Things to Keep in Mind Before Removing Walls

After staying at home for so long, you’re itching to transform the look of your space. You could repaint the cabinets, purchase new decorations…or, you could remove a wall, and completely change the flow of your home.

The problem with removing walls isn’t the strength that’s required to do so—instead, it has more to do with what happens after the wall is gone. Before you start swinging around a sledgehammer, keep these considerations in mind:

Removing a Load-Bearing Wall is Dangerous

One of the dangers of DIY demolition is that you risk taking down a wall that’s integral to the structure of your home.

Load-bearing walls help support the floors, ceilings, and overall structure of your home. The risks of improperly removing a load-bearing wall include:

• A roof collapse or drooping ceiling
• A sloped floor
• Cracks in the walls
• Reduced structural stability

Removing a load-bearing wall poses significant risks. If you plan to do it yourself, you need to reinforce your home’s structure accordingly.

What’s Within the Wall?

You know that it’s important to call before you dig to avoid hitting gas lines—the same is true with removing walls.

Are there any plumbing pipes, air ducts, or wiring behind the wall? If so, removing them can be dangerous. It’s always best to know what you’re working with before you start renovations.

Finally, is there any asbestos present? This hazardous material was often used in insulation and drywall in older homes. Removing it yourself can result in exposure to dangerous asbestos fibers, so we recommend contacting a professional for this job.

Removing Walls – What’s Your Plan?

We get it—we’ve all gotten a little restless from sitting at home for most of the year. But is tearing down a wall the best way to remedy that?

It might seem like it’ll solve some issues with your home’s layout, but take another look at your space. Is there a different way to change the room without removing a wall? If so, it’s worth considering. Once the wall is gone, it will be a lot more difficult to put it back.

Write down how you plan to use the new space before committing to your idea. After it’s on paper, you might realize that it’s not exactly what you want.

Walls Offer Soundproofing and Privacy

Walls provide more qualities to a room than you may initially realize.

For one, walls act as a physical barrier between you and surrounding noise. They cut off sounds that may otherwise travel throughout your house. If you live alone or with one other person, this isn’t a big deal. But if you have kids or pets, you may feel remorseful when that layer of soundproofing is removed.

A layout that’s too open poses problems of its own. You won’t have as much privacy when there are fewer walls in your home. Be mindful of that before you decide that all your interior walls need to go!

How Will You Handle Construction Debris?

Once you knock down a wall, you’ll be left with a pile of rubble on your hands. It’s not the type of waste that you can throw into a garbage can—you’ll need to do a bit of research to find out the best place for disposing of it.

Depending on how much waste you’re dealing with, you might need to consult a guide to junk removal to determine how and where to dispose of it.

Getting rid of interior walls can free up more space and allow natural light to spread throughout your home. But this decision also carries unique risks, like the potential to damage the structure of your home or disturb hazardous materials.

Make sure to consider the above factors before removing any walls. By doing so, you can minimize any damage that might result from your DIY project.

Photo by Kevin Woblick on Unsplash