TV height, proportions, fireplaces, cable and heat, storage and lighting — how to plan a media wall that reads as architecture rather than furniture.

Start with the box, not the door. Plywood vs particleboard, framed vs frameless, door styles, finishes and hardware — how to judge a cabinet that will still look right in fifteen years.

Most contractors say six weeks. That describes one slice of the job. Here is the realistic phase-by-phase timeline for a North Jersey kitchen — including the parts nobody warns you about.