Living Through a Kitchen Remodel: Temporary Kitchens and Dust Control

A kitchen remodel takes away the room a household uses most, and puts a construction site in the middle of the house. It is manageable if you prepare for it. Most of what makes the difference is done before demolition day: where you will cook, what gets moved out, how the dust is kept in one place, and what you and the crew expect of each other.

Set up a temporary kitchen first

Have it working before the old kitchen comes out, not the evening after.

Where to put it

Choose a room away from the work and off the crew's route to the door. A dining room, laundry room, finished basement or a corner of the garage all work. You need a sturdy table, outlets on more than one circuit if possible, and a sink within reach: a laundry sink or a bathroom sink will do.

What to put in it

An outdoor grill is useful in good weather. Use it outdoors only. Plan a few simple meals you can repeat, cook and freeze some ahead, and accept that you will eat out more than usual. Count that in the budget, as noted in how to budget a kitchen remodel.

What to move out

• Everything in the kitchen. Empty every cabinet and drawer, including the ones you think are staying. Box by category and label the boxes.
• The rooms next to it. Take pictures and mirrors off walls shared with the kitchen, because vibration loosens them. Move or cover furniture, rugs, electronics and books in adjoining rooms.
• The path in. Clear the route from the door the crew will use to the kitchen, and the area outside where materials and a debris container will sit.
• Valuables and breakables anywhere along that route.

If you plan to donate or reuse cabinets or appliances, say so before demolition so they are taken out intact. See demolition debris, recycling and donation.

Dust control

Dust travels further than people expect. Good containment has several parts, and you should ask how each will be handled.

• A sealed work area. Plastic sheeting or a temporary wall with a zippered or framed door, closing off every opening between the kitchen and the rest of the house.
• Covered vents. Heating and return-air registers in the work area sealed so the furnace does not carry dust through the ducts. Ask whether your system can keep running for the rest of the house, and change the furnace filter when the work is finished.
• Air movement out, not in. A fan exhausting to the outside or a filtered air scrubber keeps dust from drifting into the house when the door is opened.
• Cutting outside. Sawing and mixing done outdoors or in the garage where practical.
• Daily cleanup. The work area swept or vacuumed at the end of each day, with a vacuum that has a fine filter.

The dustiest stages are demolition and drywall sanding. If anyone at home is sensitive to dust, those are the days to be out.

Protecting floors and the rest of the house

Finished floors between the entry and the kitchen should be covered for the length of the job with a protective board or a taped-down covering, not loose drop cloths that slide and trap grit. Corners, door frames and stair rails on the route deserve protection too. Agree where tools and materials are stored overnight, which door is used, and which bathroom, if any, the crew may use.

Lead-safe work in homes built before 1978

If your home was built before 1978, the dust question is a health question. Paint in homes of that age may contain lead, and disturbing it creates lead dust.

What you should see on a covered project:

• The pamphlet. No more than 60 days before work begins, the firm must give you the EPA pamphlet "The Lead-Safe Certified Guide to Renovate Right" (WAC 365-230-320).
• Warning signs that define the work area.
• Containment so that, in the rule's words, "no dust or debris leaves the work area."
• Floors covered with taped-down plastic extending six feet beyond the perimeter of the surfaces being renovated.
• Ducts, windows and doors in the work area closed and covered (WAC 365-230-330).

Small jobs fall outside the rule: minor repair and maintenance that disturbs six square feet or less of painted surface per room indoors, as long as it does not involve window replacement or demolition of painted surfaces. A kitchen remodel with demolition does not fit that exception. The full picture is in lead paint rules for kitchen remodels.

Children and pets

• Treat the work area as off limits at all times, including evenings and weekends. Nails, sharp edges, open wiring and open floor are all there after the crew leaves.
• Keep pets in a closed room or out of the house during working hours. Doors are propped open constantly, and noise frightens many animals.
• Tell the crew about pets, and agree who is responsible for gates and doors.
• Move pet food, water and litter away from the work area and the route to it.
• Keep children's play and sleep areas as far from the kitchen as the house allows, and wash hands before meals.

The daily routine

Settle these points before the first day, and most friction disappears:

1. Hours. What time work starts and stops, and whether anyone works on Saturdays.
2. Access. Which door, how the crew gets in when you are out, and where they park.
3. One contact. Who you call or message with a question, and how quickly to expect an answer.
4. Updates. How you will learn what is planned for the coming days. Deliveries, inspections and shutoffs are the things you need to hear about in advance.
5. Decisions. When each remaining decision is due, so you are not asked on the spot.
6. Inspections. Inspectors need access to the work, and the approved plans and permit are kept on site. See kitchen remodel inspections.

How long you will be without a kitchen

From demolition until the countertops, sink and appliances are in. The stretch after the cabinets are installed, while the countertops are being made, catches most people out because the room looks finished but cannot be used. The page on how long a kitchen remodel takes explains the sequence and what stretches it.

How JDI handles the lived-in side

JDI Construction manages the project for you with one accountable team and keeps you informed through a client portal. Ask us how site protection, containment and the daily routine would work in your house. You can read how a project runs on the our process page or find out more about kitchen remodeling in Vancouver.