When we bought our housewe thought only cosmetic updates were needed – perhaps updated appliances and a fresh coat of paint.
So we felt pretty good about tackling our first project as homeowners: replacing the floors in our main living area downstairs.
We consulted specialists at a home improvement chain, had measurements and estimates taken, and chose our luxury vinyl plank floors.
Along with supplies and labor, we were quoted just under $6,000 to replace all of the flooring on our first floor, including our living room, kitchen, dining area, cloakroom, and half bath.
However, once demolition began, we realized that the project would take longer and cost more than we expected.
The problems started to surface when the contractors started removing our floors
First of all, the subcontractors the carpet removed in our living room and the old hardwood in our kitchen. The carpet pulled up quite easily, revealing a wet subfloor on both sets of French doors that accessed our backyard.
They said we had to rent a dehumidifier to remove the moisture from these floors before the new ones could be installed.
My husband ran out to find one, which we left for a few days while we (and our dog) tiptoed around exposed nails and staples on our bare plywood subfloor. Luckily we didn’t have any children at the time.
From there we discovered that our French doors were leaking severely and needed to be replaced, as well as another section of damaged subfloor that could not be salvaged.
Due to lack of time we have accepted a number of nice ones inexperienced contractors to make the repairs for about $4,000. (We paid for this mistake a year later when our doors needed repairs again.)
After waiting a few weeks and wearing socks around the house to prevent splinters, we were able to resume our project.
Not long after, one of the subcontractors cracked the drywall in our kitchen while using a pry bar to loosen the boards nailed to our baseboards.
We felt like we couldn’t catch a break.
The floors looked beautiful once installed, but the problems kept coming
We have had to deal with damaged subfloors and a raised exhaust that has become a tripping hazard during this process. Lauren Salles Gumpert
This project was left unfinished after our vinyl plank flooring was installed.
Because the vinyl was thinner and lower than our old floors, our toilet and drop-through were no longer level with the ground.
We had to pay a plumber to install a new flange – a crucial part that fits over the drain pipe, prevents leaks and anchors the toilet to the floor. For a while, we lived with a raised electrical outlet in the middle of the floor, which created a tripping hazard for our children.
Additionally, the vinyl flooring keeps our downstairs area much cooler than our carpeting upstairs, where our bedrooms are.
This is usually fine in the summer, but contributes to a large temperature difference in the winter. I have to turn our house thermostat on the lower side so the heat doesn’t overwhelm us upstairs, but this means it gets very cold downstairs.
After all this, we were hesitant to undertake any more home improvement projects
As soon as we solved one problem, it felt like we encountered another problem. Lauren Salles Gumpert
This “cosmetic” update, which has now cost us over $12,000, has prevented us from pursuing other home renovations, such as renovating our bathrooms or creating our garden.
In fact, I don’t believe most of them now home renovation projects are worthwhile unless they are functionally necessary. They are rarely as simple as promised, and there is always a possibility that you will discover costly problems or cause more problems in the process.
I often wish we had left our floors alone. And if I’m honest, my young children would have preferred the soft carpet to the harder vinyl floors, which I now cover with rugs anyway.
This story was originally published on October 7, 2024 and last updated on September 4, 2026.
