Home Remodeling: How to Tear Down a Wall & Put Another One Up

Assess whether the wall is a load-bearing wall. Have a professional check whether it is weight-bearing if you are unsure. Keep in mind that walls running parallel to overhead attic joists usually are not load-bearing. Disconnect all electricity, and check for plumbing behind the walls. Remove the wall’s drywall or plaster carefully by using a hammer to tap through the wall surface. Proceed slowly if you are uncertain about wiring or plumbing inside the wall.

Use a crowbar to take out studs. Build a header beam, if the wall is load-bearing, to span the wall opening composed of 2-by-4-inch boards nailed together to form the beam. Install side support columns made of 2-by-4-inch boards to hold up the header beam. Construct an archway in the top of the opening made of studs, and use drywall to cover the archway framing. Install square premade side columns made of finished wood purchased at a home improvement store for a well-designed look.

Build support framing for a load-bearing wall opening left in place after knocking out a wall. This should be done even if you will move the wall over only a foot or two. Don’t take chances by removing all support in a certain wall space, because the walls could develop cracks -- especially if your walls are plastered. Construct a new wall within a few feet of the old one with 2-by-4-inch studs on 16-inch centers.

Use some creative approaches to build back a wall. Install glass blocks on each side of a 12-foot wall opening, for example. Build the glass sections about 2-foot wide. Build 2-foot-wide bookcases next to each glass block section on both sides, leaving a 4-foot opening to walk through. Construct a new wall made of white plaster with a toweled design. Accent the plaster areas with boards stained dark brown. Install these dark-colored boards in a pattern similar to gingerbread half-timbers used on the exterior of English Tudor houses.

Build a new wall with multiple uses in mind. For example, construct a wall back as a solid room divider that provides the option to install cabinetry along the wall to create a wet bar. Use 2-by-6-inch studs in the wall to provide support structure for heavy cabinets. Run wiring and plumbing materials while studs are open.

Construct the new wall with a pass-through, if you desire, to an adjacent room. Build a wall 18 inches deep with floor-to-ceiling storage and shelving for a flat-screen television, for example. Accent some of this wall with stacked stone veneer.