Moving a knock-down wall : how much effort?

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  • radhak
    Veteran Member
    • Apr 2006
    • 3058
    • Miramar, FL
    • Right Tilt 3HP Unisaw

    Moving a knock-down wall : how much effort?

    My wife's long complaint about our kitchen is that it is too small, like an apartment's. I agree. Recently we have also been talking about replacing the cabinets with something new (and IKEA's kitchens seem within the range of our wallet).

    But by itself that would not solve the earlier problem of size, so I had a thought of moving a wall over by a foot, or more. I think it's called a 'knock-down' wall because it is not load-bearing (it stops short of the ceiling by 3 feet). This section of the kitchen has cabinets and the dishwasher, so there's electric wiring inside (also on the living room side), which will have to be moved.

    The plumbing for the dishwasher too, but the visible part of it within the cabinet (flexible pipes) seem to tell me it should not be a major uprooting.

    Is this a major work? Wife is not willing to allow me a DIY here, so we'll need a contractor and I'm counting my pennies. How much will this change add to the cost of a simple replace of the existing cabinets/counter-top? Like 25% more, or will it double it?

    Frankly, I would remove that wall and put an island there, but that might mean a really huge cost...I think?

    Pictures:




    It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
    - Aristotle
  • poolhound
    Veteran Member
    • Mar 2006
    • 3195
    • Phoenix, AZ
    • BT3100

    #2
    Not sure why you think the island option would be more expensive. Unless I miss what you are trying to do, creating an island would be easier and not require a wall at all (and maybe therefore no contractor).

    If the island were 100% free from the side wall then you will have the issue of getting the utilities under the floor which could be tricky. If you make it a island joined with the side wall the low portion of the wall that contains the power/water could remain intact and you can then build around it.

    Its hard to tell from the photos but if the inside the kitchen part of the island were moved to near where the back of the current cabinets are then you could free up space next to the sink to put the dishwasher which should be more convenient anyway.

    If you went that route then the island is basically built out of a selection of base cabinets and possibly frame/door blanks (depending on how deep you go). The only real big expense I can see is when LOYL decides to do the island and the rest of the counter-tops in granite!
    Jon

    Phoenix AZ - It's a dry heat
    ________________________________

    We all make mistakes and I should know I've made enough of them
    techzibits.com

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    • radhak
      Veteran Member
      • Apr 2006
      • 3058
      • Miramar, FL
      • Right Tilt 3HP Unisaw

      #3
      Great idea, Jon! The far corner in the first picture could hold the dishwasher!

      Removes the pesky corner-cabinet problem too!

      And yes, on second thoughts, an island might make it easier.

      Thanks.
      It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
      - Aristotle

      Comment

      • tfischer
        Veteran Member
        • Jul 2003
        • 2343
        • Plymouth (Minneapolis), MN, USA.
        • BT3100

        #4
        My advice - knock down that wall. You'll be amazed how much more open and modern the room will look with all that space opened up.

        We used to have an L-shaped living/dining room with the kitchen walled off. Last year we did a major remodel, tearing out both of those walls, putting in a 2-level island bar and peninsula, and opening the space up to a large open rectangular "great room". Attached are a couple before and after pics, and if you'd like more, including many "in-progress" photos, you can click this link (public, no need to be a FB member): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=d84bc5c792

        Warning: kitchen projects multiply budgets VERY quickly.
        Attached Files

        Comment

        • radhak
          Veteran Member
          • Apr 2006
          • 3058
          • Miramar, FL
          • Right Tilt 3HP Unisaw

          #5
          Wow Tim! What a project - the before/after gives a great idea of the ROI!

          Thanks for the post - this is exactly what we need as input to consider our next step!

          Btw - was that a DIY? Or did you call in the pros? And how long did it take?
          It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
          - Aristotle

          Comment

          • tfischer
            Veteran Member
            • Jul 2003
            • 2343
            • Plymouth (Minneapolis), MN, USA.
            • BT3100

            #6
            Originally posted by radhak
            Btw - was that a DIY? Or did you call in the pros? And how long did it take?
            Mostly hired out. I've done many home projects - renovated a bathroom down to the studs, new deck, etc. etc but this one was a bit involved, and we wanted to minimize the kitchen downtime (which was about 6 weeks even with the contractor).

            We did most the demolition on the front end, and put in the new floor, tile backsplash, and painted (including the new ceiling) on the back end.

            Comment

            • capncarl
              Veteran Member
              • Jan 2007
              • 3564
              • Leesburg Georgia USA
              • SawStop CTS

              #7
              You may already know this, but from managing contractors for more than 30 years I have found that most contractors can't tell time! 6 weeks may not really be 6 weeks, it could be 6 months. You must have an understanding with the contractor on the schedule. He is putting your life on hold for the duration of the project and your wife is on your butt every minute of it. He can't have down days because his crew is working on another job, it is not your fault that he scheduled more work than he can complete. He can't wait a couple of days for a plumber or electrician to show up, that is your time, he needs to get it done. And the usual bull about not having but 1 trade working at a time is just that. 6 weeks usually means 2 steady work weeks stretched out to 6 weeks to cover for his riding around in a big truck making excuses. Does this text seem like I am critical of contractors? Yes it does, it is not your responsibility to train them to schedule. Good luck, I wouldn't ever contract a remodeling job during Christmas holidays.
              capncarl

              Comment

              • tfischer
                Veteran Member
                • Jul 2003
                • 2343
                • Plymouth (Minneapolis), MN, USA.
                • BT3100

                #8
                Originally posted by capncarl
                You may already know this, but from managing contractors for more than 30 years I have found that most contractors can't tell time! 6 weeks may not really be 6 weeks, it could be 6 months. You must have an understanding with the contractor on the schedule. He is putting your life on hold for the duration of the project and your wife is on your butt every minute of it. He can't have down days because his crew is working on another job, it is not your fault that he scheduled more work than he can complete. He can't wait a couple of days for a plumber or electrician to show up, that is your time, he needs to get it done. And the usual bull about not having but 1 trade working at a time is just that. 6 weeks usually means 2 steady work weeks stretched out to 6 weeks to cover for his riding around in a big truck making excuses. Does this text seem like I am critical of contractors? Yes it does, it is not your responsibility to train them to schedule. Good luck, I wouldn't ever contract a remodeling job during Christmas holidays.
                capncarl
                Our general contractor was awesome in that regard. He really got on the subs case if they were causing a delay. Our biggest delay was the electrician - it was someone he had worked with for years but they kept delaying our job for other jobs. Our GC was *not* happy about that and let them know. He was also able to speed things up with the rest of the process so our project wasn't delayed by that entire week. There were a number of cases where he couldn't get other subs to come on the now-more-aggressive schedule so he did the work himself.

                If anyone's looking for a general contractor in the west Minneapolis suburbs I'll gladly recommend this one to you via PM.

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