Open Concept Wall Removal

Taking Out the Wall Without Guessing What It Does

The wall between a ranch house kitchen and its living or family room is the single most common thing people ask us to remove. It is also the thing most likely to be misjudged, because it looks like an ordinary partition from both sides and very often is not.

This page explains what we check, what the options are, and what the work involves.

Is It Load Bearing?

In a typical single story ranch, the roof rafters sit on the outside walls, and ceiling joists run across the house to tie those walls together and carry the ceiling. A long run of joists is often broken in the middle by an interior wall. If the kitchen wall runs roughly down the center of the house, perpendicular to the joists, there is a good chance the joists lap or splice on top of it.

That means the wall is holding up the ceiling, and depending on how the roof was framed, part of the roof as well.

We go into the attic to see it. We look at joist direction, whether joists are continuous over the wall or break there, whether any struts or braces come down from the rafters onto the top plate, and whether anything else (a duct trunk, a vent stack, a hanger) depends on that wall. We also look at the kitchen wall from below for a plumbing vent or a return air path.

If there is any real question, a structural engineer confirms the load and sizes the beam, posts and connections. That drawing goes into the permit set.

Dropped Beam or Flush Beam

Once a bearing wall comes out, something has to carry what it carried. There are two basic ways to do that.

A dropped beam sits below the joists, so it hangs down from the ceiling line. It is simpler to install and costs less. On a nine or ten foot ceiling most people barely notice it. On an eight foot ranch ceiling it can hang low enough to interrupt the view across the room, and it limits how high cabinets near it can go.

A flush beam sits at the same level as the joists. The joists are cut and hung from the sides of the beam with metal hangers, so the finished ceiling is flat from kitchen to living room. It takes more labor, needs temporary shoring walls on both sides while the joists are cut, and depends on having enough attic depth and the right framing to work. When it is possible, it is usually worth it in a low ranch house.

Either beam type carries its load down through posts at each end. Those posts need solid bearing underneath. On a slab foundation, a concentrated point load may call for a new footing below the post, which the engineer will specify.

When a Partial Opening Makes More Sense

Removing the whole wall is not always the best result. If a plumbing vent, a main duct or the electrical feed for half the house runs through that wall, rerouting all of it adds cost fast. A wide cased opening with a header, or a half wall with a counter on the kitchen side, can connect the rooms at a fraction of the price and keep a spot for base cabinets.

We price both options when the wall is complicated, and we tell you plainly which one we would choose in your house.

The Work, in Order

1. Plans and permit. Engineer’s drawing where needed, submitted to the City of Riverside along with the kitchen plans.
2. Protection and testing. Floors and adjacent rooms are covered. In houses of this age, older textured ceilings and flooring layers can be tested for asbestos before they are disturbed, and painted surfaces may contain lead.
3. Shoring. Temporary walls go up on both sides to carry the joists before the wall is opened.
4. Demolition. Drywall, studs and plates come out, and anything running through the wall is capped or rerouted.
5. Beam and posts. The beam is set, posts are installed on proper bearing, and connections are made to the engineer’s detail.
6. Rough inspection. The inspector checks framing, and any electrical or plumbing changes, before anything is covered.
7. Close up. Drywall, ceiling patching and flooring repair where the old wall stood. The floor strip under a removed wall is often the fussiest part to finish well.

Floors After the Wall Is Gone

The two rooms rarely share the same floor. The kitchen might have vinyl or tile, the living room carpet or original oak. Once the wall is gone there is a bare strip between them. Plan on continuous new flooring across both rooms, or a deliberate threshold, rather than trying to match an old material.

Cost

Removing a non bearing partition with patching can be in the range of $6,500 to $12,000. An engineered bearing wall removal with a flush beam, permit and finish work commonly runs $15,000 to $28,000 on its own, before any kitchen work. Most people combine it with a ranch home kitchen remodel, which lets demolition, electrical and drywall happen once. Call (951) 430-7000 and we will come look at the attic.