Knocking down walls, do I dare?
Holly
2 years ago
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lucky998877
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Knocking down wall
Comments (6)Your budget is about what it would cost for a consult from the structural engineer that you need to create a report for the city to get your permit. Then there is the permit cost and the contractor cost. If the wall has electrical or HVAC in it, besides being load bearing, then your cost also just went up. On a good day, with there being no hidden structural issues, what you want might cost you 2K if you DIYed it all. For a contractor to do the same job, you might be looking at 3K and up. More if the electrical and HVAC prove to be problematic. Plus permit costs. And now onto the door project. That obviously needs the HVAC for the room to be re-engineered. How complex that may be will depend on the type of baseboard heating that you have as well as the insulation and window type and a whole host of other issues. You need to have a HVAC person come in and take a look at the system as a whole because if the current system is at the end of it's normal lifespan, just doing one change to it could take it over the edge, or, it could be an extremely cost foolish decision to not address the whole home. Then, after the HVAC is addressed, you have all of the structural and cosmetic issues to deal with that you would have with any cutting a hole in the exterior envelope to your house. You want to be sure that it's done in a way as to keep your house weathertight as well as done in an aesthetically pleasing manner for the exterior and interior patches to the wall components. This is probably more than a 5K project and could cost as much as 20K if the whole home's HVAC and insulation will need to be addressed....See MoreKnock down walls or keep layout?
Comments (48)oasisowner, you could get a home that functions much better for you if you're willing to do it in phases and are willing and able to spend more $$ on the remodel. Here's how: Phase 1 Basement stairs doorway relocated to hallway (I explained how in an above post). Knock down the wall between kitchen and 3rd bedroom to create an open kitchen/DR. I did not include counter seating since the table is right there. Remove the lower half of the "windows" in the LR/hallway walls so that you have a better connection between kitchen/DR and LR. (This could wait until Phase 2, if necessary, but you'd have to add floor repair at that time, might be easier and cheaper to do it all at once.) The current DR becomes a den; no walls or doors added. Phase 2 You close off the "windows" from LR to den and create new walls for a relocated MBR, MBA and closet in its own wing of the home. Next, remove the existing MBA to create bedroom #1 with a new entry. Closets for bedrooms #1 & #2 are built between the 2 bedrooms. I'm assuming existing closet in bedroom #2 is along a wall so relocating it should create a larger bedroom. Rearranging the bedrooms and eliminating the existing MBA could wait for Phase 3. Or you could leave them as is and have a dual master bedroom home. This is a much larger undertaking but I went back to the issues you have with your home - not a large enough kitchen, unused DR, too small bedrooms - and addressed them with this plan. Doing the projects in phases will make it easier on the budget and on one's sanity. If you intend to stay put for a long time, then it might be worthwhile to pursue remodeling to gain a home that functions better for you now and in the long run, especially if your neighborhood will support these improvements....See MoreShould I knock this wall down? Ideas appreciated!
Comments (1)I’m not sure it is worth it, but I see why you want to take it down. How about a cut-out? Done with thought, it might turn out to be useful. So thinking something like this ordinary solution, but on one (or both) side(s) you add a serving shelf. Living room side becomes a bar/appetizer side…dinner time, dining room shelf becomes a buffet....See MoreKitchen remodel advice, small split level, knocking down walls
Comments (14)Not sure about your concern regarding the fridge next to the sliding door. The photos of the actual space look like there's about 3 feet between the door and the current counter. If you are swapping the fridge and stove locations, it looks like you would still have a few feet of counter to the right of the fridge before you get to the door - so no, that would not bother me. But the rendering makes the space look smaller than the photos do so I'm not sure if you're moving things farther to the right or not. An idea for the pantry and banquette in the dining room, perhaps you could put in a shallower than normal pantry in the corner and incorporate the bench seating into the cabinetry - possibly including a little more on the other side for symmetry if that is important to you. Not sure if that would be actually functional, but it's an idea to play around with....See Moredan1888
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