Kitchen Demolition in Mountain View

Kitchen Tear-Outs in Mountain View Homes

Kitchens are the most common partial demolition we do in Mountain View. The houses here range from 1920s bungalows with small closed-off kitchens to 1950s and 1960s ranch and tract homes with dropped soffits, tile counters and laminate floors over older vinyl. Most remodels open the kitchen to the living area, which means a wall or two comes out along with everything else.

Owners in Cuesta Park and Waverly Park often redo the kitchen in a house they plan to stay in for years, sometimes while living in it. In Monta Loma Eichlers the kitchen sits in the middle of an open plan, so the dust has nowhere to hide unless it is contained well.

What Comes Out in a Kitchen Demolition

A full kitchen demolition usually removes upper and lower cabinets, countertops and backsplash, the sink and disposal, appliances, soffits, light fixtures, the floor down to subfloor or slab, and drywall or plaster where new plumbing or wiring has to run. Some owners donate cabinets or appliances that still work, and we can take them out carefully when that is the plan.

We leave gas and water lines capped and the electrical made safe, with circuits marked so the electrician can pick up from there. Walls that are coming out are only removed after your contractor confirms they are not bearing or the new beam is designed.

Rowhouse and townhome kitchens built in the last twenty years are a different job again. They are smaller, built with drywall and thin-set tile, and come out quickly, but the HOA rules on noise and debris staging usually set the pace.

• Cabinets, counters, backsplash and soffits
• Sink, disposal, range, hood and dishwasher
• Tile, vinyl or wood flooring to subfloor
• Drywall or plaster where the plans call for it
• Non-bearing walls opened for the new layout

Asbestos in Older Kitchen Materials

Old kitchens hide a lot of asbestos. Vinyl floor tile and the black mastic under it, sheet flooring backing, drywall joint compound, textured ceilings and some old backsplash adhesives were all made with it for decades. Before we start, those materials are sampled. Positive results go to a certified abatement firm working under containment, and our crew follows after clearance.

Kitchens in pre-1978 houses may also have lead paint on trim, doors and walls. We cut and scrape those surfaces using lead-safe practices with plastic, misting and HEPA cleanup.

Kitchen Demolition Cost and Timing in Mountain View

A typical kitchen tear-out takes one to three days once testing is done. What moves the cost is the size of the room, plaster versus drywall, tile set in a mortar bed versus thin-set, how many walls are opening up, whether the house is occupied and needs heavy dust control, and whether abatement is needed first.

Access counts too. A kitchen at the back of a narrow Old Mountain View house means carrying every load down a hallway and out the front, while a ranch house with a side door and a driveway right outside is quicker. We look at the route during the walkthrough.