how much should it cost to knock a wall down

[DrPizza]

Looking at your layout - are you *sure* it's a supporting wall?

Also, since you said slab - you would be going from weight evenly distributed across the slab, to the weight being put on 2 points on the slab. I know relatively little about slab thicknesses & loads on slabs. In fact, I know virtually nothing about this - for this, I would definitely consult a structural engineer. Though, looking at that layout, I'm a little skeptical that it's a load bearing wall.

 

[brainhulk]

Looking at your layout - are you *sure* it's a supporting wall?

Also, since you said slab - you would be going from weight evenly distributed across the slab, to the weight being put on 2 points on the slab. I know relatively little about slab thicknesses & loads on slabs. In fact, I know virtually nothing about this - for this, I would definitely consult a structural engineer. Though, looking at that layout, I'm a little skeptical that it's a load bearing wall.

That would be great if it wasn't. I wouldn't have to put up a support pillar

 

[infoiltrator]

Is there a door frame in that opening or does the wall just "end."

 

[brainhulk]

Is there a door frame in that opening or does the wall just "end."

the wall just ends

 

[skyking]

does the roof peak run the left-right direction in your image? if so, it is likely not a bearing wall, as the pie man has stated above. You have slab-on-grade, so it is also unlikely to have any vent in it. No reason for that.
The switches are on either side of the open end of the wall for lighting. Moving those will be a real PITA. Your biggest bill will be for the electrician to relocate those switches.

 

[brainhulk]

does the roof peak run the left-right direction in your image? if so, it is likely not a bearing wall, as the pie man has stated above. You have slab-on-grade, so it is also unlikely to have any vent in it. No reason for that.
The switches are on either side of the open end of the wall for lighting. Moving those will be a real PITA. Your biggest bill will be for the electrician to relocate those switches.

Yep, roof peak runs left to right. I have a chandelier in the center room controlled by a light switch on the left side of the wall. The other side has no light switches

 

[dank69]

This is very rough layout of the floor plan and the wall I wanna take out

I'd be willing to bet it isn't load bearing from that floor plan. Might need 1 post.

 

[Paratus]

Should just be the cost of the kool aid

 

[Greenman]

Call a contractor out to have a look. There are far to many variables to attach a price to a project like this without looking at it. The obvious is easy, is it bearing or not? The not so obvious can be costly. Is the house in earthquake country? Could that be a sheerwall? Even if it's none bearing, it could be taking enough ceiling joist load to prevent them from sagging.
The issue is that we know nothing.

 

[bonkers325]

2 story house. ~20'x10' wall.

I wanna open up the family room to the dining room

Seeing as you live in SoCal, you will have to make sure that wall you want to tear down is not a wall designed to take seismic forces. Ditto for load bearing. Contractor usually has a go-to engineer/architect for these things.

 

[skimple]

I would cut off the drywall to expose the framing, then evaluate whether it is supporting the second floor/roof. It will also make it easier for a contractor to quote, since they won't have any surprises once they open the wall.

If you decide not to go through with it, all you have to do is hang some new drywall.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

Call a contractor out to have a look. There are far to many variables to attach a price to a project like this without looking at it. The obvious is easy, is it bearing or not? The not so obvious can be costly. Is the house in earthquake country? Could that be a sheerwall? Even if it's none bearing, it could be taking enough ceiling joist load to prevent them from sagging.
The issue is that we know nothing.

I already submitted this advice. He's asking us for something we can't possibly answer without complete conjecture.

Bids are free. Get several anyway. I always get 3-5 depending on the job, and I try to have them come out in succession so they all see they last one leaving. For something like this if you end up doing it at all you need a good GC who doesn't take any shit from his subs.

Anyway, Pizza probably has the best idea of this. From the drawing it looks like all of those walls bear some load. The wall in question will probably require a column (where the wall ends) under a beam to the outside wall to reduce the overall expense, because the other option is running a beam across the whole span which is a much bigger job.

PS, if your home builder is still around, they may have the blueprints.

Don't open your wall until a more than one contractor says it's required.

 

[Imp]

This is very rough layout of the floor plan and the wall I wanna take out

I've done work on a bunch of houses from the engineering side. From the looks of it, I'd have laid out all the beams from up to down all along the upper section and a second row in the bottom-right.

Having said that, we land beams on interior walls all the time (so they become load bearing), or we put posts at the end of walls to support the beam above, and those interior walls are good for working as shear walls -- if the outside walls are masonry, they wouldn't be THAT necessary, but still useful.

Long story short, get a professional (or two+) to look at it. Whether it's load bearing or not depends on what the builder/engineer felt like doing that day. Also, you'd have to know what's supported on the second floor (if you have one) because if the second floor has a column or wall at the same spot, that makes things even more difficult. If it were load bearing, an engineer would probably have to do a full analysis of your house and see if it could function without that wall, or what has to be put in to make it work. They bill at $150+/hour and take a few dozen hours...

