Kitchen Demolition and Rough-In

Taking the Old Kitchen Apart Without Setting Back the New One

Demolition looks like the loud, fast part of a kitchen remodel, and it is. A crew can have cabinets, counters and a soffit out of a typical Riverside kitchen in a day or two. The reason we treat it as its own service is what has to be true before it starts and what it opens up once the walls are bare.

We do not schedule demolition until three things are in place. The cabinet order is confirmed with a delivery window. The sink, faucet, range, hood and refrigerator are chosen down to the model, because rough-in is laid out to their specifications. And if the work needs a permit, the application is in, so the first inspection is not the thing everyone waits on.

What Demolition Day Actually Involves

Before anything comes out, floors are covered from the kitchen to the door we carry debris through, and plastic dust walls go up at the openings to the rest of the house. Water to the kitchen is shut off and capped, the range and dishwasher circuits are turned off at the panel, and a gas range line is shut and capped by someone qualified to do it.

Then the room comes apart in order. Appliances out first. Upper cabinets, then counters, then base cabinets. Backsplash tile and damaged drywall come off after that. If flooring is being replaced, it comes up last so the subfloor can be checked for soft spots, which are common in front of an old dishwasher or under a sink that leaked slowly for years.

If a wall is coming out, we look at what it carries before it goes. A wall that supports ceiling joists or a roof load needs an engineer to size a beam, and that plan is part of the permit. We do not guess on this.

What Rough-In Covers

Rough-in is everything that lives inside the walls, floor and ceiling. Once the room is open, the trades lay it out against your new cabinet plan.

• Plumbing. New supply lines to the sink, dishwasher, refrigerator ice maker and a pot filler if you want one, plus the drain and vent. Keeping the sink where it already is usually saves a real amount of money, because moving it can mean running a new drain with proper slope through the floor.
• Electrical. Kitchens need dedicated circuits for appliances such as the dishwasher, disposal and microwave, countertop receptacles with GFCI protection, and AFCI protection where current code calls for it. Boxes go in for under cabinet lighting, pendants and switches. An induction range may call for a larger circuit and, in some older homes, a panel upgrade.
• Ventilation. A range hood is only as good as its duct. We run it to the outside rather than recirculating when the house allows it, and we size the hood to cover the cooktop. Larger hoods can trigger make-up air requirements, which is worth knowing before you fall in love with one.

What We Commonly Find in Riverside Walls

Older homes near downtown, in the Wood Streets and around Mount Rubidoux often still have galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drains. Galvanized lines narrow on the inside over decades, and Riverside’s hard water does not help. When the wall is already open, replacing that run is far cheaper than chasing a leak through new tile later. Post-war ranch homes in Arlington and Magnolia Center tend to have smaller electrical panels and fewer circuits than a modern kitchen expects.

When we find something like this, we stop, show you, and write up the change before the rough-in continues.

The Inspection Point

With the plumbing and wiring in and the walls still open, the City of Riverside inspector reviews the rough work. Nothing gets insulated or covered until it passes. After sign off, insulation, drywall and patching go in, and the kitchen is ready for the cabinet stage.

Call (951) 307-9861 to have us look at your walls, panel and pipe before you plan anything else.