Setting up a temporary kitchen during a Bellevue remodel

The pop of a breaker at six in the evening, with a toaster oven and a microwave both running off one laundry circuit, is the sound that ends most improvised setups. Planning a temporary kitchen is part of the schedule in the checklists at kitchen renovation bellevue protecting creation, because a kitchen renovation in Bellevue, WA usually leaves a household without a range, a sink and a dishwasher for several weeks.

Pick the room before demolition

The best spot is the one with water and a floor that can take spills. A laundry room with a utility sink works for most Bellevue houses, including the older ones around Factoria. A garage with a hose bib is the fallback, and it gets cold fast once the Eastside winter sets in.

Keep the load off one circuit

A microwave, a kettle and a toaster oven each pull enough current to trip a shared household circuit when they run together. Spread them across two rooms or two walls, and keep the refrigerator on its own outlet. If the old kitchen circuits are about to be pulled, the electrician can leave one live outlet on a short run until rough-in begins.

Where the refrigerator goes

A refrigerator moved to a hallway or dining room needs a clear floor path and level footing. Leave it plugged in and stocked, and give it a few inches behind it for air. Many Bellevue families also move a small freezer chest to the garage, since the full-size unit will not survive months of sawdust and foot traffic near the work area.

Cooking without a range

A single induction burner, a slow cooker and an electric kettle cover most weeknight meals. A grill on the back deck handles the rest in dry weeks. Gas burners indoors in a closed-off room are a bad idea without ventilation, so a countertop induction unit is the safer pick.

Dish washing and trash

Once the sink comes out, the water supply is capped at the stops and the drain is plugged to keep sewer gas out of the house. Dishes get washed in the laundry sink or in a bin carried to the bathroom. Trash and recycling need a staging spot near the door, away from the jobsite debris, so neither gets mixed into the demolition bin.

Plan for the date it ends

The temporary kitchen is only needed until finish plumbing and the range hookup are done, which is the last phase of the work. Counting the real number of days without a sink, rather than the optimistic one, helps a family decide whether to stay home or move out near Lake Washington for a stretch.