Knocking down internal walls is an ingenious way to spruce up your indoor décor.
Fewer walls can create a spectacular illusion of space, making your tiny rooms appear larger than they actually are. It also ushers more natural light into your home, eliminating shadows and dark corners.
Besides, removing internal walls can give your home a touch of modernity and interconnectedness. The vast open spaces promote social interactions. This can help foster cohesiveness, especially in larger households.
Moreover, wall removal enhances better airflow and promotes energy conservation by minimizing undue strain on space heaters and air conditioners.
But unlike many home improvements, wall removal isn’t a domain for DIY aficionados. A professional is especially necessary if the project involves knocking down load bearing walls.
In this post, we highlight the various reasons to enlist a specialist when seeking to demolish a load-bearing wall.
1. Offer Sound Advice
Wall demolition can transform your home into a magical living space. But there are risks to contend with too, especially for load-bearing walls.
A wall demolition expert will provide sound advice before proceeding with the load bearing wall removal work.
Besides enumerating the aesthetic benefits, the contractor will also highlight any structural implications of knocking down your home’s load-bearing walls. This information will help you make an informed decision before greenlighting the remodeling work.
2. Meet Regulatory Compliance
Special permits are mandatory to undertake wall removal. Obviously, such permits are only issued to qualified wall demolition experts.
Conducting wall removal without proper permits is a violation of building codes. Penalties can include hefty fines, costly delays, or (worse yet) entire project reversals.
Hiring a professional wall demolition company is the surest way to avoid these unpleasant surprises. If you’re in Perth, as the rest of Australia, insist on a contractor with a BA5 permit.
3. Can Accurately Identify Load-bearing Walls
Not every wall is load-bearing. Unfortunately, this isn’t always immediately apparent to the average homeowner.
Cases abound where DIYers or inexperienced wall demolition companies mistook a wall as load-bearing, only to discover much later that they knocked down partition walls. You can only imagine the risks if you ended up demolishing several load-bearing walls without implementing appropriate safety measures.
With a professional, you’re assured of avoiding these potentially life-threatening mistakes.
Most wall removal experts will pinpoint load-bearing walls even without looking at your home’s architectural plan.
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4. Avert Structural Damage
Load-bearing walls support the weight of the structural loads above them, usually a roof or other floors (for multi-story buildings). They differ from partition walls, which only hold their own weight.
Removing a load-bearing wall can severely impact a building’s stability. Therefore, due diligence is critical to avert unintended accidents.
Before knocking down a load-bearing wall, professional demolition companies will make appropriate provisions for weight transfer.
Solid supports are necessary to manage the upper weight previously held by a load-bearing wall. Whether these are temporary posts or permanent beams, they can help prevent cracking of adjacent walls, sagging of the upper weight, or total structural collapse.
5. Work With the Future in Mind
Removing a load-bearing wall is an inherently risky procedure. Even if a building doesn’t collapse immediately, its structural integrity may decline significantly if the project is undertaken by an inexperienced DIYer.
Working with an expert helps safeguard your home’s future following wall demolition.
Before undertaking wall removal, a professional will accurately calculate the weight supported by the wall in question and design robust support systems.
Experienced wall demolition companies also understand that load-bearing walls shouldn’t be removed multiple times in their lifetimes. Therefore, they strive to get it right with each project.
6. Safely Handle Utilities Within Wall Cavities
Walls, whether load-bearing or partition, typically house several utilities within their cavities. Those include plumbing lines, electrical wires, and HVAC ducts.
While undertaking a wall demolition, extra caution is necessary to avoid damaging these sensitive components.
Accidentally drilling through a water pipe can cause severe flooding in your home, delaying the wall demolition project. The risks are more severe if the mishaps expose electrical wires.
A wall removal expert will leverage their architectural experience to pinpoint the utilities encased within the cavities of your load-bearing walls. Next, the company will safely reroute these components to avoid disruptions during the demolition work.
7. Improve Your Household’s Personal Safety
Wall demolition presents high risks of physical injuries.
The hammering action could send debris flying dangerously towards your loved ones, causing grievous bodily harm. Injuries could also result from mishandling the demolition tools.
Besides, bringing down a heavy wall could cause unintentional damage to nearby structures.
Working with a professional demolition company helps minimize these hazards. The technician will carefully knock the wall down to minimize personal injuries and property damage.
Sure, it’s safe to whisk everyone out of adjacent rooms before wall removal. However, engaging an experienced contractor provides extra peace of mind knowing the project will be undertaken by someone who takes your personal safety seriously.
Seasoned wall removal experts have demolition public liability insurance too. This cushions you from liability for personal injuries or property damage sustained during the demolition work.
8. Handle Waste Management and Hazardous Compounds
Wall demolition works typically create a significant amount of debris. Managing such waste can be a serious challenge, in addition to attracting extra disposal fees.
Fortunately, many professional wall removal experts handle the entire project – from preliminary inspections to actual removal and post-demolition cleanup.
Besides, demolishing older Australian homes presents an additional hazard – asbestos exposure. Inhaling asbestos dust can pose severe medical risks, including respiratory irritation and certain cancers.
A professional will inspect your property for asbestos before undertaking wall removal. While the contractor may charge additional fees for removing this dangerous substance, the extra markup pales in comparison to the long-term cost of treating asbestos-related conditions.
Wrap Up
DIY wall removal presents inherent dangers, including injuries from debris and exposure to asbestos.
Undertaking a wall removal project by yourself could also result in accidentally hitting utilities. Depending on what you struck, you could suffer devastating flooding or electrical shocks. Not to mention incurring unnecessary costs repairing the broken fixtures.
Even if you somewhat manage to demolish a wall, there’s debris cleanup and rebuilding work to contend with.
The surest way to minimize these dangers is to enlist a professional wall demolition expert.
Hiring a wall removal specialist is especially recommended if you’re seeking to demolish a load bearing wall. The technician will carefully navigate the demolition process, managing weight transfer to avoid structural collapse. They’ll also handle waste management, any accidental property damage, and the rebuilding work.
