We put together some guides for both hardwood & laminate flooring installation that might help answer your questions about material types, project prep, DIY vs. hiring a contractor, etc. The only thing that isn't covered here is your question about the cabinets.
https://servicewhale.com/costs/laminate-flooring https://servicewhale.com/costs/hardwood-flooring
In most cases, prepping the subfloor is the same process for both hardwood or laminate...pulling up the floor, padding / underlayment, and then removing all nails / staples (tedious work, but necessary). If there's a problem with the subfloor, that's a whole different issue. Hopefully, that's not the case! Good luck!
My husband and I have just finished renovating our house. We installed a new heating system and air conditioning. All works were done by ServiceWhale https://servicewhale.com/services/hvac-service. This company offers a wide range of HVAC services and the price is reasonable. In general, I'm pleased with the result and can recommend these guys with confidence.