 

[MonKENy]

I forgot it was a 2 story. yeah even taking down that wall if its not "load bearing" still puts stress on from the up stairs. you are going to want to run a support beam from one side to the other. Again not a big job. Where in CA do you live? Im in Riverside.

 

[DrPizza]

I already submitted this advice. He's asking us for something we can't possibly answer without complete conjecture.

Bids are free. Get several anyway. I always get 3-5 depending on the job, and I try to have them come out in succession so they all see they last one leaving. For something like this if you end up doing it at all you need a good GC who doesn't take any shit from his subs.

Anyway, Pizza probably has the best idea of this. From the drawing it looks like all of those walls bear some load. The wall in question will probably require a column (where the wall ends) under a beam to the outside wall to reduce the overall expense, because the other option is running a beam across the whole span which is a much bigger job.

PS, if your home builder is still around, they may have the blueprints.

Don't open your wall until a more than one contractor says it's required.

No, actually, Greenman. I didn't even think about earthquake codes. I didn't think that it could be a shear wall. But, Greenman and I agree - too many variables. That's why my estimate was between a few hundred and 15k+

 

[Greenman]

I already submitted this advice. He's asking us for something we can't possibly answer without complete conjecture.

Bids are free. Get several anyway. I always get 3-5 depending on the job, and I try to have them come out in succession so they all see they last one leaving. For something like this if you end up doing it at all you need a good GC who doesn't take any shit from his subs.

Anyway, Pizza probably has the best idea of this. From the drawing it looks like all of those walls bear some load. The wall in question will probably require a column (where the wall ends) under a beam to the outside wall to reduce the overall expense, because the other option is running a beam across the whole span which is a much bigger job.

PS, if your home builder is still around, they may have the blueprints.

Don't open your wall until a more than one contractor says it's required.

Bids aren't free, they're an overhead item included in the contractors price structure. Personally, if I find out the owner is getting more than three quotes, I generally won't bother looking at the project. The same is true when I get a call from someone and they specifically ask for a free estimate, all they're doing is shopping price. There is always someone who will be more than happy to low ball the project then skin them alive on extras, I don't operate that way, so there is no reason to waste my time looking at a project I almost certainly won't get.

 

[brainhulk]

Wall pics

 

[IronWing]

Just have zombie Reagan yell at it.

 

[Imp]

Even if you include x-ray pics of the wall it won't really help -- by which I mean, you need someone to see and inspect in person. A shear wall is as simple as a few 2x4s with a flat piece of plywood attached to it on both sides and enough nails anchoring it to the floor.

 

[Humpy]

In my area to make that wall go away like it was never there is a 2 weeks on site, 8K to 12K project. Assuming a few things like it being a typical modern house and not cantilevered off the side of a cliff. It is an obviously straight forward job except for maybe being in an occupied building and finding the right guy to get it done.

Being that it looks like there is a stair well/ clear story/ high ceiling on one side, it is a load bearing wall, supporting at least part of the second floor. It doesn't make sense to be a shear wall in that location, but I guess possible. Also unlikely to need an engineer as prescriptive building code will size the beam. None of that really matters as it's such a short distance with relatively light loads. The building department has the final say of course.

A beam could simply be tucked in flush with the lower ceiling and the intersecting beam/joists hung from it. Can't really tell what the floor is but it looks like basic oak strip flooring and easily patched in. The wall/ceiling material/finish is not an issue, nor is relocating the switch.

There is not a lot of engineering involved in light, residential construction. Replacing a wall with a beam and shifting some loads around is trivial work for an average carpenter.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

Bids aren't free, they're an overhead item included in the contractors price structure. Personally, if I find out the owner is getting more than three quotes, I generally won't bother looking at the project. The same is true when I get a call from someone and they specifically ask for a free estimate, all they're doing is shopping price. There is always someone who will be more than happy to low ball the project then skin them alive on extras, I don't operate that way, so there is no reason to waste my time looking at a project I almost certainly won't get.

Sorry, I should have said that bids are a necessary, customary, and acceptable loss contractors sustain in order to meet customers and sell themselves and their company in order to get work...

I didn't get asked for advice of character judgement, so the bit about unethical contractors is irrelevant. It's good that you brought it up maybe to help the OP, but I don't know why you're laying it on me. I didn't say anything wrong, just rubbed you the wrong way apparently.

 

[MonKENy]

where in so cal do you live?

 

[Imp]

Being that it looks like there is a stair well/ clear story/ high ceiling on one side, it is a load bearing wall, supporting at least part of the second floor. It doesn't make sense to be a shear wall in that location, but I guess possible. Also unlikely to need an engineer as prescriptive building code will size the beam. None of that really matters as it's such a short distance with relatively light loads. The building department has the final say of course.

I totally did not see the stairwell. Yep, every job (about a dozen) houses I've worked on, the walls around a staircase are loadbearing. However! We use beams through the those staircase walls on occasion, so the wall might be "hollow". Again, get it checked by an actual contractor.