As a non-DIY expert, I think taking down walls sounds like a really scary thing to do. While I have full confidence in my husband’s ability to knock on walls and nod, much like Alan Carr in the Location, Location, Location mashup, it’s terrifying to think that one little mistake could mean a spare room coming down into the kitchen. We could pretend we lived in a studio, I suppose.
Knocking on the living room ceiling and drilling holes into it to fit the spotlights revealed that the joists run a certain way – on the floor plan shown here (which is actually a mirror image of ours, but the only one I could find), they run left to right, and I’ve indicated the walls we’re planning on taking down.
The builder didn’t comment when he came round to quote, so I think that means he was in agreement that they’re not supporting walls.
There is a lot to consider. These three walls contain quite a few items to move, including plug sockets, light switches, the house’s thermostat and two radiators. A third radiator needs to be moved from beside the loo. Everything then needs plastering. It’s not a small undertaking.
I’ve been advised by Barry (I’ve been told I can now provide my husband’s name, which makes life easier!) that electricity wires are, in theory, put in in straight lines. That should make moving the switches easier. Radiators are completely beyond me, but I’ve been told that the pipes come from above, not below, if that means anything to anyone. I’ll try and get some before shots shortly, but the loo’s currently a holding area for all of the stuff from the living room! It’s like living in one of those puzzles at the minute where you can only move one bit at a time.
The first thing to tackle in this whole thing is blocking off the sink and toilet. By removing them, it will give Barry more room to manoeuvre to get the walls surrounding them down. I’m just thinking about the fluffy towels we’ll have when we can fit a tumble dryer in the kitchen rather than hanging them on chairs or radiators to dry. Crispy!