An Appeal to All You Home Fixer-Uppers Out There!!!

Although I still need to get a job, once that time comes we plan to buy. We have narrowed our home choices down to two, and we want to make some decisions before we commit to one home or the other. One house is really pretty much updated-- I'm not a fan of the kitchen, so I'm going to paint the walls and cabinets when we move in and then eventually replace the countertops. Not too expensive. See this house at this site.

The other house, for some reason, I just have a soft spot for. It's very "vanilla" and there are mostly cosmetic changes that need to be made: painting every room, tearing down some wallpaper and pulling up the carpet throughout the house. We would paint, pull down paper/up carpet on our own and don't really need (professional, but friendly will be welcome and appreciated!) help with that, but there are some other considerations to be made. So, I'm asking y'all if you know of approximate costs for the following work, things you might recommend, or handypeople you might know that could help a sistah out (I don't know any contractors and don't want to call one just yet):

**outlets need to be grounded, approx. 6-8 outlets. The house was built in '59 so the capability should be there.

**curb appeal: we'd like to add some sort of front porch or overhang, as the house really needs it. Nothing fancy. Just go visit here. The whole front doesn't need "porching," just the half from driveway to front door.

**a teeny bit of fencing. Most of the property is fenced but we need to have the ability to put the dog out w/o worrying that he'll run off. So maybe 20 linear feet of fencing, at least some wooden. I'd be open to a cute iron fence on the sides, but no chain-link.

**ideas for a kitchen re-do that doesn't cost a billion bucks. Eventually I want to re-do the whole thing, floor to ceiling, including appliances, but does anyone have an idea how much just a good Mexican tile costs right now?

Also, if you have friends that aren't on Facebook that might be helpful or could point us in a good direction, please please pass this along. The first house I mentioned, the non-fix up, is $10K more than the 2nd, so I'm obviously wanting to keep the budget down to make it worth buying a house that needs work. Also, do I need an electrician to do the outlets? If so, I thought of asking the owners to do it since it's ultimately a safety issue in the home.

Thanks again, and please everyone keep your fingers crossed that I will get a job soon so we can move forward. Anyone who helps us move or paint when the time comes also gets free food and beer:)