If your existing layout isn’t working for you, removing a wall may be the best solution.
The Problem
Many homes are laid out with many small, single-function rooms. For example, it is common to have a relatively small kitchen and a separate dining room. Neither room works well enough separately whereas the combination of the two creates a single larger, more useful space. Another situation may involve two rooms that feel disconnected by a wall. Removing some portion of the wall increases the connectivity between the two rooms while maintaining the individuality of each room.
The Challenges
Walls usually serve purposes beyond separating adjoining rooms. A wall may be load-bearing, meaning it supports floors above. Walls that do not provide support are referred to as non-bearing or partition walls. Almost always, walls contain utilities that may include water supply and waste pipes, gas lines, electric and phone wires, coaxial cable, thermostat wires!, and air conditioning ducts.
If the wall is load-bearing, a beam must to be installed to carry the load of the upper floors and roof. Light switches and outlets must be relocated and utilities have to be rerouted around the removed section of wall. The floor and ceiling must be repaired where the section of wall was removed. Another sometimes overlooked challenge is how to make the new layout feel original to the home. Because these types of projects involve so many facets, project costs can add up quickly.
Fig 1: Before photo of closets separating kitchen and dining room
Fig 2: Closets removed showing gas pipe, and electrical, thermostat, and phone wires
Project Example
One project I worked on involves a house with a kitchen separated from the dining room by two closets as shown Figure 1. The kitchen was narrow and confining, resulting in no room for even a small kitchen table. The closets created a barrier that isolated the host from guests when entertaining. The project goal involved opening up the space by removing the closets and replacing them with a peninsula. This was not a full kitchen renovation, so the new components had to look as original as possible.
Figure 2 shows the kitchen with the closets demolished. Fortunately, it was determined that the closet walls were not load-bearing, so no beam was needed once the closet walls were removed. Utilities to be relocated included two electrical circuits, a land line phone, a thermostat and a gas line that fed the dryer on the second floor. There was a big hole in the wall and ceiling where the closets were and the outline of the closets remained in the hardwood floor.
The result is shown the next two photos. Note that the view shown in Figure 3 is the same as that in Figure 1. The finished project included:
- A peninsula comprised of:
- storage cabinets
- two-tiered laminate countertop that matched the existing kitchen countertop
- GFCI outlets
- Kitchen light switches, phone, and thermostat relocated in the original wall to the left of the cabinets as shown in Figure 3. This was accomplished by rerouting the wiring in the ceiling, down to the basement, and up to the new switch location.
- Relocating the gas pipe in the original wall
- Relocating the dining room light switch at the end of the peninsula
- New pendant lighting
- A repaired hardwood floor. (Fortunately the homeowner had a bundle of leftover flooring.)
- Base trim stained to match the existing trim
- A custom oak bracket fabricated in our shop.
The result is a space that is certainly more functional and inviting and also looks and feels original to the existing home.
This project is a good example of the dramatic improvements that can occur when a wall is taken down. It also illustrates the variety of challenges that must be overcome to complete a project of this type. Although the challenges are different in each case, I would say that in just about every case it's worth the trouble.
Fig. 1: View from kitchen showing cabinets and two-tiered counter with GFCI outlets, and new pendant lights. Note the relocated phone, thermostat and light switches in the left side of the photo.
Fig. 2: View of completed project from dining room.