Whew, you'll get lots of help with the colors question, don't worry. My question re: appliances. What color is your fridge, I didn't see it mentioned. Also, can you post a pic? I learned that is so helpful to everyone to be able to see what you've got so far. You know, the whole thousand words thing...

yayagal! I got chills when I read your response! I know we all can't agree on everything, but I have a huge smile now! Yay! I'm glad you liked my choice! Although we got the house at a short sale price, it had been a previous neglected foreclosure, and neglected for years after that purchase, so it is requiring a lot to get it back to the home it should be. I will post photos once the job is done in a month or two. They are starting demo tomorrow. Suzi This post was edited by desertdance on Thu, Apr 18, 13 at 20:24

I know we have all those other forums, but I don't think it's useful to expect a novice to know which questions would apply where. And surely anyone who posts here could answer many of them. In fact, most of them are probably BEST answered here. 1) They say it would be best for us to leave our home for 5-6 weeks while they do all the work? No, absolutely not. It'll be at most a week of absolute utter mess, and then a week or two of sort-of mess. Cooking will be a pain; you'll need an alternate kitchen somewhere (basement, dining room, your MIL's house) Also, 5 to 6 weeks seems extreme. If all the stuff is ordered and ON HAND before they start, they need about 2 to 3 weeks. If something went wrong, then maybe you'd need 6 weeks, but most of that should be during finishing touches--waiting on a cabinet here and there, or waiting a week for the counters after everything else is done. So you can certainly live there w/ that. (2) Is the flooring done before or after the cabinets are installed? It can be either. Some people want their flooring to go all the way to the walls (often this is the case w/ linoleum or sheet vinyl, w/ ceramic tile; perhaps not as common when you use hardwood). The SUBFLOOR work (if there is any) will all be done very early, of course. Before almost anything else (but after demolition). Having the flooring go under the cabinets will add to the cost. If you choose not to have the flooring go under the cabs, then your contractor should install, under the cabs, a plywood layer that's AS THICK AS you final flooring will be, to lift the cabinets up to sit at the same level they would if the flooring DID go under the cabinets. I have this prejudice (I have no idea how true it is) that moisture can be trapped under the cabinets, and so I might not put hardwood all the way under the cabs. I *would* put ceramic tile, vinyl, or linoleum under the cabinets. But it's a personal preference, really. If I did hardwood, I would want it refinished before cabs were installed, w/ the understanding that the final coat of finish would be applied after installation. But that might not be smart, either. (3) Do you have to use a company that specializes in flooring or is it reasonable to expect that a good carpenter carpenter can install and finish) hardwood floors? You can often DIY hardwood, so I would think a carpenter can do a good job. If you have site-finished floor, however (instead of prefinished), it's probably smart to get someone experiences and REALLY good--you only want to have to do it once. (4) At what point in the project is the lighting done, i.e. before/after the floor, cabinets, etc. Very early--probably the second thing or third thing after demolition. 1.rip out the old kitchen 2. deal w/ subfloors and moving of doors 3. put in new plumbing if needed 3. put in new electrical (wiring & junction boxes for new circuits, new light fixtures, new outlets) if needed PLAN AHEAD VERY CAREFULLY HERE. This is the one area that I did NOT have planned well and marked well, etc., on my kitchen remodel. I had a vague idea of what I needed, but it would have been far better to have spent more energy deciding which lights I wanted where, which outlets where, etc. You should plan your backsplash and your countertop outlets (come over to the Kitchens forum and get some advice on placement; most electricians simply slap the outlets bang in the middle of the backsplash area, and that's not always what people want)), and maybe discuss w/ your electrician whether he can leave enough slack here to allow him/you to adjust the exact positioning later, if it turns out that the outlet will fall in the middle of a tile detail or something. Also, you have to poke holes in the wall, patch holes, etc., to put in new lights. You want to do this during the "messy" stage, before anything is installed. We are debating between granite and Silestone. (5) Does anyone have any experience with both? (6) Does anyone have any recommendations? This is something that you'll get a LOT more detail on from the Kitchens forum, so come on over! We are debating between GE Profile and, after something I saw today, KitchenAid appliances. (7) Does anyone have experience with either/both of these? And if so, what should we be on the lookout for in terms of things to avoid and/or things to insist on. The Kitchens forum and the Appliances forum are both good places to get more info on this as well. Discuss it on both, and don't let anyone on Kitchens shoo you away to Appliances, because there are lot sof folks w/ input to give you, who never make it over to Appliances. I will say this about appliances: do some reading to see what features you'll want most. Then get the appliance that's got what you want, at a price you can swing. And never buy an appliance you haven't seen in person. Here is a link that might be useful: The Kitchens forums

a) This sounds OK. If you can get at the box without having to affect any finished surfaces (having to open the doors take all the food out of the pantry is fine), it meets the definition of accessible. b) No spot on a counter wider than 12 inches, can have a spot that (along the wall) that is more than 2' from an outlet. That's roughly what you said, but note the wording...the first outlet must be 2' from the end (or closer). You only are required to have 2 circuits. You aren't required to balance them out although sane practice would recommend that. There is no limit to the number per circuit. c) Seems reasonable...only the small appliance circuits are enjoined from sharing other outlets. d) If the thing is plugged in and you can get to the plug (mine for example is under the sink) that would meet the disconnect requirements. Some dishwasher installation instructions mandate a specific switch to disable it. In this case you should follow their guideline...you can still put it under the sink or someplace conspicuous only to those servicing the appliance. e) Nearly every one I've seen has this requirement from the manufacturer. Even if not, it's highly recommended. f) Should have it's own circuit. I'd put 20A in there anyway. g) When fishing into closed spaces, the stapling requirements are relaxed. Since they aren't bundled tightly together, the proximity isn't a concern. There is no limit to a staple (other than what will fit) but be careful not to bundle more than 3 together for more than 18". h) If the penninsula is more than 24" long and 12" wide you need a receptacle.