dishwasher question

[Trigger Mike]

I bought a small rental , one of those government section 8 houses a couple of years ago for real cheap.  It had a clean tenant in it so it seemed a good idea.  The house was built around 1980.  It does not have a dishwasher and being a former government house has a small kitchen.  The tenant has been a fairly good tenant and i let her slide in payment of the rent until the following month sometimes because she keeps such a clean house.  She now has to raise her 2 grand babies through no fault of her own and thus I figure a dishwasher may help her.  The problem is the area on each side of the sink is too narrow for a dishwasher.  the right side goes a few inches then turns a corner, where a dishwasher would not fit unless you moved the refrigerator.  the cost to rewire so the fridge can be moved to the left of the sink at the end of the counter and install the dishwasher etc, according to a bid I got is $2000.  on the left side of the sink is 16 inches of counter/cabinet then the slide in stove/oven.  on the other side of the stove is a 24 inch counter/cabinet that would just barely hold the dishwasher but the counter would need to be supported.  i do not have a bid to put it there.  putting it there would mean routing the fill and drain lines behind the oven.  is that a good idea?  Is there a downside?  is she better off with a portable dishwasher?

[Maddog McCoy SASS #5672]

If I read this correctly, they want $2000 to install a new outlet for the fridge? I would have to look, but I think I could drive the 3 hours over, spend 2 nights in a hotel, supply the materials and install your outlet and buy a new gun or 2 with the profit. Now if there are permits and inspections and the stuff I had to put up with in Chicago area when I lived up there, well that might not be too bad. I would suggest a apartment size portable dishwasher as it would be the easiest solution and my family used one for years as I grew up.

 

Good Luck.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

With two grandbabies, I must ask, does she already have a clothes washer?

[Cliff Hanger #3720LR]

Dish Washer. 

Not clothes washer.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

6 minutes ago, Cliff Hanger #3720LR said:

Dish Washer. 

Not clothes washer.

I read it, I know.  The reason that I asked is with 2 babies. a clothes washer is more important than a dishwasher.

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

When my wife and I were first married over 50 years ago, there was not dishwasher in the first house we owned. We bought a portable and used it for years. Sounds like a good option to me.

[Shootin' Shu]

Its damn hard to find good tenants! Put a little money in the kitchen. Rearrange it the way it should (won't hurt down the road) it should be. Run from the $2k outlet. If there is no washer/dryer setup squeeze in one of the stacked setups somewhere.

 

Anyone that keeps a rental spotless and ends up taking on 2 grandkids is certainly worth keeping.

[Shotgun Clay]

They make Compact dishwashers that are 18" wide.

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

Portable dishwashers are absolutely worthwhile... I've had one in two homes.

 

They don't look bad, and work every bit as well as the built-in models - same machine, but in an appliance "skin" with a decorative top that serves as an additional work or display surface.  Roll it over to the sink when you need to wash, roll it out of the way when done.  And you don't have to sacrifice cabinet space to install a built-in model.  

[JudgeBagodonuts]

I see two different ways to make this work at minimal cost:

 

1. Switch the stove to where the 24" cabinet is. You may need to use a longer pipe (gas) or electrical cord (electric), depending upon where these exit today. Put the dishwasher where the stove was. Put the 24" countertop on top of the dishwasher. Support the end of the countertop with a 16" shelf bracket on each side. Screw the dishwasher into the bottom of the countertop. Discard the 24" cabinet. Plumb the dishwasher drain and hot water line from under the floor.

 

2. Get a portable dishwasher. Remove the 24" cabinet and its countertop (the portable will have a countertop on it). The portable dishwasher can sit in this spot until needed, and then moved over to be close enough to the sink to make the hoses reach.

