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Removing a Wall Between Your Kitchen & Dining Room

Refreshing your home’s design may require some significant changes. Removing a wall should not be off the table if you want to feature something uniquely different. Featuring some exciting interior design plans may be easier if you remove that wall between your kitchen and dining room.

Of course, removing an interior wall is easier said than done. That wall has an important role and removing it without disrupting the rest of your home’s structure excessively will be a difficult task. There is even a chance that taking out that wall will not be an option for you.

Find out what you can and cannot do with your interior walls by continuing with this article.

Important Considerations before You Remove an Interior Wall

Once you get the idea of remodeling your home, it is hard to get away from it. Thoughts of all the designs you could try may be filling you with excitement right now.

While we certainly understand the way you are feeling, we must ask you to slow down a little. After all, we still need to find out if removing that wall between your dining room and the kitchen is even feasible.

Detailed below are the things you must consider before you proceed to remove an interior wall. Check them out so you can determine what your next step should be.

Are You Dealing with a Load-Bearing Wall?

Load-bearing walls are essential to maintaining the structural integrity of your home. Those walls support the floor above them as well as other surrounding structures. Even your roof stays in place thanks to your home’s load-bearing walls.

The load-bearing walls inside your home must also transfer weight to your foundation and other support structures. You need the load-bearing walls to work that way so they can keep your home perfectly balanced.

Does this mean remodeling is no longer an option if the wall you want to remove is load-bearing? Well, not exactly.

Removing load-bearing walls is possible, but you must put supports in first. Build some temporary supports close to the load-bearing wall so they can handle the temporary weight transfer.

You can figure out how to distribute the weight properly to the existing structures before taking the supports down. Reinforcing those existing structures can also be a hassle, but you will get your open floor in exchange for doing so.

Working with a general contractor is crucial if you want to remove a load-bearing wall. They have the experience necessary to take on that kind of project and can help you get the job done faster.

How Can You Tell if a Wall Is Load-Bearing?

Are you unsure if the wall you need to remove is load-bearing? If that is the case, there are things you can look for if you need to make a decision as soon as possible.

According to Home Depot, walls that run perpendicular to joists are often load-bearing walls. They also note that walls thicker than six inches are likely load-bearing and walls that end in columns or supports.

You can also refer to your home’s floor plan if you want to be 100% sure that you are trying to remove a load-bearing wall. Hiring a contractor or a home inspector to examine the wall in question will also eliminate any doubt about what it does.

Do You Have Pipes, Wires, or Vents inside That Wall?

Walls do more than provide structural support. We also need them to house important supply lines. There is a good chance you have pipes, wires, or even vents inside the wall you want to remove.

Their presence in the wall will complicate removal. Before removing the wall, you must first figure out what to do with those supply lines.

Partner with an appropriate specialist so they can give you some direction. Whether it is an electrician, an HVAC specialist, or a plumber, you should seek their advice before doing anything. It would also be best to leave the task of removal up to those professionals so they can preserve as many components as possible.

Removing and re-routing supply lines will make this particular project longer, but there is no way to get around that. The wait will be worth it once you achieve the open floor plan you have been targeting.

Could Removing the Wall Be Dangerous to Your Health?

Next up, you must also consider if removing the wall between your kitchen and dining room could potentially be a health hazard. How could wall removal become a health hazard, you ask? That has to do with the materials used to create and finish that wall.

Let’s start by figuring out what could happen if the wall you removed had lead paint.

Exposure to lead paint can cause you to feel weak. You may also start experiencing headaches not long after that incident. Even your blood pressure could spike following minimal exposure to lead paint.

As scary as lead exposure is for adults, it is even more frightening if you have kids. Children may develop learning disabilities and behavior issues following lead exposure. You cannot afford to be reckless with wall removal if you have kids, so consult with an expert first.

Asbestos is another substance that can cause plenty of trouble if it is released into the air after the destruction of a wall.

Per the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, people exposed to asbestos can develop a condition known as pleural disease. Pleural disease is a troublesome condition that can significantly affect how well someone breathes. In addition to developing pleural disease, individuals exposed to asbestos also have a greater chance of developing lung cancer and mesothelioma.

What Should You Do if the Wall Contains Lead or Asbestos?

