This Homeowner Ripped Out Their Farmhouse Kitchen Without Getting Three Quotes First And Ended Up Washing Dishes In The Bathroom For Six Months

Imagine putting a chicken in the oven, then realizing you have to walk to the bathroom to wash your hands before you can chop the vegetables. That was daily life for six months in one farmhouse, after a kitchen came out in the summer with every intention of being put back together in a month or two.

Homeowner's kitchen renovation video cover beside a stock photo of a kitchen under renovation.

The homeowner, Lisa, laid out the whole story in a YouTube video on the Farmhouse on Boone channel called “Kitchen Renovation Regrets: What I Would Have Done Differently.” It was part of a group project with a few fellow bloggers, and Lisa is quick to say there is a lot about the finished kitchen to love. But after thinking it over, a handful of regrets came to mind, and the biggest one cost half a year of convenience.

Here is how it all went sideways.

Regret One: Tearing Out First, Pricing Later

Lisa asked Luke what he thought, and the biggest thing, Luke said, was poor planning and the project taking too long. The kitchen was ripped out in June, with plans for a quick turnaround. The design plans were drawn up and a contractor was on deck. What Lisa did not have was a price for the whole job.

Lisa had a fairly large number in mind. Then the first quote came in, and it was double that figure. By that point the old kitchen was already gone.

Lisa went out and got another quote, and ended up going back to the original contractor. They also took on a few jobs themselves that they never expected to do. The process stretched out far longer than planned, and the kitchen was not back together until a little after Christmas. By January 1st everything was in, but that added up to six months with no sink.

They kept the refrigerator and the old stove plugged in, so they could still cook. Every dish got washed in the bathroom. There was very little counter space, so most of the chopping happened on the table. As Lisa puts it, not having a sink in your kitchen is way more inconvenient than just doing dishes elsewhere.

The fix, according to Lisa, was simple. Get at least two or three solid quotes before tearing anything out.

Regret Two: Rushing Past The Floors

The second regret is about timing in a different way. Lisa sold one house and bought this one on the very same day, and everything was in the back of a horse trailer borrowed from Lisa’s parents. The floor crew offered to run horizontal flooring all the way across so everything would line up. Lisa, in a hurry to get into the house, said no and told them to just sand the floors.

Now there are cabinets and a giant island in place, so Lisa says it can’t be fixed. If Lisa could go back, the plan would be to stay somewhere else for one more week and get the floors right.

Regret Three And Four: A Window And A Light

The third regret is a new window on the north side of the kitchen, facing the barn. It is the right size, and Lisa loves the light it lets in. But it is obvious that it is a cheaper vinyl window sitting next to beautiful wooden windows with wavy glass.

The fourth is the island light. The kitchen started with a single school bulb style fixture that did not give enough light, so Lisa switched to a chandelier style fixture. The first one was past its return window, so it was sold on Marketplace for probably half of what had been paid for it.

What To Do Before You Rip Out A Kitchen

Lisa’s list is full of lessons for anyone planning a remodel. Here is how to put them to work.

Get two or three quotes before demolition. A number in your head is not a budget. If the first real quote comes in at double what you expected, you want to learn that while you still have a working kitchen.
Treat it like a house build. Lisa recommends lining up everyone ahead of time, so you know who is coming on what date and what it will cost.
Know the order of the trades. You need the electrician before the cabinets. You need the cabinets in place before you can get the template for the counters. One late worker can hold up everything behind them.
Plan a temporary kitchen. If your sink is going to be out of service, set up a spot for washing dishes and prepping food before the work starts, not after.
Fix the floors first. Once cabinets and an island are down, the floor is hard to fix. If a flooring crew offers to make it right, think hard before saying no.
Keep your windows consistent. If you are adding a window to an older home, look hard at how it will sit next to the ones already there.
Check the return policy before you buy a fixture. If you are not sure about a light, test it in the room, and do it before the return window closes.

The Bottom Line

None of these regrets sank the project. Lisa says the kitchen turned out beautifully and there is not much to regret about the result. The regrets are all about the process: no price in hand, a rush to move in, and a few choices made on the fly.

That is a useful reminder for anyone dreaming of a new kitchen. The finished room is the pretty part. The planning, the quotes, the schedule and the order of the trades are what decide whether you spend a month or two without a kitchen, or six months washing dishes in the bathroom.

Willow and Hearth