I'm in the process of purchasing a co-op, which will need a new kitchen and bathrooms. The amount of work (and money) is overwhelming to say the leas. This is my first home purchase, and first renovation. Is there a one go-to place to see everything - cabinets, tiles, etc. so I can see how things actually fit in together? I'd like to buy as many of the materials myself (to minimize cost) but the countless google search results for anything related to kitchen/bathroom renovation are not exactly helpful.

Thanks!

The A&D Building is a great place to see a lot of showrooms and get ideas for your kitchen and bathroom, just don't plan to buy anything from there, you'll pay a premium. If you want to shop around a little bit you can go to some plumbing suppliers, AF, Blackman, or Davis & Warshow. You can check out NemoTile which has some bathroom mock ups for some more ideas. There are also some kitchen showrooms in Nemo's neighborhood but if budget is a big concern, IKEA could be a great option for cabinets.

Gary Eisner, BuiltIN studio
geisner@builtinstudio.com

Congratulations on your purchase.

Before stepping into any showrooms, take some time on websites such as Houzz or Decorpad to get a sense of your stylistic preferences. Once there, you can search by specific strings such as "wood cabinets," or "painted cabinets." Knowing what to search for will make your shopping excursions more productive.

In addition to the A&D Building, you can also look into local kitchen and bath centers to see mock-ups in person. If you're near Nemo Tile, stop in to the Manhattan Center for Kitchen & Bath as well (MCKB).

Best of luck with your renovation.

Hirshson Design Group
info@hirshsondesign.com

You could hire a kitchen/bathroom designer and have an plan in place and then have a number of contractors bid on the work.

If you have a car, I'd drive to the suburbs and look at some home shops. Much bigger selection. I went around Manhattan and the showrooms are usually very crowded due to lack of space and the displays are minimal even at Manhattan Kitchen and Bath and the D & D building. Tons of discussions here about contractors, the good and the bad.

HI. If you want to save a bundle while being "green," I refer this company that resells the kitchens, baths, etc. of the wealthy who have an urge to renovate and donate their "old" (which are sometimes new) kitchens, etc. to this co.: http://greendemolitions.com/allkitchens.html
I was working with a famous actress last year who donated her perfectly new kitchen in a multi-million dollar townhouse to them. I also refer Perfect Renovations on Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn for everything from start to finish (architecture, permits, designs)-- nice, knowledgeable and reasonable. Ann Zemaitis, Rutenberg Realty

Plus one on Houzz.com I'm totally addicted to that site at the moment.

KMK,

Yes we would agree the A&D building is a great place to get ideas and yes definitely on the expensive side. AF Supply, Nemo tile etc., all good places for ideas, IKEA is a good idea and you could also check out Home Depot.
We are General Contractors and have been in business for 25 years and do a lot of apartments renovations. You can check out our website www.minchconstruction.com or contact our office if you have any questions. (718) 328-3519

Thanks,

William

Hey! If you need a hand getting your renovation started check out this article on StreetEasy's new blog, Own Your Home: http://bit.ly/NUuJvp.

Truth,

Its the first one, give it some time

Truth,

I think SE just got this off the ground and making people aware of it is probably a very good idea

We have done many projects, both on the very high-end and economical scale. An architect can be of help, but if cost and quality is priority over design, I suggest a quality contractor such as ourselves can steer you in the right direction.

Send me an email if youd like to discuss. Apena@condeny.com