design your kitchen so you might still want to work with a KD for that. Of course, all of us here would love to help you by reviewing your design plans and offering suggestions, if needed.

I'm considering ikea cabinets as well. When I first started looking into cabinets ikea was not even an option I'd consider(I stopped shopping there after college)... But I kept reading about how good Ikea cabinets are , especially for the price. I decided to go check them out at my local ikea and I was actually really impressed. The drawers were really nice, the hardware well made, etc. However I did not like the limited door options. Then I found out that there are numerous companies that make doors for ikea cabinets. At ikea, you buy all the pieces separately, so you can buy only the cabinets boxes, hardware and "innards" and buy the doors elsewhere. Problem solved. I love the options from this company- http://www.semihandmadedoors.com/

I see poor kitchen designs all the time. Things like not pulling a range forward enough to avoid heat damage to the backsplash. An experienced and reputable GC will probably have a favorite Kitchen Designer or a KD may recommend a good GC. Either way, get it right on paper first. By the time I get the call, it's usually too late.

Do you know anyone that has had work done in a similar row house from whom you can get a referral? A good carpenter/contractor would likely be advised with your scope of work, especially because of your brick walls. Going with IKEA will help your budget, especially if you assemble the cabs.

We've done three IKEA kitchens and am extremely satisfied. We did two small galley kitchens in rental property three years ago with stacked W/D in the kitchen. They are full-sized stacked units boxed in with the IKEA cabinets. My renters love having them in these small, one bedroom apartments. We were eventually going to add doors to the front to hide them but haven't as the renters like them as is. The W/D specs have all the clearances for the various installations (recessed, closet, cabinet...). We put the stack at the end of the run against the wall to diminish the fact that they protrude into the kitchen 31.5".

Historian, IKEA has many different product lines with different qualities. IKEA cabinets have nothing in common with the cheapo warping particleboard bookshelves that I bought as a student ;) . Based on my extensive research, IKEA cabinets are definitely better quality than comparable options at big box stores for example (the hardware, the quality of the particleboard, etc.)

My advice would be to measure, measure, measure, then enter dimensions into the IKEA kitchen planner and start fiddling. Being able to visualize the options helps so much. You can also post your planner link here in a thread to get feedback. Then go to the kitchen section at IKEA in person and ask for their advice on designing for your space - many have had good experiences with their free advice. Remember all this costs you nothing at this point.

If you decide to go with IKEA cabinets, then look for an official IKEA installer with references and get a quote for installation - they can help with customizing for wonky walls and specialty appliances.

I love my partially finished IKEA kitchen. We opted for custom fronts but there are many standard attractive options available.

Feisty, where did you get your custom fronts?

I ordered them from a local cabinet door fabricator and did the measurements myself, which was a LOT of work. They are solid maple and I finished them myself, also a LOT of work. We also did the drilling, etc. It would be easier to use cabinet door fronts that are specifically designed for IKEA kitchens - companies like semihandmade do that.

I used to build houses and installed a lot of kitchens. I really don't think there is a better value cabinet system than Ikea, which is what I used in my own home, even though I could get just about anything (discounted). My one disclaimer is that to me, they're boxes, not the 'furniture' that many people treat them as.

That being said, the Big Box stores, in the past decade, have made customer service, quality, and value their watchwords specifically so that they could cater to people that USED to be served by the independent contractor and their lumberyard (since they put so many of them out of business...but I'm not bitter about my beloved lumberyard). These places are no longer (and it pains me to say), the Walmarts of lumber with nothing more than it being a self-serve self selection. I know a couple guys who contract for them, and they like it because it's a guaranteed paycheck and a guaranteed near regular job. But they HAVE to guarantee quality. Or they're out.

The jobs that you described will eat up most of your budget. Wait until you have more funding. Or use Lowes new Project Specialist and their 84 month financing to double that budget.

You will get great feedback on your design here so please do post your space. Ikea is great BUT the cabinet sizes are exactly what they are, 5" increments, and your walls, windows, water and gas locations may not work well with them. At any place you can get some KD design help and if you are lucky, it will be good. Referrals from someone you trust tend to be best. But I would spend time reading this site and looking at the photos....Carrie B has been working on a row house have you seen here threads? If you want the W/D covered any cabinet guy can easily handle it, but you need to know if where that cabinet will be located and whether that will mean that you will be putting in new water, gas or electric and/or vent, as depending on how things are now those changes can be costly which is why people spend a lot if time trying to design around them...also consider buying someone else's used kitchen....

I'd suggest exploring all avenues and then deciding if you want to be your own GC (hiring and scheduling all the vendors), if you want to DIY or if you just want help where needed. We are doing a lot of work in the coming months: bathroom, kitchen, hardwood floors and a few closets plus painting the living room, dining room, hallway and bedroom. We visited the big box stores to get quotes (they source it out) and we had GC's give us quotes as well as friends/neighbors with the skills we need. We were forced to GC a house building project years ago and hated it, but we did get it done. I'd rather not do that again.

