A kitchen remodel usually retires several appliances at once: the range, the dishwasher, the over-the-range microwave, often the refrigerator. Handled one at a time they are four separate problems. Handled together they are one pickup, and the timing is the only thing that needs real thought.
Time it to the demolition, not the delivery
The old appliances need to be out before the cabinets come out, and the new ones usually can’t arrive until the cabinets and counters are in. That leaves a gap of days or weeks where the old appliances are in the way.
Book the pickup for the day before demolition starts. The kitchen is still intact, the path out is clear, and nothing is buried under dust sheets or debris yet.
Don’t wait for the new appliances to arrive. Retailers that take an old appliance away at delivery usually need it out of its spot and ready to go, and in a remodel the old one is long gone by then.
Get everything ready together
Every appliance needs to be disconnected before pickup, including electrical, gas, and plumbing connections. In a remodel that’s ideal work for the contractor or the trades already on the job, so ask for it to be done before the pickup day:
- Range or stove: unplugged, and on a gas range the gas line shut off and capped by someone qualified.
- Dishwasher: water supply shut off, drain hose free, and the unit slid out from under the counter or at least loosened from its mounting brackets.
- Over-the-range microwave: taken down off its mounting plate. It’s awkward to do alone, so plan for two people.
- Refrigerator: emptied and defrosted a day or two ahead, with any water line to the ice maker shut off and capped. Refrigerant must be removed by a certified technician before pickup. The same goes for a freezer, wine fridge or ice machine.
Then clear the route from the kitchen to the door. During a remodel that often means moving stacked boxes of new cabinets out of the hallway for a morning.
Pay the service fee once
The price of a pickup is an area service fee, charged once, plus each appliance’s own add-on price. Four appliances on one pickup pay the fee once. Four pickups pay it four times. A refrigerator, dishwasher, stove and microwave together start at the refrigerator’s $115 plus $40, $40 and $15 for the others.
The pickup calculator adds up the starting total for any list, and the booking window confirms the exact price for your address.
A remodel checklist
- Pickup booked for the day before demolition
- Contractor asked to have every appliance ready to move first
- Fridge emptied and defrosted, and its water line capped
- Microwave taken down off the wall
- Route from the kitchen to the door cleared of materials
- Every appliance on the same pickup
Once the old appliances are gone, demolition starts with an empty room, which is how every contractor would prefer to find it.
