Temporary Kitchen Setup During Renovation: What Insurance Covers
Read more → (ALE) provision and is one of the most overlooked benefits in homeowner policies.
What is a temporary kitchen?
A temporary kitchen is a basic cooking setup installed in another area of your home, such as a spare bedroom, garage, or dining room, while your kitchen is being repaired. It typically includes a small countertop surface or folding table, a portable electric cooktop or induction burner, a microwave, access to a water source like a nearby bathroom sink, and a compact refrigerator. Some restoration companies offer pre-built temporary kitchen units that include all of these components in a self-contained pod that can be wheeled into place and connected to a standard electrical outlet.
These units are designed specifically for insurance restoration situations and include everything a family needs to prepare basic meals. While a temporary kitchen is not as comfortable as your real kitchen, it is far better than eating every meal at a restaurant for two or three months. For families with young children, dietary restrictions, or health conditions that require home-cooked meals, a temporary kitchen is not a luxury but a necessity.
The cost of setting up a temporary kitchen is almost always less than the cost of eating out for the same duration, which makes it a cost-effective option that benefits both you and your insurer.
When is it needed?
If your kitchen repair will take more than a week or two, a temporary kitchen becomes a practical necessity for your family. Major kitchen repairs like full cabinet replacement, flooring replacement extending under cabinets, countertop replacement, or mold remediationMold Assessment and Remediation After Water DamageMold can begin growing within 24-48 hours of water exposure. Professional mold assessment and remediation is almost universally omitted from initia...
Read more → behind kitchen walls can take 4-12 weeks, and some complex projects take even longer when you factor in supplementWhat Is a Supplemental Claim and When to File OneA supplemental claim is a request to add items to your existing insurance estimate after the original scope was written. Supplements are standard i...
Read more → approvals, material backorders, and contractor scheduling. During that entire time, your family needs a way to prepare meals three times a day.
Without a temporary kitchen, you are forced to eat every meal at restaurants or order takeout, which gets extremely expensive very quickly. A family of four spending $40-$60 per meal on restaurant food three times a day is looking at $120-$180 per day, or $3,600-$5,400 per month in food costs, compared to a normal grocery budget of $800-$1,200. Over a two-month renovation, the difference is staggering.
In many cases, the cost of a temporary kitchen setup at $200-$500 per month is a fraction of the cost of eating out, making it the more practical and cost-effective solution. Ask your adjuster about temporary kitchen coverage early in the process, before your kitchen demolition begins.
What does insurance cover?
Your Additional Living Expenses (ALE) coverage, which is Coverage D on your declarations pageHow to Read Your Insurance Declarations PageYour insurance declarations page is a one or two page summary that contains the most important details of your policy. Knowing how to read it befor...
Read more →, may pay for a temporary kitchen setup or cover the increased cost of meals during the renovation. Some policies specifically mention temporary kitchen equipment rental as a covered expense. Others take a broader approach and cover the difference between your normal food costs and restaurant or takeout meals during the period when your kitchen is unusable.
The key principle is that you should not have to absorb the additional cost of being unable to use your own kitchen when the reason it is unusable is a covered insurance loss. Your ALE limit, typically 20-30% of your dwelling coverage, provides the pool of money for these expenses along with any temporary housing costs. A common mistake homeowners make is not claiming increased food costs because they assume ALE only applies to hotel stays, but ALE covers any additional living expense caused by the loss of use of your home or its essential systems.
Document the dates your kitchen was completely unusable and keep all food receipts during that period. See also the guide on additional living expenses for a comprehensive overview of what ALE covers beyond just food.
What does a temporary kitchen cost?
Temporary kitchen rental units from restoration supply companies cost $200-$500 per month and include a countertop, sink connection, small refrigerator, microwave, and electric cooktop in a portable cabinet setup. A basic DIY setup with a folding table, microwave, mini-fridge, and portable induction cooktop might cost $300-$600 to purchase, and you keep the equipment after the renovation is complete. The portable induction cooktops available at most retailers for $60-$100 work surprisingly well for basic cooking.
A small dorm-style refrigerator runs $100-$200, and a countertop microwave is $80-$150. Compare these costs to the alternative: a family of four eating restaurant meals and takeout for two months can easily spend $3,000-$6,000 above their normal food budget, making the temporary kitchen a bargain by comparison. If you choose to claim increased meal costs instead of a temporary kitchen, you will need to track every food purchase and subtract your normal monthly food spending to calculate the difference.
Normal food spending can be documented from bank statements or credit card records for the months before the damage occurred. Some families use a combination approach, setting up a basic temporary kitchen for most meals while eating out occasionally, and claiming the incremental cost of both.
What to do
If your kitchen will be unusable during repairs, ask your adjuster about ALE coverage for temporary kitchen costs or increased meal expenses before the demolition begins, so you can plan accordingly. Decide whether a temporary kitchen setup or meal cost reimbursement makes more sense for your family's situation, and discuss both options with your adjuster. Keep every restaurant receipt, takeout receipt, and grocery receipt during the renovation period, even small purchases like coffee and snacks that you would normally have at home.
Document the exact dates your kitchen was completely unusable, from the day demolition began through the day it was functional again with working appliances, running water, and operational countertops and cabinets. Pull up your bank or credit card statements for the three months before the damage to establish your normal monthly food spending baseline. Create a simple spreadsheet showing normal monthly food costs versus renovation-period food costs, and submit this comparison to your adjuster with the supporting receipts.
A common mistake is not claiming food costs for the full duration of the kitchen renovation because the homeowner did not keep receipts for the first few weeks. Another mistake is claiming the full cost of restaurant meals rather than just the increase above normal spending, which can delay the ALE reimbursement. Being organized and precise with your documentation makes the process faster and smoother.
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