We need an engineer to draw plans to tear out a wall in the kitchen and we need a plumber to install a dishwasher, garbage disposal and move the sink 18" plus an electrician to add/upgrade outlets plus a fabricator/installer for the counter tops. I already have a cabinet installer picked (Ikea cabinets - Ikea - JD Power Highest Ranking Cabinets) but we will use a GC for the other items. Just to give you an idea, the cabinet quote from Big Box is $9,066 + $3,500 for counter tops. This does not include installation, plumbing or electric work or tearing out the wall. Ikea cabinets will be $5,400 with the same layout pictured below.

Our bathroom will be done by a GC since I don't want to manage the demo (4 ft high wall to wall tile plus 8 ft of shower tile), a small amount of framing and dry wall to cover some pipes, plumber, electrician, tile setter and painter. We have only 1 bathroom so it really needs to be coordinated by a professional to ensure it's timely completed. We have concrete walls, hardly any dry wall.

The hardwood floors will be done by a local husband/wife team we found who are certified by NOFMA. A friend installs flooring and would do the job for a great price, but he would probably take 2 weeks in between other jobs. It's something to consider if you are going the DIY route or using skilled friends.

The painting will be completed at the end by one of our on-site maintenance guys who is great with skim coating and painting. Although it will take a few days, it's not an urgent project and the price is right.

If you don't mind me asking, how was it going through HD or Lowes contractors? Did you get a sense for whether HD/Lowes are approachable if there is a problem associated with installation?

The Lowe's GC was excellent. He checked cabinetry and pointed out virtually invisible imperfections and ordered replacements. He stayed on schedule. He returned many months later to handle a problem with a spice rack. He did such an expert job installing crown molding that other unrelated contractors later complimented the work.

We didn't have problems so can't assure you that Lowe's would have handled them readily. However, I think the GC's good service had something to do with his incentives to keep Lowe's happy with his work. We gave him a glowing report on customer satisfaction survey.

Lowe's did deliver an appliance with dings and replaced it promptly when we complained.

We were very pleased with both end result and the process.

I wanted to chime in here. I have never ordered cabinets from either, but last year I did order quite a few windows from Lowes. They were excellent and knowledgeable and the orders were always correct. I still needed a french door... Home depot was having a sale so I decided to order it from them. What a mistake! They were impossible to reach by phone, the order took forever and when it did arrive ir was completely wrong. They were supposed to fix the issue and have a new door expedited.... instead the correct door took another 3 weeks to arrive.

A customer called me to punch out his bathroom after he wouldn't allow his Lowe's GC back on site. Apparently the job took six months; the punch out 1/2 a day. Lowe's told him to get someone licensed and insured and he did which goes to show the lengths they'll go to make a customer happy.

On the other hand, I did a countertop consultation for a woman with a faulty Lowe's design. Lowe's failed to pull the base cabinet forward which put the rear of the cooktop too close to the overhang of the bar top, creating a self-destructing edge and a fire hazard.

She wouldn't pay me until Lowe's paid her. I waited about 6 months for my money. As far as I know, it's never been fixed. She's apparently sold the home.

"@AvatarWalt: I think you are right that most compact dryers are condensing units. That said, Asko, Blomberg, and GE appear to offer compact dryers that vent.

The condensing dryers seem to get a lot of flack from people, and I've never used one. So I'm a little worried about designing the kitchen for a condensing dryer, only to be disappointed by it. But, like you, I sure would love to get these units to work with a typical cabinet depth, and that makes the vent an annoying detail.

Maybe I should buy a condensing dryer and play with it to see if I like it. :p"

RUN as far as you can from a condensing dryer. They are practically useless. Your clothes would dry faster hanging them on a line outdoors in a hurricane. Ok so maybe I'm exaggerating a bit.

We have one in our condo (we rent here in NY, don't own). I would never ever live in a place that doesn't have a regular dryer again. Drying cotton tee shirts is a 2+ hour affair on high. Then each time you run the dryer you have to lift out the water container and dump the water. We have our W/D in a closet but the problem is the dryer doesn't work properly if the closet door is closed. It must remain open. It is so loud that I have to keep my office door closed to hear someone on the phone.

I'm not sure if it's the washer or the dryer, but more of my shirts have been ruined by this combo than anything I have in my condo in FL. In my FL condo we have an LG combo FL W/D and the difference is night and day. My clothes are dried perfectly in less than 1 hour and I'm not hauling water into the bathroom sink to dump it.

Plus, in regards to getting a compact size, forget about washing towels or bed linens in the washer. It's too small. it holds one bath towel at a time. We have to send our sheets and towels out to be cleaned.

We have a 10 year old Asko combo. NEVER AGAIN!

Oh in case I wasn't clear, I despise my W/D here and most of the residents of this condo hate it too. Those that don't, never do their own laundry but have their housekeepers do it.

The new Lowe's PSI. Position will hopefully catch things like that. Most in that position have years of K&B experience. Some in my class had been installers or designers for decades. Varies by individual of course. The contractors involved must also have experience, be background checked 100%, and carry multi million dollar insurance policies. It's worth checking out the program to see if it is offered in your area.

