Thanks for the replies. colleenoz, I actually don't mind reloading and unloading the dishwasher. It's the actual washing part that I hate, haha. But that is a good idea and I may incorporate it into my routine. greg_2010, I didn't think about that part. We pay our electricity, but the water bill is paid by our land lord. I'll have to go through the lease to see if it says we can't have a portable dishwasher. I don't think it's in there though, but I know our landlord told us we couldn't get a washing machine because it would use too much water. So she'll probably say no to the portable dishwasher as well. Oh well, I guess I'll add this to my list of motivational things to move out and get a house in a few years.

the parts will cost as much as a portable dishwasher, to make portable built-in is a piece of cake, you are throwing parts away, to go the other way you would have to buy side panels, a top and a caster kit - not cheap

I have been using an 18" Danby portable for about four years and have had no issues with it yet, other then it does not clean avocado from anything, everything else works fine. I like the fact that it takes salt and that it has a filter and that when it runs out of salt or dryer liquid it continues to work with just the light showing to remind you that you have an issue. It is much quieter than the 24 inch 15 year old DW it replaced. Like all of the new dishwashers it has a longer cycle time, so I tend to run it last thing at night as it will hog your kitchen if you try to run it during the day. The hoses are relatively inexpensive plastic and while they feel cheap they have performed without issue. The manual for this model did not explain how to use the salt function and you really need it if you are in a hard water area. In the big picture you unscrew the reservoir and dump in about four pounds of salt. Salt can be bought at home depot- a 40 pound bag is less than $6.00 currently. You do have to find storage somewhere in your house or garage for the other 36 pounds I still haven't finished the first bag. I contacted Danby directly about how to use the salt and they were very responsive. Who knows maybe they have even corrected their manual by now to include the missing pages explaining where to insert the salt.....it does not have an internal garbage disposal so you do have to rinse the bigger chunks off the plates. I do not wash the plates and then put them in the dishwasher. I just clear the big chunks. The DW is relatively easy to move around and its looks have held up very well. I bought it used on craigslist for $100. The prior owners had children and had not bothered to clean the filter. The first time I ran it a lot of water accumulated in the bottom of the cabinet. I had to scoop it out, poke around to clear the block and then clean the filter. I clean the filter every couple of months and it takes less than two minutes to do-you remove the filter very easily it just unscrews, you then run it underwater scrape off anything visible and then screw it back in. I would recommend this dishwasher.

Do you mean a dishwasher that rolls from whereever it is stored to by the sink, and is connected to the faucet with hoses? I use one of these in a rustic cabin we go to every year. They don't need a stand, being free-standing, and you can set the microwave on top of it. Or do you mean a counter-top portable dishwasher? I guess a kitchen cart / mini-island with two levels would hold that and the microwave. Someplace like ekitchenislands.com will give you ideas, or I imagine you can run across one in Bed Bath, Pier One, and similar home furnishings stores. I've never used the counter-top type, though I did see one used in a little English B&B.