How Do I Know if a Wall Can Be Removed?

Can this Wall be Removed?

When we walk through a property with a client and they say ‘Can this wall be removed’, we always say yes. Because it’s true. Any wall can be removed if it is carrying the weight or load of anything above it. You can transfer that load to a different place using posts and/or beams.

What is the Cost of Removing a Wall From My Home?

The more appropriate question should be ‘What will it cost and what will be involved in removing this wall?’ From a contracting perspective, the actual installation of posts and beams can be the fastest and least expensive part of wall removal. What becomes the tricky and expensive part is when you start looking at the costs to do so. 

Here are the Top 5 Things to Consider When Removing a Wall:

1. Will you require architect’s drawings, city permits, or a structural engineer’s services? Even if you don’t think you do, have a consultation with the right professional to be sure.
2. Walls are where we hide things including plumbing, electrical, gas lines, and HVAC (heating, venting, air conditioning). Rerouting these services can be tricky and pricy.
3. Consider patching in the floor. When you remove the average wall, there are typically a few inches underneath it where the existing flooring did not get installed. How do you aesthetically plan on making it look as though the wall were never there to begin with?
4. Patching the drywall and plaster and repainting. Once again, plan on aesthetically making it look as though the wall were never there to begin with.
5. The size of the project and the scope of the work will dictate how long it will take and how messy it will be. Consider storing your furniture in and around the area where the wall is coming out. Maybe even temporarily live elsewhere during the dirtiest and dustiest days. Or, have this work done before you move in if it’s a property you’ve just purchased.

Removing walls can almost always be done. The price and the headaches relating to it are the parts in the process that need to be discerned as soon as possible. You don’t want the place coming down on your head, and you don’t want to get in over your head.  

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This article is written by Fox Marin Sales Representative, Ian Busher. With an extensive background in carpentry and contracting, Ian is our resident “Renovations Expert”! He takes pride in his ability to assess the quality and condition of a house. This, in tandem with his talent for speaking to the feasibility and cost of potential renovations, and his eye for the aesthetic details of a property, makes him a powerful partner for anyone looking to buy a home in the Toronto real estate market.