How To Remove A Non-Load-Bearing Wall

How to Remove a Non-Load-Bearing Wall
By
Lee Wallender
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
In This Article
 Basics of Removing a Non-Load-Bearing Wall

 Safety Considerations
 Project Metrics
 What You Will Need
 Instructions
 When to Call a Professional
Walls are routinely removed in homes. This is a project that opens up space, provides greater flexibility, and
often corrects poor home remodels by previous owners.
There are two types of walls in a house: load-bearing and non-load bearing. Load-bearing walls support the
weight of elements above such as the roof, attic, second floor, and joists. All exterior walls are load-bearing,
while only some interior walls are load-bearing. By contrast, a non-load-bearing wall supports only itself. While
it may be physically attached to the ceiling, it does not support the ceiling. Non-load bearing walls exist only to
separate rooms.
This means that, as a do-it-yourselfer, you can remove a non-load-bearing wall with relative ease—once you
confirm that it does not bear loads.
Basics of Removing a Non-Load-Bearing Wall

Older houses were segmented into many small rooms to control heating or because milled lumber was incapable
of spanning great distances. Today's inexpensive laminated veneer lumber (LVL) had not yet arrived.
Newer, post-World War II houses began to adopt the open floor plan with beams that could span those
distances. These houses typically have a single large communal area that includes a kitchen, dining room,
family room, and two or three bedrooms.
Why You Have Non-Load-Bearing Walls
Even if the purpose of the wall is not to bear loads, it may exist for other reasons: sound blocking, energy
segmentation, privacy considerations. You will often find these types of non-load-bearing walls:
 Closet walls
 Walls between bedrooms
 Interior basement walls
 Walls that create a home theater or entertainment area
 Any kind of set of angular walls such as for a kitchen pantry or a powder room
31 Fabulous Feature Walls for Every Room in Your Home
The Secret of Removing a Non-Load-Bearing Wall
Home shows often have hosts and homeowners bashing walls with sledgehammers. Instead of that, your
approach to removing a non-load-bearing wall will be more surgical. Bashing down a wall with extreme force is
needlessly messy and dangerous. In fact, this approach may not even work.
Rather than trying to topple the wall, you will dismantle the wall. Dismantling happens in layers, from outer to
inner, much like peeling away an onion. After removing obstacles like light switches, sconce lights, and towel
racks, you will remove the drywall from the studs. After the drywall, you will remove items within the wall.
Finally, you will cut down the studs, pull them back, and dispose of them.
Safety Considerations
Removing a non-load-bearing wall can be dangerous in many respects. First, the process of removing the non-
load-bearing wall touches on many hazardous elements and activities: live wires, sharp metal (even glass and
razor blades), vermin, heavy items falling on you, and other types of injuries. For this, always be fully suited up
with safety gear. Second, if you mistakenly remove a load-bearing wall, you risk severe damage to your home
that can be extremely costly to fix.
Project Metrics
 Working Time: 2 hours (for a 10-foot long wall)
 Total Time: 3 hours
 Skill Level: Intermediate
 Material Cost: None
What You Will Need

Equipment/Tools
 Circular saw
 Reciprocating saw
 Cordless drill
 Six-foot step ladder
 Hammer
 Tape measure
 Voltage tester
 Safety gear: thick gloves, thick-sole boots, long-sleeve shirt and pants, safety glasses, hearing protection,
and breathing protection.
Instructions
Determine That the Wall Is Non-Load-Bearing
Walls always define rooms but only sometimes do they bear weight from above. When they do bear weight,
they are important to the structural integrity of the entire house. These clues can help you determine if a wall is
load-bearing:
 All exterior walls are load-bearing. There is no exception to this rule.

 If the wall parallels the joists above, it likely does not bear loads.
 Conversely, if a wall is bearing loads, it will be built perpendicular to the joists above it.
 Some walls built at a perpendicular angle still might be non-load bearing. A closet is a good example of
a non-load-bearing wall that often runs at a 90-degree angle to the joists.
1:41
Watch Now: How to Tell If a Wall Is Load-Bearing
Turn Off Power and Water
At the circuit breaker, turn off electricity running through the wall. Shut off intermediary water shut-off valves
or turn off the water at the house's main shut-off valve.
Obtain Permits
Load-bearing and non-load-bearing wall removal is a permitted activity in nearly all communities. Even though
you may have determined that you can remove your wall with no effect on the house's structural integrity, your
city or county permit agency will need to confirm this. Apply for the permit at least two weeks before you plan
to remove the wall.
Remove Surface Obstacles
Even items such as light switches and faceplates that you intend to include in the trash should be individually
removed beforehand. They can make it more difficult to remove the drywall.
Remove Drywall
With the claw end of the hammer, chop into the drywall. Fold back and discard small pieces. With your hands,
peel away dangling sections of drywall. When you can locate a drywall screw, unscrew it. Any drywall screws
that you can remove make it simple for you to remove the drywall.
Clear Wires and Pipes From the Walls
Services and utility lines often run through interior walls: electrical cables, plumbing supply pipes, sewer waste
pipes, communications cables, and more.
If your interior non-bearing wall has utilities, then you may want to hire a plumber or electrician to come in to
cap off or stub out those services. For electrical, you will be left with a junction box that is covered by a blank
faceplate, which can usually be painted over.
Cut Away Studs and Remove

With the reciprocating saw, cut studs at the center. By hand, pull the cut studs back.
Cut Away Protruding Nails
Nails will protrude from the ceiling and the floor. Put the metal-cutting blade in the reciprocating saw and cut
away the nails.
When to Call a Professional

Determining whether an interior wall is bearing or not bearing loads can be a tricky business. You can get the
opinion of a contractor or structural engineer who will charge you an hourly or flat fee to check out the wall.

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What are the main steps to remove a non-load bearing wall?

What safety precautions should be taken when removing a non-load bearing wall?

How to Remove a Non-Load-Bearing Wall

The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

 Basics of Removing a Non-Load-Bearing Wall

Basics of Removing a Non-Load-Bearing Wall

Why You Have Non-Load-Bearing Walls

31 Fabulous Feature Walls for Every Room in Your Home

The Secret of Removing a Non-Load-Bearing Wall

What You Will Need

 All exterior walls are load-bearing. There is no exception to this rule.

Watch Now: How to Tell If a Wall Is Load-Bearing

Turn Off Power and Water

Remove Surface Obstacles

Clear Wires and Pipes From the Walls

Cut Away Studs and Remove

Cut Away Protruding Nails

When to Call a Professional

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