I have done two kitchen renovations in the past 12 years. One a full gut, the most recent was more cosmetic. I was the general contractor on both jobs because I wanted to really manage the budget without sacrificing quality. For Kitchen #1 I hired someone to do the demolition,installations, new ceiling and lighting. Used his in house people. He had recently done my full bath reno. I was pleased with that job and he really wanted to do my kitchen as well, and worked hard to get my return business, which pleased me.
I worked with a second person to order the cherry cabinets I wanted at the price I wanted to pay. He put me in touch with someone for the granite counter tops, who showed me 4 choices that were in my budget, one of which was a good match. That same man also put me in touch with someone at an appliance retailer who gave me the discount to the trade, well above the discount I would have received walking into one of their stores.I purchased the laminate floor from Home Depot; contractor #1 installed it. I purchased the backsplash tile which his guy installed as well. I hired the painter. In the end I was completely satisfied with everything but the time line, especially from gut to start, as shipment of cabinets messed up the schedule.
Recent reno: sourced the tile, which turned me on to a source for the countertops and tile installer. Bought the sink, cabinet hardware and range hood online (build dot com), faucet at Lowe's. Hired the electrical business to remove old fixtures and add LED recessed lighting. They did a lot of additional lighting throughout the house as well. Kept the floor and appliances. Also shopped around for the 3 cabinets that were replaced. Kept appliances and floor, bought new blinds (recycled the old to the bedroom) and hired a painter to do the cabinets and walls (ceiling was done earlier after the lighting install). All hires were made after getting input and prices from other sources and suppliers. Tremendous variety of costs for the same items and services! In the end I was on budget for all but the backsplash tile, which I totally fell in love with and did not source elsewhere. That was a mistake, but a beautiful splurge nonetheless.
I guess I know what I want and do not trust a designer or anyone else with my vision or my budget. That may be wrong, as I know designers can often get good discounts, but I have used designers on two previous occasions and both times it was a waste of my time and money.
Accept going in that something will not go as planned. Add 10-20% to the budget up front for unexpected expenses, especially in an older home. Hire a person or people who have great communication skills along with their ability to do superior work. Communication breakdowns can kill a job and budget fast!
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