Blog

In today’s real estate market, open spaces are in demand and renovation projects include them frequently. To create these spaces, many homeowners go through what feels at first like a daunting process – interior wall removal. This is especially true with older homes where rooms tend to be smaller and more closed off.

This kind of project has the potential to significantly boost the value of your property, as it transforms two smaller rooms into a bigger living area that offers improved living conditions for families and makes it simpler to host guests.

On the other hand, this job is only truly possible to DIY if the wall in question is not load bearing. In order to ensure that the building is sustained in the appropriate manner, the removal of load bearing walls requires thorough planning and extra effort.

Before You Get Started

Before starting the process of tearing down a wall, it is vital to check that the wall in question is not a load bearing wall. A load bearing wall is a wall that takes the weight of the roof and higher floors down to the foundations, or to a beam that is supported by posts. There is a widespread misconception that load bearing walls are exclusively found on the exterior of a building. However, walls that support the main weight of the house are often found throughout the interior.

There are many different styles of architecture which employ different ways of supporting the home itself. One of them is using a center wall that is perpendicular to the floor joists and is supported by a central beam, allowing the outside walls to sustain a significant portion of the home’s weight.

If, on the other hand, the wall you wish to remove is parallel to the floor joists and is not supported by the foundations or a beam, there is a strong probability that the wall is not load bearing. This means it can be removed without damaging the structural soundness of the property.

Finding Load Bearing Walls

In most cases, if you have architectural drawings of your house, these plans will make it clear which walls are load bearing. You can also seek our advice at Load Bearing Wall Pros in order to determine which walls are supporting the structure of your home and will thus need more care and attention when opening your space. It is indeed possible to remove a load bearing wall. However, this is a process that you really don’t want to take on as a DIY’er. This requires a licensed interior or load bearing wall removal company. When it comes to this sort of labor, we strongly recommend you to hire a professional.

Changing Plumbing, Electrical Connections, Or HVAC Ducting

The second thing you will need to do is make a plan for modifying any electrical connections, plumbing lines, or HVAC ducting that goes through the wall that you intend to remove. As part of this process, wires or pipes may need to be removed and then capped off in a proper manner. Alternatively, it could be necessary to reroute these key connection points to their destinations either above or below the wall that was taken out. Rerouting wiring and pipes is quite challenging if you are not a professional, so the best option is always to engage experts to develop a plan to complete this portion of the job.

Debris Disposal

Finally, you will need to plan the disposal of the debris that is generated during the demolition process. This material might be rather substantial if you are removing a very large wall.

There are some homeowners who choose to rent a small container or employ a hauler to collect the waste once it has been removed from the building where it was generated. It is not typical for local or city garbage collection services to deal with debris from demolition projects like this – so plan on renting a dumpster or make sure whoever you hire will haul off the debris as part of the scope of work.

If you want to renovate your home, you need to reach out to a professional. Talk to Load Bearing Wall Pros at 469-813-8143 or reach out to us through our contact form.