practigal thank you for the detailed post.

The plumbing and the electrical are basically fine. When we redid the kitchen the first time, it got its own dedicated electrical panel and applicances are on their own circuit. The only possible upgrade there in the kitchen would be an additional outlet or two. The addition of a breakfront cabinet in the breakfast room will require some electrical work. And except for the stove & hood, I reallly won't be changing out any other appliances (or so I think at the moment). The only conceivable plumbing upgrade - again at the moment - would be a dedicated pot spigot. I'm not sure of that but I do a lot of lifting of very heavy pots of water - I'm a bit of fiend about making stocks - and I could be convinced of the "need" for that sort of convenience. But it's not required and it's price dependent.

I'm not averse to buying used but I'm not sure what sort of used item would fit. A sink? A hood? I'm pre-disposed to a nicely designed hood but if I could find a lovely used one I could be happy (as long as it works).

Re: the floor. I'm pretty sure I'll be pulling out the floor. In addition to its state there are some squeaking issues that need to be diagnosed and addressed, and I don't think I want any issues regarding substrates. But I really have not put any thought into it as yet (or into very much else as yet).

I think the cabinet carcasses are just fine - I'd only be worried about matching the color, which is currently an off-white pinkish cream. I am basically happy with the existing cabinet layout - some drawers some pull outs - so if the cabinet bodies can be re-used I'd consider that a win (along with ease of re-use for the granite).

If you end up basically just replacing doors, you could then have drawers put in on lower cabs that now have doors.

It'd probably be a good idea to read thru the 'New to kitchens' thread on p1 (or p2 maybe) to see what all you might need to address in the future as you go forward with this redo.

I have seen once or twice people mentioning that their crew carefully removed granite so it could be re-use; maybe another one or so reused granite but in a different configuration (re-cut to fit different cabinets).

Floors: what was it that you disliked about the vinyl? There are the luxury vinyl tiles and planks that are made with ground limestone (I think) and supposed to have much greater durability and more attractive appearance -- I've a coworker who loves hers. There is wood-look tile, very pretty but still has the disadvantages of tile, I believe. There is cork, which seems like a great choice, and real or engineered wood which is more durable that most would think.

Whether you do the floor before or after the cabinets are in depends on the material that you choose.

I found a pine floor under the original linoleum (not the base subfloor) and had it refinished. After 2 years the area by the stove -- which is not covered with the rug and gets the spills, dropped utensils, etc. -- looks just fine.

On the flooring, I went with sheet vinyl, no grout lines or the uneveness that will catch stuff. If not this, I would have gone with cork or wood. I don't like tile-cleaning grout will have to occur at some point- and several friends who have tile floors have commented that it bothers their backs to be standing on it long term.

I would go with as few changes as you can. It seems that your best option is to keep the cabinet carcass and the granite, replace the kitchen cabinet fronts and floor. If you don't move the cabinets it may be that it limits your flooring choices. You will want to discuss that with somebody who is knowledgeable with your exact situation and which products will work.

Vinyl flooring is constantly looking better, so I would at least check out the new stuff before discounting it. A second choice would be wood flooring. I have a low center double basin sink and think it offers the best of both a standard double basin and a farmhouse sink.

With the exception of a floating floor, floors are either...

• Installed first so the flooring goes under the cabinets (preferred method)
  
  -or-

• Installed after the cabinets are put in BUT a plywood or similar subfloor is installed beneath the cabinets at the same thickness of the finished flooring (this is also done with floating floors) - so you need to know

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From an older post (applies to all flooring materials, not just wood):

Ideally, the floors go down first, before any cabinets are installed. Whether the wood is installed throughout, though, depends on the floor.

Is it a floating floor? If it is, then you will not be able to install cabinets on top of it. Instead, you will have to install some other material that raises the floor under the cabinets to the same height as the finished floor. Do not install the cabinets lower than the flooring - it will trap your appliances (Refrigerator, DW, range) in a hole and will make it difficult to move them. Of particular concern is any appliance in an "alcove" - like a DW or Refrigerator - with the DW the most crucial b/c the counter is installed on top of the DW with little or no vertical "wiggle room". Note: Since you can usually see several inches under the Refrigerator and Range, install the wood flooring under those appliances if at all possible.

If it's not a floating floor, then installing the wood throughout is the best option b/c it allows for more flexibility and/or changes later, if desired, as well gives a more seamless look - especially under the Range and Refrigerator where you can usually see several inches underneath them.

Some people don't install wood flooring under the cabinets b/c they think they'll save money in material costs. However, the extra work needed to install two different surfaces and the extra measuring/cuts will often eliminate that savings b/c of additional labor costs.