Young House Love

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Knocking Out A Wall To Make A Large Cased Opening

After 330 days of living in darkness, we can fiiiinally see daylight in our kitchen. And it’s nothing short of ahhhhhmazing.

SteveDemo 6 Done Kitchen

This whole process took Licensed Contractor Steve and Right Hand Woman Tara almost seven hours of work (more on why we needed them, how we found them, and permit stuff here). Meanwhile John, Clara, and Burger hunkered down at his sister’s house to avoid the chaos and I stayed home to answer questions, offer up snacks/drinks, spy, drool, and live vicariously through them. They were amazing and we couldn’t be happier with the admittedly-still-very-raw but super-exciting-in-that-we-might-not-sleep-tonight result!

Here’s how it all went down. Literally. Of course this is completely over-simplified (and obviously isn’t a try-this-at-home tutorial since even we left it to the pros). First Steve and Supergirl Tara (can you tell I’m obsessed that our contractor’s right hand lady was a lady) used a power saw to precisely cut the full doorway opening into the paneling on the kitchen side of the room. First surprise: there’s not drywall or plaster behind the paneling- just studs. Good thing we decided to just paint it a while back (instead of tearing it down to hopefully find drywall/plaster behind it!).

SteveDemo 1 Paneling Down

This is also when we got a better view of what the electrical wire in the wall was doing, so luckily we had our guy on call so he could head over to take care of it while the wall was open.

Next Steve and Tara cut the drywall on the other side (which was actually two layers of drywall, doubled up) and busted her open. Light came streaming in, and from behind the curtain I pretty much lost my mind. In a good (but probably awkward and borderline creepy) way.

SteveDemo 1Half Drywall Dow

We already detailed what’s going on with those vents, but for anyone just tuning in: we had an hvac pro come out and ensure that losing those vents wouldn’t compromise our system. Then with his blessing John went under the crawl space and disconnected and capped ‘em (so the vents you see aren’t connected to anything anymore). We actually did that in our first house for our kitchen remodel as well.

SteveDemo 2 Drywall Down

Next Steve and Tara framed up two dummy walls for added support as they did their work on the header to reinforce the new opening (both from above and below in the crawl space).

SteveDemo 3 Fake Wall Dinin

It was kind of funny peering through all those planks of wood to see green grass, leaves, sunlight and all that other good stuff we never used to enjoy from the kitchen.

SteveDemo 4 Fake Wall Kitch

You can see the huge wooden header (and the drywall that we’ll need to patch above the doorway from this angle). The reason they worked on the header from this side? Drywall is much easier to patch for a seamless look than hacked up wood paneling. Yup, Steve and Tara = smartie pants peeps. Lastly they built in the half-wall for our peninsula to rest against and called it a day. Here’s what everything looks like as they’re pulling out of the driveway:

SteveDemo 5 Done Dining

Behold: my favorite view ever. The magnolia out front is like a giant canopy with light streaming in all around it. Feels like some sort of tropical paradise complete with a tree-umbrella. Yes, I’m delirious with joy – but you have to understand why. There’s light in my formerly dark and cavernous kitchen!

SteveDemo 6 Done Kitchen

Oh and see the electrical outlet reinstalled near the right side of the half-wall? We figure that will come in handy for anyone using laptops at the peninsula (most of the half-wall will be blocked by the peninsula once it’s installed, but since there will be a 12″ countertop overhang, a foot of wall space will show (which makes for a perfect outlet location).

When John got home we started laughing because we firmly believe it’s the first time that our fireplace has ever felt the delicious warmth of the sun streaming in on it. Might need to get him some sunscreen. Of course things still look a bit rough around the edges, but Steve and Tara’s work here is officially done (so I wrote out their $700 check as they went on their merry way). Now it’s up to us to:

  • drywall, mud, and sand the half-wall and the area above the door on the dining side where the header work was done
  • add a door jamb, a wooden ledge over the half-wall, and trim
  • prime and paint the walls, jamb, baseboard, and trim

But we can see it. When we stare long enough and squint hard enough we can picture it all coming together. Can you see it? Two or three pendants hanging over the peninsula, a giant chandelier over the big dining room table, painted cabinets and shiny stainless appliances, rich mocha cork on the floor, a cozy armchair or chaise in front of the fire. It’s all there when we fire up the ol’ imagination. Let’s stare one more time, shall we?

SteveDemo 5 Done Dining

SteveDemo 6 Done Kitchen

Of course the half-wall looks odd without the peninsula behind it so we can’t wait for that to come together. We’ll keep you posted as we finish things off around the opening (we’re already working on drywall, so here’s hoping we have that update for ya tomorrow). And just to refresh your memory, here’s a before shot taken from a similar angle on move-in day last December:

Kitchen Before Opening

Is that crazy or what?

As a reminder, our goal is to complete this kitchen overhaul over the next few months. Maybe by sometime in January? It’s still going to take quite a while to remove (and craigslist) the old counters, get our new counters installed, find or make matching doors for the new cabinetry that we added to create the peninsula, prime and paint all of the cabinets, tile the full-wall backsplash, build-out/install a range hood, hang open shelving, lay the cork flooring ourselves, etc. Yup, there’s lots to keep us busy, but you know we love a challenge. And most of all we love liiiight, glorious liiight. Oh happy day.

Comments

  1. Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication says

    Ahhh!! That is so exciting! I cant wait to see it all finished! My favorite part is the natural light you’re getting in the kitchen now! And the floor plan will be so much more open! Ahhh!! The kitchen has certainly come a long way since you guys first moved in!

    Reply

  5. Angela says

    Would love to see Clara and Burgers first reaction to the big improvement! Looks FAB! I can totally “see” your vision.

