You've been thinking about it for a while now & you're ready to move ahead with your kitchen remodel. Do you want it to be an Award Winning Kitchen by putting the best of everything in it including Wolfe commercial Appliances, Custom Kitchen Cabinets, granite counter tops and ceramic tile floors or a more conservative approach using standard appliances, semi custom stock kitchen cabinets, laminate counter tops, and sheet good flooring.
There can be quite a difference in cost between the variables. On the low end $20-30,000 up to $150,000. Starting out with a reasonable budget first, then designing your kitchen to fit that budget is the best approach. Your first consideration should be, do I have enough space to fit everything I would like. If not, a larger kitchen renovation may be in store by adding a kitchen addition, which may give you the larger breakfast area and kitchen island or peninsula you've been wanting. This could cost anywhere from $150-200,000 for both the kitchen remodeling and addition.
Most people have a hard time envisioning how something is going to look finished and they can't get the sense of the space from a 2-d floor plan. By working with a contractor who has the ability to do 3d CAD drawings & renderings alot of the problems can be seen and worked out in a 3d view. If the 3d model doesn't work, it won't work in your kitchen either. This part can be time consuming for the contractor, so don't expect it to be a free service. 
Expect to pay anywhere from $300 for a simple layout up to over $4000.00 if an addition will be included. But it's money well spent. It's easier to change on paper than tear things apart once it's built and most cabinets can't be returned either if something doesn't fit, not to mention the delay it causes to your kitchen remodel.
It's best to do some homework up front thinking about what you want, take magazine photos and gather ideas and look at some appliance,sink,counter top, & flooring choices. Then decide what kind of contractor you want to have involved in your life for the next 3 months or so. That's about what it will take from planning and costing out the kitchen remodeling through ordering the cabinets and waiting 2-12 weeks depending on how custom they are and then having them installed. Then right when you think you'll be done, you have to wait another 2 weeks after the templating and fabrication before your solid surface counter tops can be installed. You will be dealing with your contractor everyday during the installation and construction. So if you don't like him in the beginning, you probably really won't like him at the end. Cost shouldn't be your main factor, there's much more the job than that.
Get referrals from your contractor and ask to check out some of his work. See what kinds of award winning kitchens they may have completed. Make sure he is a licensed contractor with the proper liability and property insurance. Make sure they are a member of NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry) and make sure you like dealing with them.
Once you have your contractor it's time to measure things up and start some plans. 3d plans are most helpful. Work through the different cabinets available for the various spaces. You may want a revolving lazy susan cabinet in a corner instead of a hard to access blind corner cabinet and so on. Each manufacturer varies in some of the more custom cabinet types. A good designer will show you the different options available to you. Then when all the decisions are made get it all on the plans and/or in the contract which should spell out the payment schedule and time line of the kitchen remodeling project.
According to the annual "Cost Vs. Value Report", published by Remodeling Magazine, a kitchen remodel project should bring you back 60-70% return on your investment spent when you sell your home. It is the most expensive room in your home.
Give us a call @ 215-348-9953 when you are ready to remodel to see if we can be your contractor of choice.