You cannot overlook the dangers posed by lead and asbestos. To ensure your safety, you must first confirm if the wall you want to remove contains those toxic substances.

Homeowners can check for lead paint by examining any residue on the wall. If you spot chalky residue, there is a chance it is lead paint. Houses built before 1978 are more likely to feature walls covered by that toxic substance.

Thankfully, the presence of lead paint does not have to derail your remodeling project. You can hire professionals to remove the paint and the wall safely.

Figuring out if you have asbestos in your home will also require some detective work.

Start by checking if the wall is made from a cement sheet because that is often a telltale sign that it contains asbestos. According to Angi, homes with corrugated roofing are also more likely to have some asbestos.

The age of your home can also clue you into the presence of asbestos. If they built your home before the 1980s, you should get it checked for asbestos before doing any remodeling.

You should also hire professionals to remove any wall that contains asbestos. Look for an asbestos abatement company because they have the tools and experience needed for that job.

Will You Need a Permit?

As we have established, wall removal is not something you can do on a whim with all the potential safety concerns involved. However, those safety issues are not the only hurdles you will need to clear before work can begin on your project. Securing a building permit will also be necessary.

The state of New York requires residents to get a permit before getting significant work done. The only projects excluded from permits include installing cabinets, painting, plastering, replacing plumbing fixtures, and resurfacing floors. You can also repair your roof without a permit as long as it is non-structural work.

For everything else, a permit will be required.

Seek help from your contractor so you can get the building permit quickly. In all likelihood, your contractor already has plenty of experience snagging building permits. They can get that done for you in a timely fashion.

The Pros and Cons of Interior Wall Removal

Removing an interior wall can be done. You must be careful with certain hazards, but you can accomplish the project itself.

So, should you go through with it? That is the main question you now have to answer.

To help you out, we have listed some pros and cons of wall removal in the following section. Go through them carefully so you can decide if removing the wall between your kitchen and dining room will be worth it.

The Pros:

  • Maximize Your Space – If your growing family needs more space, removing an interior wall could be worth trying. Removing an interior wall could open your first floor and help you free up more living space in the process.
  • Design Versatility – An open space is a blank canvas you can alter in different ways to create your desired design. The open space can also be tinkered with consistently so you can keep featuring fresh looks.
  • Open Spaces Are Better for Utilizing Natural Resources – Opening up your home also allows it to take advantage of natural light and air. Air and light can flow more freely inside your home without those interior walls getting in the way.
  • Open Homes Are Great for Entertaining – Do you like having guests over for parties? You can accommodate them better by removing an existing interior wall.
  • Removing an Interior Wall Can Increase Property Value – Turning your home into a greater asset may be possible if you remove an interior wall first. According to Realtor, homes with open floor plans appreciate by up to 7.4% annually. Even if you have no plans to sell your home currently, you should still look to take advantage of that quirk in the real estate market.

The Cons:

  • Costly Project – Removing a wall inside your home is going to be expensive and you need to be ready for that. Expect the project to cost over $1,200. If you are tearing down a load-bearing wall, $2,000 may represent the low-end of the project’s overall cost.
  • Lack of Privacy – Keeping things private will be more difficult if you decide to remove some of the walls inside your home. Even people on the outside can get a good look at your dining room after you take that interior wall down.
  • Away from Home – The workers will need as much space as possible to remove your interior wall. That probably means staying inside your home will not be an option. Living away for a while can be inconvenient, but that is something you will need to do.
  • Noise Travels Better – Noises also travel better if no walls get in their way. Spots in your home that used to be noise-free may change significantly following wall removal.

What Other Methods Can You Use to Create Space Inside Your Home?

After considering the pros and cons of interior wall removal, you may have decided that the project is not one you can move forward with. Still, you would like to open up your home a bit. Are there other ways for you to create that space that does not involve tearing down a wall?

The good news is that there are alternatives to wall removal.

For starters, you can rearrange or replace your furniture. Set pieces of furniture against the wall or get a sectional sofa, so you have more room. Mounting your television will also free up more space.

You can also replace some of your fixtures.

French and sliding doors are great for creating that feeling of openness. Larger windows can also create that sense of openness, so look into adding them as well.

Contact us at Long Island Home Advisors if you plan to remodel your home by removing an interior wall. Let us handle that complicated project, and rest assured that we will complete it as soon as possible.