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First Thing I'll Do Is Knock Down This Wall
First Thing I'll Do Is Knock Down This Wall
 
People like open living spaces.  Many new houses are designed with open designs, but many older homes have more segmented designs.
 
A statement that is often made by a buyer when looking at an older home is "First Thing I'll Do Is Knock Down This Wall".
 
Unfortunately, if they don't do it right then the next thing that they will do is watch the house fall down..
 
Some walls are just partitions while other walls actually are load bearing walls.
 
Unless you have some engineering, or architectural knowledge, then before taking out a wall, you should probably consult with one of these structural experts.
 
A load bearing wall will typically run perpendicular to the joists.  If you go into the basement of the house and find a set of joists running from the outer wall to a center beam and then another set of joists running from the center beam to the other outer wall, then it is likely that a wall running above and along the center beam is a load bearing wall.  
 
If you go into the attic and find a truss system, whereby a strut is connected at a midway point to the roof and then ... more

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