On timelines: -> An old guideline is to try breaking each deliverable into individual, atomized tasks. Put an estimate on each task. Add it all up and double the final amount. -> Use something like pivotal tracker, or redmine, or Jira.
On getting reliable estimates from developers: -> Each dev is different in their estimations. Get to know their quirks. Some feel that everything is easy and tend to say "two days" for everything. Others will try to buy as much time as possible and will tell you "a week" for something that will normally only take them a day. Knowing their tendency will let you make adjustments.
On getting to know the devs: -> Start by getting to know the difference between estimated and actual time on smaller issues.
Quick Daily Meeting: -> Spend 10 minutes at the start of each day to get a status update - what is each member working on? Are they facing any problems? Is anything taking more time than it should? -> Make adjustments to your timelines accordingly if you have to.
Try not to micromanage. They should let you know when they face problems. That said, radio silence is bad... thats what the daily should help alleviate.