tips for refitting kitchen tiling etc..

Hi,
would like advice from experienced types on refitting our kitchen, it's a very tiny apartment kitchen. It's on order from Ikea and a friend has recommended a handyman to help us put it in.
Is it straightforward enough and worth it for the savings to have a go at removing the old one ourselves?
We want to retile the floor and walls. I'm thinking of going with the advice I read here of tiling under the cabinets. Any tips on removing the old tiles and preparing the floor for the new ones? The same with the wall, how do you deal with the rough surface that's left when the old tiles are removed?
Is it a big deal to plumb in a dishwasher? Father-in-law reckons attaching it to the cold water tap for the washing machine and a few bits of copper piping should do the trick.
Any tips appreciated..

Just a little word of warning- don't take on (even small) plumbing jobs unless you are competent and know what you are at. I've seen numerous examples where poorly fitted appliances (mostly washing machines) leaked and caused flooding in apartments, including neighbours' properties. In most of these cases the work was carried out by amateurs. That said once you've isolated services (power and water) there's no real reason why you can't tackle ripping out the old kitchen in preparation. Remove old tiles using a heavy steel stripping blade or a bolster. The rough surface left behind will have to be smoothed as best you can, scraping and sanding to remove the high points. Avoid damaging the plasterboard walls or puncturing the paper lining. Brush down and prime the surface with a thinned down PVA solution to seal the dusty surface and provide a good base for new tiling.

Thanks Carpenter, been tile shopping all day just seen your response now. That's useful advice about removing the tiles. The wee bro is an apprentice plumber and reckons he can handle the dishwasher plumbing so we're getting there.