“Knocking down the walls” was the general theme of several projects we did last year at OAK Structural. In most cases, the clients wanted to remove and/or rearrange interior walls of their homes as part of a kitchen remodeling project. A majority of the clients had lived in their homes for a long time and intended to live in it after the remodel. Few clients had bought older homes and wanted to “update” the kitchen. Updating the kitchen usually involved making it bigger and opening it up to the living and dining rooms.

In the old days, people did not want to smell up the whole house when they were cooking, perhaps because the ventilation systems were not that good. They also did their cooking before the guests arrived and did not socialize while they were cooking. New homes have bigger kitchens that are open to dining and living rooms. These kitchens have granite countertops and islands, a TV, and a computer desk. Now, you can watch TV or surf the web while you are cooking and watch over your children while they are doing their homework. You can also socialize with your guests while you are cooking. With powerful vents on hoods and appliances, “smelling up the house” is no longer a problem.

If you are planning to remodel your kitchen, you should consult a structural engineer before “knocking down” a wall, as you need to know if the wall you want to remove is a bearing wall (carrying the ceiling, the floor above, or the roof) or a shear wall (helping your house resist earthquakes).

Don’t be discouraged if the wall you want to knock down turns out to be a bearing wall or a shear wall; your structural engineer will figure out how to compensate for the loss of that wall. Usually, he will design a new beam to carry the loads that the wall was carrying, and new posts and footings to support the beam. Compensating for the loss of a shear wall may require converting another wall into a shear wall, strengthening an existing shear wall, or inserting a steel frame where the wall is removed.

During the construction you will not be able to use your kitchen for a few weeks. But when it is all done, you will love your new kitchen and wonder why it was not built that way to start with.

If you are thinking of remodeling your kitchen or otherwise knocking down some walls in your home, OAK Structural and its architect and contractor partners would be happy to talk to you about your project and help you turn your thoughts into reality.