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Post by teach4u on Nov 4, 2017 18:04:47 GMT
My husband would like to have a contractor give us a quote on moving a load baring wall. This change would expand our current kitchen/dining room. He wants to update our ranch make the house more open. He'd like to move the wall back and install a "barn door" (one on rails) which we roll shut when we want more privacy, etc.
He's thinking this project would cost about $2500-3000 (just the consultation and movement of wall).
Any experiences with moving walls?
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freebird
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Post by freebird on Nov 4, 2017 18:06:42 GMT
You're going to have to put in a large support beam (metal or wood) to support the load bearing wall you took out. Depending on if you're doing it yourself or hiring someone, plus the length of the wall and support beam, your projection could be too low (or right on if you're DIY).
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Post by teach4u on Nov 4, 2017 18:11:45 GMT
We want a professional to consult. The wall is approximately 8 feet long. We have a pass through from the living room into the kitchen. There's a "breakfast nook" , space that's never used, that we want to get rid of make it one open room. Basically moving an 8 foot long beam back 6 feet.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Nov 4, 2017 18:25:50 GMT
It's not just moving a beam 8 feet. It completely depends on the structure of the roof - you may need to add an additional beam. You said ranch, so I'm assuming no second story. Your region will make this number vary widely. Some require engineering which could consume your entire budget. Others have pretty straightforward process to size beam based on span. Are you sure it's load bearing?
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Post by teach4u on Nov 4, 2017 18:32:08 GMT
I'm not sure, but my husband believes it is. My nephew and wife are engineers (albeit civil engineers rather than structural).
We don't have a second floor.
The long term plan is to put in solid surface counters, new cabinets, and an island. The house will be paid off in 10 years, and we don't want a larger house payment. Hence the remodeling projects. My max on this is whole overhaul is $10,000.
House is 2,000 sq ft for reference.
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quiltz
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Post by quiltz on Nov 4, 2017 19:01:54 GMT
I would make sure that a structural engineers, and pay for one; because sometimes "free" turns out to be too expensive.
A bearing wall is very important to the overall structure of the house. Be Careful.
I think that your estimate for costs is on the very low side.
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Post by Basket1lady on Nov 4, 2017 19:15:35 GMT
It really does depend. Even if the beam is load bearing, the span could be shorter. An engineer's consult will be money, the actual work to figure out the load more money, the fabrication of the beam can be money if it needs to be beefed up, then the installation... Not to mention moving any electrical, plumbing, or duct work. It seems like the two big expenses to an open concept are the engineering of the beam and moving what was once hidden in the wall, with duct work being the most expensive.
Counters will run you a few thousand, same with lower end cabinets. Then if you are adding or moving electrical or plumbing, it would be more. I know $10,000 is a lot of money, but you are probably looking at twice that realistically. Can you paint the cabinets? The look seems to be trending now to a focal island, with different colored cabinetry. Maybe that would help save money, if your cabinets are in good condition?
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Deleted
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May 18, 2024 4:15:32 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2017 19:22:53 GMT
Your estimate is way way to low , especially if you are not doing it yourself. Well even for the report that you have to do for the permit.
Depending on code you may or may not take out a load bearing completely. Some codes require that a wall be so many feet. You will find that you are going to need a manufactured I beam And that you may be require to tie that I beam into a post and pylon system.
Now that you will have to open the ceiling, you might want to check to see how much more it will cost to raise your roof over that section to give you a bonus room.
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amom23
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Post by amom23 on Nov 4, 2017 19:25:08 GMT
Definitely consult with a professional about moving a low bearing wall. Also, 10,000 for a total kitchen remodel is pretty unrealistic. Those HGTV design shows are totally out of touch with real world prices.
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Post by belgravia on Nov 4, 2017 19:44:58 GMT
I'm not sure, but my husband believes it is. My nephew and wife are engineers (albeit civil engineers rather than structural). We don't have a second floor. The long term plan is to put in solid surface counters, new cabinets, and an island. The house will be paid off in 10 years, and we don't want a larger house payment. Hence the remodeling projects. My max on this is whole overhaul is $10,000. House is 2,000 sq ft for reference. How on earth are you going to do new cabinets, countertops and a new island for less than $10,000? I don't think that's remotely realistic, sorry. |
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Post by volunteergirl on Nov 4, 2017 20:17:14 GMT
I just remodeled a kitchen. It was not high end at all, included very little plumbing and electrical work, and was about 2 1/2 times your budget.
Don't forget flooring. Where you open the wall will probably not have any flooring underneath, so you will have to match the floor. |
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Post by mom on Nov 4, 2017 20:18:57 GMT
It will cost you more than $3000 easily. The beam itself will be over $1500.
