Wall Removal Costs

When you are remodeling a home, you might decide that you want to knock out one of the walls to open up a room. For example, if there is a wall between the kitchen and the living room, many people like the idea of removing the wall to have an open floor plan that can be great for entertaining. Others might want to take down a wall between two bedrooms to create a large office. There are endless possibilities.

However, when you remove a wall, there are many things to think about before grabbing the sledgehammer and getting started. For example, you have to consider whether it is a load-bearing wall or not. If it is, there is a chance that you might not be able to remove it, or that you will need to add some other type of support structure to the area if you do.

Wall removal: 10’ x 10’ interior wall that is not a load-bearing wall.

Other considerations and costs

• Even if it is not a load-bearing wall, there is still the chance that it could have important elements hidden inside, such as plumbing or wiring.
• The material will affect the price when you remove the wall. A plaster or sheetrock wall is easier to remove and therefore cheaper. Walls made of brick are more difficult to remove.
• If there are electrical wires and plumbing that will need to be moved, this is going to add to the cost substantially. It will mean that you need to bring in a plumber and/or an electrician who can take care of it for you. This will also add time to the removal process.

DIY considerations

• The removal of a wall should only be done by experts. They can ascertain whether it is a load-bearing wall and whether it contains wiring or plumbing.
• If you are adamant about wanting to knock the wall down yourself, and you are having a contractor take care of other parts of the remodel, you can ask them if it is safe for you to demolish. If a load-bearing wall were to come down, it could damage the structure of the entire home.

References

• Craftsman Estimator Costbook, complete series year 2019.
• Latest prices found on Home Depot and other vendor Web sites.
• Literature review of DIY Web sites.