Use a reciprocating saw to slice through the studs in the middle. Reminder: IF YOU SEE ANY CRACKING, HEAR ANYTHING WEIRD, OR IF THE SAW BLADE BINDS UP AS YOU CUT THROUGH THE STUDS, STOP IMMEDIATELY AND CONSULT AN EXPERT! A BOUND UP SAWBLADE MEANS THERE IS WEIGHT PUSHING DOWN ON THE STUD! Always have a back up plan, and never push your own limits! Note: If at ANY time I saw, heard, or felt ANYTHING that made me think otherwise, I was prepared to call in an engineer to assess what structure must be installed to keep the upstairs bedroom upstairs. All five or six clues led to be believe that I was good to go. In addition, the wall runs parallel with both the attic trusses and from the crawlspace below, i saw that the wall was sitting on a sistered 2x9 (common practice even for non-load bearing walls) but was seven feet from the nearest concrete support for the beam running perpendicular to the wall.įinally, I used a deep-scan stud finder to locate the exact ceiling studs, and saw that the top plate of the wall sat between two studs above, so no major weight was being passed through it to the crawlspace (blue painters tape). Many companies will install temporary walls just in case, which is fine too. We also have friends with the same model and have removed the same wall entirerly without an LVL header beam, or support post. In my case, my home inspector was a structural engineer and said it was non-load bearing. You MUST consult a structural engineer or someone familiar with weight loads to assess the wall before you do anything to it. Note: several municipalities require permits for any type of home construction, deconstruction, or repair - so check first! Tools Needed: 2-3" finish nails Hammer 4" exterior screws Trim (account for 20-30% extra for mistakes) 2x4 for header / footer / jack studs Reciprocating saw Jigsaw Miter saw Various levels Wooden shims Drywall saw Studfinder Flashlight Shop-vac 1圆 pine boards Primer/Paint/ Supplies Spackle/ Joint Compoud Measuring tape / Pencils It turned out to be a surprise for the wife, and a great success at that! My pass through is about 5 feet wide by 3.5 tall, which fits between two studs. Note: I had several tools already, including a nail gun and air compressor, but they can be rented from your local home improvement store for the day or weekend if necessary. Total time for this project was about 12 hours (careful pre-planning is necessary) and only 50 dollars worth of trim and various material. ![]() It would also require moving some electrical and possibly some vent ducting, which is also a pain. Knocking it down completely would require adding cabinetry or leveling the floor to match the height of the original sub floors, which would be a pain. After a month of sleuthing into my house's structural makeup, I decided to visually open up the non-bearing wall between the kitchen and dining room.
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