Is your spouse longing (loudly) for that open floor plan the two of you have been seeing on HGTV lately? Are you daring enough to try to do the demo and remodel yourself? If you answered yes to both of these questions then this post is a great one for you to read! We asked Randy, our on-staff General Contractor, for a little guidance and thoughts on this project. Here’s what he had to say:
When you go to change floor plans (which in most cases means tearing down a wall) the first and most important thing you need to check on is if that wall is load bearing. The best way to tell would be to go into the attic and see what is actually sitting on the wall. Are there ceiling joists or roof supports there? If ceiling joists are found, check where they lead to. It’s possible that they may be running from one end of the house to the other, and not actually sitting on the wall you want to remove. If you find that they have a splice in there somewhere, then they probably are sitting on the wall. In addition, if it’s a second story that lies above, then chances are the wall is load bearing-supporting the floor system. Not to worry, it still can be done, however your workload has just increased exponentially.
Still in it to win it? Well, congrats! Okay, so now to moving that weight bearing wall (without the house coming down around you.) To start, you’re going to need to build a temporary wall on each side of the wall you are going to remove. Remove the wall and then get the appropriate sized beam to use. Sizing the beam is going to be determined by weight. They are all engineered to hold only so much weight per square foot and span so far. You’ll want to talk to an architect or structural engineer to find out which to use. There are also building codes that will tell you what load rating a specific area requires; you’ll need to do your homework on that.
Next, you’ll need to cut all the floor joists or ceiling joists up above. Put your beam in between the cuts joists and use joist hangers on each side to re-support those ceiling joists or second story floor joists, whichever your case may be. You can recess this beam into the ceiling so it’s not visible or leave it and wall around it to add a funky edge to the room. The choice is entirely yours. If you have chosen to do an exposed beam then you can either cover it with sheetrock or wrap it in the wood of your choice, paint your finished product, and tell your spouse to move the furniture back—your work here is done!!
Find funky bathroom faucets to update your bathroom too, as well as beautiful bathroom vanities and sinks! You’ve changed your layout–now change your faucets and sinks!
