How to Add a Commercial Kitchen to a Home

Adding a commercial kitchen to your home is a way to eliminate a time-consuming commute. Having your commercial kitchen immediately accessible also enables you to integrate your production processes into your daily routines. But a commercial kitchen can be noisy, so it is important to consider the impact it will have on your home life when planning your kitchen design. Do your homework and make sure that zoning regulations in your area permit you to add a commercial kitchen to your home.

Things You'll Need

• Commercial sinks
• Ventilation system
• Acoustical ceiling tiles

Instructions

1. Assess your existing plumbing to determine whether it can handle the extra load of a commercial kitchen. You may need to install a larger hot-water heater, or a separate unit dedicated to the commercial space. If you plan your commercial sinks in the same part of the house as your residential kitchen or bathroom, you will save money on plumbing.

2. Locate your commercial kitchen in a part of your house where the noise will not interfere with your daily activities, or soundproof the area to minimize noise.

3. Choose a location in your house (if you will be subletting your commercial kitchen to other food business) that will enable tenants to enter the kitchen without traipsing through your home. You may need to install a separate entrance.

4. Place the exhaust fan in a location where the odors will not disturb anyone upstairs. Also consider the noise that the fan makes, and place it in a spot where this will not be an issue.

References

• North Carolina Cooperative Extension: Starting a Home Based Food Business
• Selling Food Products: A Business From Your Home
• King County Health Department commercial kitchen regulations

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish