What do I need to do to prepare for my kitchen renovation?

Plan, Plan, Plan

First of all, you need a plan. A good one. Without a plan, it's impossible to know where to start. Lay down what you want, where you want it and exactly what it is—before you start loading up your cart at Home Depot. It’s OK to tweak the plan along the way, but don’t make any major “I’ll decide later” choices.

Protect

Decide what is not going to be remodeled. If there are components of your kitchen that you want to preserve, either cover it up or take it out. If you will be using your old appliances, you should take them out of the room (if they're movable). If the marble flooring stays, purchase a removable temporary flooring (hard Styrofoam or plywood) to completely cover the floor. 

Destroy….Carefully

Finally, the fun part. You get to demolish whatever is going to get replaced. Be careful, though. Before you start slinging your sledgehammer around, give a second thought to removing the stove that still works and donating it to charity or dropping it off at a green recycling center. Also, be very careful about the wiring and plumbing. Kitchens are full of lots of electrical outlets and water lines, so in your eagerness to get started, please don’t bash open one of those pipes.