    Reply

  6. Nicole Y. says

    Just remember that you guys need to be doing some major house work that inconveniences your life close to Christmastime. It’s tradition right? :)

    Reply

  8. karen says

    So happy for you!!! i know this was a big job to do on your list…it looks perfect!!

    i just wanted to share (because i am overjoyed and losing my mind in a creepy way too) that i got my first pick architect to design our new home!!!!!! so thrilllled!!

    Reply

  10. rachael says

    Looks so good!!! Now that its open, it seems so weird that there was a wall there to begin with; that the only ways into the kitchen were through the office, hall or livingroom. I’m really thinking about taking out a wall in my house now!! My husband says he loathes this blog for all the ideas you put in my head, but in the same breath he says they are good ideas!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So far there has just been pointing and trying to run through the plastic (we’re keeping it blocked off for B & C’s safety until it’s a bit more completed). Can’t wait to see them walk through though!

      xo,
      s

  13. Laura says

    Yea for natural light! Just curious, are there certain things you two just wont tackle but leave up to the pros? What made you hire professionals for this job but not others? I think it’s really smart to know your limitations when it comes to home improvements.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yup! We definitely draw the line at anything structural or beyond our skill set that could be dangerous (ex: we call an electrician if we’re not familiar with rerouting or rewiring something because bad electrical can cause a house fire). If it’s not something dangerous though, even if we’ve never done it (like building a console table or a stone patio) we usually like to give it the old college try!

      xo,
      s

  14. LauraC says

    Looks great (understatement)! But I am so curious as to how they managed to keep the crown moulding in the dining room – it looks untouched? Crazy impressed with that.

    Reply

  15. Emma says

    Ahhh!! So great! If it were my house – I’d keep hopping between the two now-connected rooms like a crazy person. It looks amazing.

    Reply

  17. Hannah says

    WOW! It looks awesome! Maybe it’s just the angle of the pics, but the hole in the kitchen looks bigger than the hole in the dining room?

    When you mentioned plugging in laptops, it totally happens that way! There’s an island in my apartment, and there’s an outlet where the stools get pushed in (so by your knees when you’re sitting at the counter). There are also outlets on the cabinet side, which are really handy for mixers, so if you have the opportunity to add more outlets, I definitly recommend it!

    And thanks for the super quick turn-around with getting the pictures up! You’re so thoughtful to your readers!

    Reply

  20. Jill says

    Bravo! I’m excited for you all. We have a similiar floor plan, but where you all have an eat-in-kitchen, we have a family room. For a couple of months a few years back, we swapped the family room for the dining room. I loved it, but the rest of the clan shot me down. Now that I’m shipping them off to college one by one, the odds are evening up. I’ve already planted the seed in hubby’s ear to switch it again. Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply

  21. Lizzy says

    John must’ve been so jealous that you were there to watch the process and see the beautiful opening first! (I know I would have been!)

    Yeh, and the view of the front yard/perfectly centered tree is awesome!

    I’m happy for you guys and your new, airy space!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think he was jealous that I got to see it, but he’s happy to let me “manage” that stuff while he lays low and doesn’t have to deal with the noise or those hard what-do-you-want-to-do-with-this-unforseen-road-block questions! Haha.

      xo,
      s

  24. Erika says

    Looks great!

    I know you wanted to wait till the contractor finished thier work before recommending them. Can you share the name now?

    Reply

  28. Jenn says

    Believe it or not, we did the exact same thing to our house last spring. It was absolutely amazing and we also hired a contractor to demo the load-bearing wall. Isn’t it amazing to have sunlight in the kitchen? Congrats and good luck!

    Reply

  29. Kristen @ K Leigh Ford says

    It really looks amazing you guys!! Some over-the-internet-excited-giddiness is going on over here! I don’t think that’s ever happened before! You guys really know how to make people swoon over the anticipation of a project! :)

    Reply

  37. Patti says

    Luv it! *snapping fingers from left to right*
    I didn’t even think the lighting in there would change so much but wowza … what a difference!

    Reply

  38. Dani says

    Oh my gosh! It was dramatic at first, but then when you posted the pic of the unpainted paneling, holy cats! Seems my feeble mind had already started to forget what it looked like before you painted. What a difference!

    Reply

  42. Erin C. says

    Yay, you guys! We did a similar wall removal between our bright kitchen and our formerly dark living room. The difference the light makes is huge!

    Reply

  45. JennyB says

    It’s just super! I love all of the light filtering through.

    Now Clara has a circle run. Our 2 year old loves to run the big circle from our kitchen to dining to living room and back again. “Chase, Daddy, chase!!” Burger will love it, too!

    Reply

  46. Lindsey says

    Oh gosh that looks awesome. And even without it all getting prettified yet! Can’t wait to see it come together. As I read the post I wondered… didn’t you notice a hollow sound against the paneling in the kitchen when you painted, hung stuff, etc. due to no insulation or drywall? Just curious. So excited for you guys now that you have a light and breezy kitchen!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Never had a clue! Isn’t that funny? We even hung some big pictures on either side of the doorway that leads to the hall and never suspected a thing. Thanks goodness they stayed up (although we removed them for demo just in case)!

      xo,
      s

  50. Allison Suter says

    So many things about this post are AH-mazing. I want a right-hand-woman contractor (or heck a boss woman contractor) so bad! I would have been equally as excited!

    And man, as a light junkie… WOWOWOW! This is the best part of your whole remodel. The rest of the stuff will make it sparkle and shine and be pretty, but this is the day I’ve been waiting for since you moved in! Best. Day. Ever.

    Reply

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