If your kitchen is outdated, you might be itching to redo it. Perhaps, not a day goes by where you don’t wish for new floor tiles, more electrical outlets, or a kitchen island. But if you want a brand new kitchen, you’ll need to start by demolishing the old one.
Before you get started, take a pause: there are many things to consider before your demolition project is underway. Here at Bella Contracting, we’re going to give you a closer look at the kitchen demolition process:
Moving Your Belongings
You want to demolish your old kitchen counters—not the appliances you have on top of them. During the demolition project, you must find somewhere to store your utensils, cooking appliances, and refrigerated goods.
This is easy for things like pots and pans, but trickier for large items like an oven or fridge. If you don’t have space in your home, you may need to rent a storage unit.
Thinking About Your Timeline
You use your kitchen every day. While it’s out of order, where will you go to make dinner, brew coffee, or wash dishes?
Remember, you aren’t just demolishing the kitchen—you’re also rebuilding it once that is done. Be sure to factor in the time that the remodel will take, too. How long will it take to remodel your kitchen? To help you plan ahead, ask your contractor for the project timeline.
In the meantime, we suggest setting up a temporary kitchen, where you can prepare food and snacks. Even a bare-bones kitchen can get the job done; try to get by with a microwave, a mini-fridge, and a tea kettle. You can use paper plates while your dishwasher is out of order.
Shutting Off Utilities
Of all the rooms in your home, the kitchen may have the most utilities. They include:
- Water: for a sink and refrigerator
- Gas: for a stove
- Electricity: for all your appliances
Before the demolition begins, it’s important to disconnect and shut off all of these utilities. Live utility lines are dangerous. After the main appliances are removed from your kitchen, a professional contractor can disconnect all of the utility lines in the room.
Disposing Of Waste Materials
Things can pile up pretty quickly during a demolition project; it’s important to think about what you’ll do with all the demolition debris.
Throughout the process, you’ll be dealing with sheets of drywall, torn floor tiles, and old appliances. You may need to rent a dumpster from your local junk removal company.
Calling A Professional Contractor
Is it worth your money to call a professional contractor? The answer is a resounding yes. The dangers of demolishing the kitchen yourself include:
- Damaging your kitchen more than you meant to. Instead of saving money, you’ll need to spend more to repair it
- Injuring yourself
- Taking more time to complete the project than you planned for
By working with a professional contractor, you can ensure that the job goes smoothly, safely, and is completed on time.
At Bella Contracting, we have over 20 years of experience with demolition, general contracting, and excavation. If you’d like to learn more about our demolition services, you can find more info here.
