What You Need To Know Before You Knock Out A Wall

Knocking out a wall is one of the biggest interior home renovations to be concerned about. This can open up and transform a space. However, there is a lot you need to pay attention to before you start using the sledgehammer. Moving a wall is not as simple as it sounds. Let’s take a look at what you need to know before knocking out a wall. You may find that this project is more difficult than it sounds.

What You Need To Know Before You Knock Out A Wall

Load Bearing

You need to know if the wall you are planning to knock out is load-bearing or not. A load-bearing wall is a structure that supports the weight of the roof or flooring. It does this by transferring the weight to the foundation. This is why it is not a good idea to knock down this wall without considering how you would immediately reinforce it.

Plumbing & Electrical

When you knock out a wall you are very likely to encounter electrical or plumbing that is between the walls. It is usually easy to tell beforehand if a structure has plumbing lines running inside. You will know this depending on what area of the house you are knocking down a wall and if an appliance that uses water is near the wall. It is best to avoid knocking down a wall that has plumbing.

Permits

Not every jurisdiction requires a permit for tearing down a wall but, it can be a necessary step in some cases. Different cities have different regulations so it is always important to check these things before starting your project. The reason why this could be required is to ensure that the work is done correctly and handled safely.

Home Value

Before doing any kind of demo work in your home you want to consider how it affects your property value. You don't want to put yourself at risk of losing value in your greatest asset. If you're reducing rooms then you are likely to be lowering your home value, while if you are opening up a space, you could be raising your home value. Increasing the number of bedrooms in your home can improve your home value greatly.

Open Concept

An open living plan concept is appealing to many but you need to consider all of its aspects of this. If you are opening up your kitchen to the rest of the house then you will deal with the residual smells and noise that come from cooking in the kitchen. For some, this may be negative. If you are tearing down an office wall, then you are exposing yourself to whatever each day brings n your home without being able to shut out distractions or noise during your work day.

In Conclusion

For more information on homeownership and keeping the value of your home, always speak with a trusted agent or contractor in the industry. They will have good insight as to what the do’s and don’ts are with home renovation.