Sophie Wheeler: You're assuming way too much. What makes you say that I don't seem to take into account the associated costs of removing bearing walls, when I clearly stated above: "I hate surprises, especially big ones. That's the reason we would like to know BEFORE we commit to this project just how many dollars we'll be spending on putting in beams, RELOCATING PLUMBING, ELECTRIC, DUCTS, etc." All the affected rooms will need new flooring that's not a news item for us. We also know we will need to spend money on floor matching if we enlarge the narrow opening between the kitchen and dining room. How much we will spend on this kitchen reno will not be limited so much by our finances but by the value increase that a large family kitchen will add to our 3000sqft , 4 bedroom house that has one big problem: A tiny, 60's kitchen more befitting a small cottage. We just simply don't want to overspend. The estimated size of the value increase will mostly inform our decisions.

Hi, In either case you've got a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem. You'll need at least a concept plan to get a reasonably accurate estimate of construction costs. You'll need to invest some amount of money to develop the plans--whether by an independent architect or design/build firm. The good news is that you don't need a fully detailed, fully-engineered "biddable" set of plans for that. Absent a set of concept plans, you could use cost data published in Remodeling Magazine's Cost-Vs. Value Report to infer the likely cost for your project http://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2017/ In our market we've found the cost data to be pretty good for budget purposes. If you go the architect-first route, get your remodeler on board as soon as possible so the design can be informed by real-world cost information. Architects don't typically build stuff, don't write checks for materials and labor, and don't get a heads-up from suppliers about pending price increases. The cost information they'll have is for completed projects. With dimensional lumber prices up as much as 30% in the last year, using even 12 month old cost data is like driving by looking in the rear view mirror. Best wishes for a successful project.

https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/homeowners-guide-to-hiring-qualified-tile-installer

6 weeks? That’s a bogus timeline from the outset. Try tripling that for something of the scope you are talking about. That overly optimistic timeline, plus their throwing up their hands in the air about the contractor that they recommended would have me very unhappy with the design and design project management work here. They set you up to fail. There is no way out but to keep moving forward with your existing team. I’d have a heart to heart with the design team that expresses how disappointed you are with their work, and with throwing the contractor under the bus rather than rolling their sleeves up and figuring something out to make it work. If they were just going to show you pretty pictures and not do the hard part of keeping control of the job, then they aren’t actually designers. They are bad decorators.