Can I remove a wall between kitchen and living room?

9/27/2011 at 10:50:48 AM

Hi Brian,

There is a good chance that the wall dividing the two rooms is a load bearing wall that is partially supporting your roof. Proceed with caution. If it is load bearing, you will need a building permit and an engineered drawing with stamp from a P.eng or architect.

Other issues will come up such as floor finishes for where the wall was, will the new beam be flush to the existing ceiling joists or be below them (two entirely different scoipes of work) and what will support the new beam? You may require new posts to support the new beam on the ground floor and in the basement below to support the new posts.

There will be extensive work in the cieling, now is a good time to consider new potlights, getting rid of any old stucco finishes, new pots in the kitchen, new AC outlets and GFI's to the kitchen, flooring, etc.

Good luck with your project and let me know if you need any help.

Regards,

Andrew

9/27/2011 at 3:14:40 PM

if its not a load bearing wall, be careful of contracting wanting to come over and give a quote be sure who you hire. And yes you can remove a wall if you resupport it

10/2/2011 at 10:30:00 PM

Hi...We completely agree with Andrew's response ..this is the professional and legal procedure to remove a dividing wall in this area. In our experience the wall as you described almost always is load bearing. A home should always be evalulated by an engineer to approve the proper replacement beam that needs to be installed to take up load (this is required to obtain the permit). Expect to pay engineer fees as well as the contractors rates to do the job. We have seen too many of these done by "cheap" contractors who throw in a beam without the legal requirements. Why people are willing to risk a collapse of their roof/second floor and their home insurance being voided as a result to save a couple bucks?.. is beyond me.

3/7/2018 at 1:51:24 AM

If your neighbor has the same home there is a possibility they have given you correct advice based on experience. It would be necessary to get a full picture of the building structure to answer your question. Because it is a bungalow at least there is only roof framing above - roofs often bear primarily on the exterior walls as well as possibly the party wall between units. A professional renovation contractor should be able to analyze the structure and answer your question if it is load-bearing or not and this is not a situation that should require an engineer. If it is load bearing likely you will need a building permit and plans submission to modify the structure.