I am surprised that in this lengthy thread, there have only been a couple mentions of your $24,000 budget (not including appliances). This is the CRUX of your entire endeavor. You should not even get started until you've sorted out where you are going to find more money. I am sorry, but for what you have described, your budget will not be enough. Also, you've mentioned that there will likely be surprises and twists in your renovation of your old rowhouse. I have renovated 2 kitchens, plus other home renovation projects, and I can say that even in the most smooth renos, plan to add at least 20% to whatever you think it's going to cost, or whatever you are quoted; often it is more than that.

I remember when I got quotes just for what I thought was simple electrical work as part of my kitchen reno - installing wall outlets per Code, upgrading voltage of one outlet for new appliance, and installing low-voltage undercabinet lights - that's it. And I could have had a heart attack when I saw the quotes. And that's just the electrical. You are talking about re-wiring, moving plumbing, changing entry wall, replacing ceiling, plus the cabinetry, counters, sink, faucet, backsplash etc., plus surprises along the way, all add up.

I am not trying to be Debbie Downer. I am trying to save you disappointment and stress. Before you go down the long and stressful road of hiring people and designing a layout, I would try to find another $10,000, or wait until you've saved more.

Thank you for the very many helpful comments so far. Since we've not gone down this road before, it's great to get an idea of other's experiences and what a reasonable starting point will be.

I don't mind the couple of comments about our budget being insufficient: I am trying to determine what does or doesn't fit in that budget. So pushback is good. If too little fits in it, then maybe we need to table the project for a few months or year until we have some additional cash on the table.

We have one quote, that is in line with the previous comment. The GC we talked to didn't seem phased by our budget (and we cited a smaller number back then, as we've saved more in the intervening months). However, when he drew up recommendations, the number *did* come in higher. The plumbing, electrical, and ceiling work were estimated at about 2500 each. The estimate for cabinets, counters, modifying the drywall, etc was about 21,500.

So, $28,500 was the quote for all the essential stuff. This left me puzzling over the following problem: wait, save, and come back with more than $28,500 (the 10,000 mentioned would probably be ideal), or try to figure out if we could scale the concept back to bring that figure at least somewhat closer to budget.

Our next step may be to play with the Ikea planner. Perhaps what I can do from there is check with one of the big boxes or else (this might be smarter) just get cabinet quotes from a vendor, and then pay one of the contractors who works our neighborhood and knows rowhouses to help us evaluate the cost of everything else. That way we'll know what we can aim at and how close we are.

Thanks again, this is all very helpful.

You do need to add 15-20% to the quote you were given. Everything costs more than quoted because of the unexpected.

Plumbing and electrical are low. Cabinets probably don't have moldings, scribe, TUK, or correctly finished sides. Plan to have a way to address the inevitable doubling in price of the project.

One thing I may chew on: some of the work involved in this project can be broken out into independent projects that would take place before we mess with cabinets. The washer dryer can be dealt with first, as can messing around with the drywall at the entrance, as can the ceiling. What is left after those steps complete are the cabinets, counters, and tradeswork that interconnects with these. So, I could table much of the project for a while, and instead concentrate on picking off a few of the points where serendipity may raise. Each would at least be modest improvements to a space that needs attention.

Historian:

As part of an IKEA kitchen renovation on a Siesta beach condo several years ago, I replaced an unvented stackable washer and dryer with a full size under cabinet washer and dryer. This meant pulling the sink countertop and cabinets forward to accommodate the depth of the washer and getting condo approval to vent the dryer outside.

Just after I drilled a 6" hole through the concrete block wall for the dryer vent, I realized it was 37" from the window. Code requires 36". Whew. Sometimes I get a break.

The customers were delighted. I've had stackables and was completely satisfied, but get them as close to the master bedroom as possible.

One thing I may chew on: some of the work involved in this project can be broken out into independent projects that would take place before we mess with cabinets.

Yes! Since this is your first major remodel, this will make it far less overwhelming for you. It's also easier on the budget as some things of the smaller changes you might even be able to afford directly out-of-pocket and, of course, keep saving for the big remodel.

I think we would all love to see a diagram of your space so we can help you start planning. Some of us plan our kitchen remodels for months. A few of us, for years. It really does take time to get it right. And if you're going to do some parts of the kitchen prior to the big remodel, you will want that plan in place first before you do anything. You don't want to find that something that will make your kitchen both super-efficient and gorgeous can't be done because of something you already did. So let's get things designed so all changes you make are part of a good master plan.

I agree that phasing a project can make a lot of sense. I think it's a great idea in this case. I also agree that having a complete plan in place first is important.

Yes, I think one of our problems it that we have
been tail-chasing a little bit: the repairs or improvements we need or would
like to make to this room affect one another, so I’ve been thinking of them as
one project. I’m afraid of making individual changes without knowing the entire
picture clearly. However, our cash-on-hand is thin for approaching it as a
single project.

Following suggestions here, I’ll start a new thread
where I lay out the current space, plus some layout ideas with which I’ve been
toying. Additionally, I am going to think about how each could be approached in
phases.

I think till now you must be ready with your home. Please share some pics here.