Remodeling - Removing Walls is Easier Than You Think

Article by: Michael Russell

Before you start, make sure you understand all of the wall's functions and know how well they can be served when it's gone. Check to be certain that the space the wall , Home decorating ideas for a new look divides will not seem ill-proportioned without it. Note that besides serving as a partition a wall , Urinal Screen Information may carry pipes, wires or heat , Leather Is A Great Choice In Your Decor ducts. Keep in mind that although removing a wall , A Collage of Ceramics: Which Would Look Best with Your Home Renovation? may join two spaces together it does not actually add any more space than the few square feet in which the wall , Choosing the proper frame style when installing new windows stands.

To size up the job, look the wall , How A Filterless Air Purifier Works over. The number of outlets and switches will suggest how much wiring lies inside , The Best Quilts, Quilt Patterns and Quilt Fabrics it. A bathroom , Kitchen Cabinets - Reface Or Replace? directly above may be hooked to plumbing , Deck Plans - Are You Building A Deck? that goes down through the wall. , The Best Quilts, Quilt Patterns and Quilt Fabrics From the basement , Who should have a Stair lift? you may be able to detect whether heating pipes or conductors rise within the wall. , Finding The Perfect Faucet For Your Home

If all you find is wiring that terminates at outlets in the wall, , Home Maintenance Tips You Can't Afford to Ignore you can remove it when you break the wall. , Aluminum Fences A hot-air duct connected to a wall , Painting Ornate Tin Ceiling Tiles register can be cut back to the floor , Who should have a Stair lift? and capped with a grid. Even if you encounter many pipes and cables, you may be able to remove the bulk of the partition and leave part of one end of the wall , Taking care of your vinyl flooring to carry the various conductors, which can be moved there by a plumber or an electrician.

More critically, you should be aware that the wall , What Are The Different Types And Qualities Of Stained Glass? may bear weight from above, thus serving as a vital structural element of the house. , Pre-cut Sauna Kits - Choices to Consider If it does, you will have to limit the width of the opening to 14 feet, because a bigger span entails too many risks and difficulties. To replace the weight-carrying function of the wall, , Honeywell Air Cleaners Â– Good Value with Low Maintenance you will have to install a visible overhead beam, as well as end posts for this beam that may also be visible, so that instead of removing the wall , Leather Is A Great Choice In Your Decor without a trace you make an arch. These intrusions can be minimized by surfacing the structural members with wallboard to match the walls, , Home Maintenance Tips You Can't Afford to Ignore or by positioning furniture, , How to Be Your Air Conditioner’s Best Friend such as bookcases, to hide the posts.

The key clue to a load-bearing wall , Tips for Keeping Your Carpets Clean is joists crossing its top plates perpendicular to them. You may be able to see the direction of the joists from your attic; you may have to cut a peephole in the ceiling next to the wall , Kitchen Cabinets - Reface Or Replace? to be removed. The basement , Home Siding Ideas - Always Consider These 3 Points can also yield clues. If you find a girder or a wall , Construction - Choosing The Right Architect running under and parallel to the partition in question, you can be quite sure that the partition carries weight down to this support. If any doubt remains, assume that the wall , Slate Roof Tiles bears weight.

As the converse of a load-bearing wall, , The Best Quilts, Quilt Patterns and Quilt Fabrics a nonbearing wall , Decorate Your Home At Low Cost usually runs parallel to the joists and perpendicular to the long walls , Basement Water Infiltration Problems of the house. , The Best Quilts, Quilt Patterns and Quilt Fabrics Walls , Finding The Perfect Faucet For Your Home enclosing small spaces like closets are probably non-bearing walls , Kitchen Cabinets - Reface Or Replace? - but be sure to check. Because nonbearing walls , Learn About The Different Types Of Mattresses serve no structural function, they can be removed without leaving an arch.

Michael Russell - EzineArticles Expert Author

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Remodelling

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