How to Build a Breakfast Bar Into a Wall Between the Kitchen & Living Room

Read through your house blueprints or hire a contractor to determine if the wall you want to remove is load bearing. You can still open things up if it is, but will need to create a load-bearing support beam to maintain structural integrity. You may also need to move electrical, water and gas piping to different locations.

Obtain all building codes and permits, if required. Check your local county for requirements and forms. Turn off all electrical and plumbing resources to the wall.

Remove the paneling or drywall on the wall by prying it off with a wedge and hammer. If the kitchen has cabinetry, remove all overhead cabinets by unscrewing them and setting them aside. The floor cabinets can stay intact and provide a base for the breakfast bar. However, you will want to remove flooring near the wall where a load frame will be created.

Hire a licensed electrician and plumber to move all power, gas and water lines in the wall.

Build a support wall, if needed, to support overhead load on bearing walls. Cut three 2-by-4 planks one inch short of the wall. Use tacking nails to temporarily secure one plank to the underside of the floor joists, one plank to the floor beneath the joists and one to the ceiling frame. Measure and cut 2-by-4 studs to wedge as uprights every two feet.

Remove the wall studs. Knock existing studs out with a blow with a sledgehammer to the base. Then wiggle the studs free from the nails in the overhead plate. Remove nail shanks and debris.

Install the new load frame and beam. Install four temporary beam supports which are 2-by-4 studs shortened by the width of the beam. Set the beam in place, wedging the beam up with shims to eliminate any gap between the beam and the ceiling. Measure and cut two permanent beam trimmers that support the beam on the wall studs where the beam secures to cradle the beam. Secure the trimmers to the beam with 3-1/2-inch connector nails every 6 to 8 inches. Secure the beam to the overhead plate in the same fashion. Remove the temporary support wall.

Install the counter top. Drill holes every six inches along the frame from within the cabinet. Apply caulk to the top of the cabinet frame. Set the butcher block top in place with the desired overhang. Drive 2-inch screws with fender washers into each screw hole from within the cabinet up into the block. The washers allow for expansion and contraction and prevent warping of the counter.

Refinish the wall by tacking drywall to the cabinet backs and painting it the desired colors.