 

[Trigger Mike]

I thought about moving the stove over but the vent pipe is right above it.  I guess I could put in an elbow and run it above the new place for the stove.  She has a clothes washer. it is on the other side of the wall of the refrigerator put she has to go outside to the carport to access it behind a locked door.  The $2000 is to reroute the electricity and the contractor wants to replace the counter top as he says he can not patch it when he puts in the dishwasher and it would look bad to have a mismatch or jerry rigged.  the counter top is in great shape so i the to do that right now, plus the rent is not too high so i don't get a lot to offset the cost of renovations.  I save up for it with rent that is paid.  where I live it is hard to find a contractor that will show up and finish the job.  this contractor is reliable but he always over charges, but he at least does the job.  

[Cat Brules]

My advice is don't do it.

 

The children will grow older and so will she.  Your maintenance costs will go up significantly.  Play it out in your head.

 

No good deed goes unpunished.

 

 

[Trigger Mike]

cat Brules you are right about the maintenance cost, replacing or repairing the dishwasher plus it would require a lot of expense and work no matter how I do it.  A portable dishwasher is less than 600.  since she replaced the kitchen tile by herself i may give her a break on her rent and suggest she use the money to buy a portable dishwasher.  if its hers she will take better care of it.  

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

Unless there is permits and fees of about $1500 That bid is way out there. I say that without seeing the situation, but having run a home improvement business of my own, this cost is ridiculous unless there is major renovation involved. My suggestion is to contact some out of town contractors to see if you can find someone better that is willing to drive. I seen this kind of customer lock up before. Do good work, be reliable be the best, but charge out the butt. I've done many jobs that I had to travel over 50 miles because once I did the bid, the customer would nearly faint. I also had a great rep. 

 

Cat Brules has a great point! If you can't get it significantly cheaper. Forego and look to put your dollars in something with more return.

 

 

[irish ike, SASS #43615]

Did you check if a portable dish washer would work. You could role it over to a place to park it. Then roll it to the sink and hook it up. Lowes has them.

Ike

[J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE]

As someone that did dishes by hand for years, I doubt the portable dishwasher is worth the effort or the money.  Maybe the best solution would be to give her a nice 250.00 gift certificate to something like a "babies r us" store so she can get what she needs.  Probably buys you more goodwill at a cheaper price and allows her to spend it on exactly what she needs.

[Trigger Mike]

Ike, I did look at Lowes and a portage one is 550-650 or so.  Flint, I do wonder having never used a portable dishwasher, how much trouble are they.  

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

Pretty easy to use. They are on rollers, roll it next to the kitchen sink. Plug into electric outlet. Hook up the hoses to the faucet (there was a special nozzle that screwed on the faucet and the dishwasher hoses snapped onto it), put the drain hose in the sink and turn on hot & cold water. Turn on the dishwasher. That's all there is to it.

[Assassin]

I take care of a bunch of rentals. The fewer appliances the better. Less stuff to break and be abused. Good renters are hard to find but you are in it to make money.

[Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217]

I had one for a while. They are easy to use.

[Trigger Mike]

since I had a portable dishwasher on my mind I got an idea so I offered to get my wife one too so then she can do two loads of dishes at once, the installed one and the portable.  oddly enough she turned down the offer.  my tenant keeps up with her dishes better than other people I know so I was trying to be helpful.  :-)  its no wonder i have troubles sometimes

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

On 5/17/2017 at 1:39 PM, J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE said:

As someone that did dishes by hand for years, I doubt the portable dishwasher is worth the effort or the money.  

And you would be wrong.

Sears sells a very nice portable that cleans as well as any full size.

I have been using one for many years now.......

OLG

[J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE]

I don't mean to imply that a portable dishwasher is troublesome or doesn't do a good job,  Hand washing isn't bad at all, and the room the portable unit takes up is the issue in a small place.

 

And perhaps the best suggestion is before spending money to make her life easier, you should ask her what would be best from her perspective.

[Trigger Mike]

I did ask her which she prefers and she is so excited about the idea of a dishwasher she said she is willing to take whatever I can do even if it means less cabinet space.  She's been there 3 years after i bought it and was there for another owner before that for about a year.  We work well together.  I stay laid back but make sure all repairs are made as fast as she informs me about them.