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Post by mom on Nov 4, 2017 20:21:48 GMT
I'm not sure, but my husband believes it is. My nephew and wife are engineers (albeit civil engineers rather than structural). We don't have a second floor. The long term plan is to put in solid surface counters, new cabinets, and an island. The house will be paid off in 10 years, and we don't want a larger house payment. Hence the remodeling projects. My max on this is whole overhaul is $10,000. House is 2,000 sq ft for reference. This means nothing in context to your building permit that will be required. You will have to have a certified structural engineer. SaveSave |
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GiantsFan
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Post by GiantsFan on Nov 4, 2017 20:35:43 GMT
I don't know how much a load bearing wall costs, but I do know about kitchen remodels. We're pretty handy and did most work ourselves.
Our first house we did a semi-custom kitchen. DH put in $15,000 and I put in $10,000 (we had separate finances at the time). There was no movement of power or plumbing lines, just a straight rip out and replace. Ripped out down to studs and replaced sheetrock, cabinets, flooring, countertops and appliances (except for refrigerator) was over $31,000.
Our current house kitchen remodel, again a DIY rip out to the studs with no changes to plumbing or electrical, replaced with custom cabinets, countertops, flooring and backsplash was $38,000. (the only appliance purchased was a microwave)
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Nov 4, 2017 20:49:22 GMT
We removed 2 load bearing walls when we remodeled our kitchen and living spaces. In addition to the cost of the beams and contractor's charges, there was an additional cost to hire a structural engineer to sign off on the project. Just the structural engineer alone was $1,500. That was a requirement by the city codes. The beams were almost $2,000 - each. Then you have to figure in the cost to install flooring where the wall was, not to mention moving any light switches/wall plugs. Moving the wall also means that you will have to repaint the ceilings in those rooms. It's one of those projects that sounds simple, but has a domino effect.
Getting an estimate is a good idea, getting at least 3 estimates is an even better idea. Also ask them who they are using as a structural engineer so that you can get reviews on them in addition to the contractor.
As for your overall budget of $10,000, I'll agree with the others that it will be difficult to do all you want (move wall, cabinets, island and solid surface counters). Before you start moving the wall, you might want to get some estimates on all the other things you want to do as well. And when looking at estimates, figure in another 20% minimum for cost overruns. I've yet to hear of anyone not having cost overruns with a remodel, especially a kitchen remodel.
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Gennifer
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Post by Gennifer on Nov 5, 2017 2:21:40 GMT
I’m on my second kitchen remodel in 3 years. I think you’d be looking at $2500-3k to remove a non-load-bearing wall, by the time you pay for electrical, drywall, floor-patching, etc. I would double it for load-bearing. (Are you okay with a visible beam that drops down into the space, or are you going to want it raised into the ceiling? That will affect your price, too.)
IMO, $10K would get you a ‘freshen up.’ New counters/backsplash, paint the walls, maybe new lights. If you are willing to DIY everything, and go with IKEA-priced cabinets, you could potentially do it for 10K. That would be extremely low, though... I’m talking ikea butcher block counters, too. And no wall-removal or outside contractors. (We did our last kitchen, our starter home, in this price range.)
The one we are working on now is our forever home, so we are doing things differently. The counters that were installed last month were about $6K, just by themselves. We went with a budget quartz from IKEA, and we didn’t have to buy full slabs, so no wasted overage. Our price out-the-door was about $65sf, because they were on sale. Buying the exact same counters from the exact same fabricator (IKEA contracts it out) they were about $100sf. You can get budget granite in the $20-30 price range, and pre-fab laminate or butcher block for even cheaper, but those are just material prices. You still have to fabricate them. Anything that you are having done by a stone shop will be at least $40sf to fabricate. If you can do it yourself (butcherblock, or soapstone if you feel brave) you can save significantly.
So much depends on your taste and style, as well as your cost-of-living area. Figure anywhere from $5K-$50K for cabinets. $1K-5K for backsplash. $300-1K for a sink. $200-800 for a faucet.
All of this is assuming you’re working within the same basic layout. Moving plumbing, electrical, or gas will add more to the budget. Are you on a slab? Triple it. And don’t forget the 10-15% general contractor fees, permits, added expenses from eating out more due to no kitchen, etc.
I think kitchen remodels are one of the most satisfying home-improvement projects you can do, but be realistic about the expenses. (And I totally get it, with this one we took out a wall, but left load-bearing posts, and removed a drop-down ceiling to vault it to 14’. The difference is phenomenal, and well-worth the expense.)
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