I want to knock down the wall between my kitchen and den.

Who do I call to verify that doing this won't make the house fall down?

The wall is a partial that sticks out about halfway from a center bering wall. The joists run in the same direction as the wall I want to nix, and the floor boards run opposite, so I *think* it will be ok to demo it. But one would hate to be wrong about something like that.

that rocks! I really want to demo a wall :bounce:

but not in this house, maybe next year when I move to NM

as for checking for load bearing, I have no idea, but will watch this thread for the tips you get

With a big sledgehammer. :woohoo:

Looking like Nicholson in The Shining. Loads of fun, but I knew it was not load bearing when I took it out.

Next best is an architect. Then next best is a qualified (whatever that means) builder. Then your brother-in-law who built a birdhouse in Boy Scouts.

And then you can get Fristian diagnosis right here on the internets ..... if you post a video. :)

Seriously, I suspect the wall's safe to remove if you're certain it runs parallel to the joists above and below it. But since that's not **always** the case, best to check with someone locally. I'd call in a remodeling contractor for an estimate. In the process of getting the price, you'll learn if it can be done ...... or to be really honest, hire a home inspector. He'll charge a few hundred, but he works for you and will tell you lots of other things about your house's condition, too.

We successfully took out a non-bearing wall in our vacation house. Here's a picture:

Nice cabin!

I will try calling a contractor. It would be nice to get a feel for how much it would cost to have professionals do it vs. how much we can do it for ourself. As a point of pride, we almost always do it ourselves, but this is a big job, I doubt we will have time for it all.

I reworked the kitchen plan again. I like this one the best yet. Let me know when you get caught up on work, I would love your opinion.

be honest with him and tell him you just want and opinion and not to just use him for his expertise. We get used for this type of thing way to much. I have had people be honest to me and tell me up front what they are planning to do and I appreciate that. That way he is not wasting his time and could be out making money to support his family like everyone else.

Depends on how much he wants for the work and how much we are willing to pay to have it done. Likely what will happen is I will have the contractor do part and we will do part ourselves. I would love to do the entire job, but my husband is logging a lot of hours at work and we have two small children to care for, so time is premium.

I agree that it would be dishonest to ask for a quote simply to get an opinion on the wall if I was planning to do all the work myself, but since I really might hire the guy, I don't have a problem with getting his opinion on the wall while he is here.

It sounds like you have a good grasp on the situation regarding the orientation of the joists. That's the most important thing to consider. Next, I would consider if there are any walls located on the floor above and "stacked" above the wall in question perhaps supporting the roof.


Wost case scenario,you find some kind of beam (not likely) running from wall to wall??? Or some other "weird" situation. Either way, if there is nothing but floor above, the likelihood of any major movement that can't be shored-up is very very small.

Also, you should be able to tell what's up there as you tear the drywall or plaster off. If you want to be extra careful you can take down a portion and see how it's connected but it sure sounds like a "partition wall".


Don't forget to post pictures of your finished work. Or, newspaper clippings from the house collapse story.....just kiddin :)

green. I'm resisting it.

Call a structural engineer in to tell you which walls are OK to axe and which are not, and what to do if you want to axe the one wall that's holding the house together.

Paying that consulting fee now can save you big bucks in the future.

:rofl: