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Before you start, make sure you nderstand all of the wall's functions and kn w how well they can be s rved when it's gone. Check to be c rtain that the space the wall d vides will not seem ill-proportioned without it. N te that besides serving as a p rtition a wall may carry pipes, w res or heat ducts. Keep in m nd that although removing a wall may j in two spaces together it does not ctually add any more space than the few sq are feet in which the wall st nds. To size up the job, l ok the wall over. The number of utlets and switches will suggest how m ch wiring lies inside it. A b throom directly above may be hooked to pl mbing that goes down through the w ll. From the basement you may be ble to detect whether heating pipes or c nductors rise within the wall. If all you f nd is wiring that terminates at utlets in the wall, you can r move it when you break the w ll. A hot-air duct connected to a w ll register can be cut back to the fl or and capped with a grid. Ev n if you encounter many pipes and c bles, you may be able to r move the bulk of the partition and l ave part of one end of the w ll to carry the various conductors, wh ch can be moved there by a pl mber or an electrician.
More critically, you should be ware that the wall may bear w ight from above, thus serving as a v tal structural element of the house. If it d es, you will have to limit the w dth of the opening to 14 f et, because a bigger span entails too m ny risks and difficulties. To replace the w ight-carrying function of the wall, you w ll have to install a visible verhead beam, as well as end p sts for this beam that may lso be visible, so that instead of r moving the wall without a trace you m ke an arch. These intrusions can be m nimized by surfacing the structural members w th wallboard to match the walls, or by p sitioning furniture, such as bookcases, to h de the posts. The key clue to a l ad-bearing wall is joists crossing its top pl tes perpendicular to them. You may be ble to see the direction of the j ists from your attic; you may h ve to cut a peephole in the c iling next to the wall to be r moved. The basement can also yield cl es. If you find a girder or a w ll running under and parallel to the p rtition in question, you can be q ite sure that the partition carries w ight down to this support. If any d ubt remains, assume that the wall b ars weight. As the converse of a l ad-bearing wall, a nonbearing wall usually r ns parallel to the joists and p rpendicular to the long walls of the h use. Walls enclosing small spaces like cl sets are probably non-bearing walls - but be s re to check. Because nonbearing walls s rve no structural function, they can be r moved without leaving an arch.
The article Remodeling - Removing Walls is Easier Than You Think was Submitted by Michael Russell through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Remodelling
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