This is by far one of our favorite projects to do for customer’s! The “open floor concept” lets in so much more light and who wants to be closed off from family and friends while preparing amazing food in the kitchen?
We get asked all the time if this is possible and in most cases yes! The biggest question of course being…is it load bearing? Many times we can answer this question on the spot and in some cases an engineer can help and are not as expensive as most people think. In most cases electrical/plumbing can easily be relocated and if it is load-bearing there are many things that can be done to still open up your kitchen space.
See below…
Here’s how we deal with load bearing walls or walls that have complications with furniture:
– Remove wall completely and bury load bearing support in ceiling if possible.
– Remove a portion of the wall allowing an open feeling, but still leaving enough for couch or TV placement. This is also nice for running electrical/plumbing lines in the wall and definitely saves money.
– Install exposed beam as support and maybe a decorative post.
Benefits of removing wall:
– Opens the room for family and friends to enjoy!
– Makes home more desirable for resale.
– Improves traffic flow.
– Allows more natural light.
– Adds usable space.
REMEMBER…before removing that wall please have it looked at and approved by a qualified professional.
Hope this helps!