Nearly every older Perth home has one wall that spoils it — the one between the kitchen and the living room. Taking it out is the single most common thing people ask about, and the job is either quite simple or quite serious depending on one question.
Is it load bearing?
Everything turns on this. A non-load-bearing wall is holding up nothing but itself. A load-bearing wall is carrying roof or floor load, and removing it without a proper structural design is dangerous and illegal.
You cannot tell by tapping it, and you often cannot tell from the plans either. It needs someone who knows what they are looking at, and where there is any doubt it needs a structural engineer.
We do not do structural work. No propping, no shoring, no beams. If the wall is load bearing, you need a registered builder and an engineer, and we will say so straight away.
If it is not load bearing
Then it is a decent day or two of work, and most of it is not the demolition.
What is inside the wall
Power points, light switches and wiring almost always run through it. Sometimes plumbing. Those have to be dealt with by the right licensed trades before anything comes out — an electrician for the wiring, a plumber for any pipework.
Making good the ceiling and floor
This is the part people forget. Where the wall met the ceiling there will be a strip of missing cornice and plasterboard. Where it met the floor there will be a gap in the floor covering, and if the flooring is tiles or boards, matching it is not always possible.
The plasterboard and cornice repair across that join is what makes the finished room look like the wall was never there, rather than like a wall was removed.
Painting
You will be painting both rooms, not just the join. Two rooms that were different colours are now one room, and a patch of new paint never matches old paint even in the same shade.
The honest summary
Non-load-bearing wall removal is a repair-and-finish job with a bit of demolition at the start. The demolition takes an hour. The making good takes days, and it is the part that decides whether the result looks professional.
If that is the job you have, see building repairs and refurbishment or just ring and describe it.
General information only. This article is general in nature. It does not take account of your property, your circumstances or current local requirements, and it is not a substitute for an inspection or professional advice. Please consider your own situation before acting on anything here, and get qualified advice where the work involves safety, structure, electrical, gas or plumbing. Kangaroo Building Works accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on this information.
