The Kitchen Is Gone! (And How We’re Making It Work)

This is how we sold our kitchen and appliances and how we’re making it work now that we’re without one.

The kitchen is gone! Although we’ve been in planning mode for months – years, even – the last week has made this dream renovation feel very real. After emptying and packing all the cabinets, Lucy was shocked to learn that her after-school treats were missing, along with her favorite cups and snack bowls. As we’re all creature of cabinets, I can’t even tell you how many times Scott and I went to grab our own glass, only to find an empty box staring back at us.

The Empty Kitchen

Aside from our refrigerator and a folding table (more on that in a moment), this is how the kitchen looks today:

We rotated our refrigerator to the back wall for better flow during the renovation, and seeing those lonely stripes of tile feels bittersweet. This was the first kitchen Scott and I renovated (we’ve done 5 or 6 since this!), and we poured our hearts into it. Although it feels partly sad to see it go, we know there is so much more to come; for that, we can barely contain our excitement. See here for the ‘whys’ on starting over.

Selling Our Kitchen

In an effort to keep our kitchen out of the landfill, we succeeded in selling it! When I initially shared this idea in Stories, I received a lot of questions on how we planned to make that work, since all kitchens are configured a bit differently, of course. There are a few ways to answer this question, and the final judgement is up to the buyer as well, but it does help that a lot of Chicago homes were built in a similar manner. Our kitchen was laid out pretty ubiquitously, with two straight runs of cabinets that could easily be configured to your heart’s desire.

We listed our kitchen on Facebook Marketplace for $1,000, which included the cabinets and countertops. We got a few bites right away, but the most interested buyer was a young couple looking to renovate a Two Flat they had recently purchased! Sound familiar? Chicago is a wonderfully weird small world, and we feel lucky to have found a couple on the hunt for a budget kitchen as they build equity in their home, especially with a story so similar to our own (you know, 10 years ago!).

The buyers brought a team of friends and removed the entire kitchen in an afternoon over the weekend. Everyone wins: They received an entire kitchen at a budget price to fulfill their longterm goals, not a single thing ended up in a landfill, and we saved our backs from demolition.

The appliances were sold separately to a longtime Yellow Brick Home follower (which was fun for me because we got to meet and chat), and they hired a local company to help haul it to their home. They were gracious enough to let us hold onto the refrigerator a little longer until our own appliances arrive, at which point, we’ll drop it off to them. The funds for the cabinets, countertops and appliances help us to offset the cost of our mile-long kitchen punch list.

Making It Work

In the meantime, we created a tiny makeshift kitchen to help us get by during the renovation. This small folding table was our temporary Tree House table, so it’s been through and seen a lot! We collected our hodge podge of plasticware from past parties and takeout bags, leftover birthday napkins and paper plates, and laid them out for easy grabbing. Salt and pepper grinders, cleaning spray and a cloth, coffee and beans (because obviously), and a few of our cups are at the ready. We bought this highly rated microwave that will eventually live in the new pantry closet, and we keep it in the adjoining workshop.

Just around the corner is our guest bathroom, where we’ve placed a dish sponge and soap to keep the few cups we have clean. I’ve also been rinsing and reusing paper plates if it’s only used for dry foods and snacks. There will be (and already has been) a fair amount of eating out, but we’re doing our best to stretch those meals into leftovers and/or choosing meals that are as cost effective as a big meal we would whip up at home.

What Happens Next?

Right now, we’re working with our contractor on electrical, plumbing and drywall. Next week, our floors are getting removed and we’re installing maple hardwood; this is what would be traditionally found in a kitchen the age of our home. Within days of the floors being finished, our appliances and cabinets will be delivered, and then it’s time for cabinet building and installation! Follow along with @yellowbrickhome for real-time progress, and we’ll talk about flooring details next week!

PS: Our favorite kitchen essentials that look good doing their job.