Hello!
I've just bought my first apartment, a small, lovely studio of 26 square meters with a kitchenette. I'm considering tearing down the wall to the kitchenette to open it up and make it larger. The wall consists of lightweight concrete blocks, and there's currently a radiator on the wall that I plan to remove entirely.
The red-marked area is the wall I'm considering tearing down:
My first question is simply how much of this I can do myself. I know I need a plumber to reroute the water, but what about the rest? Is it enough with a sledgehammer and a persistent friend, do I need to rent tools to do it, or do I have to hire a professional to take care of the entire wall?
Grateful for answers!
I've just bought my first apartment, a small, lovely studio of 26 square meters with a kitchenette. I'm considering tearing down the wall to the kitchenette to open it up and make it larger. The wall consists of lightweight concrete blocks, and there's currently a radiator on the wall that I plan to remove entirely.
The red-marked area is the wall I'm considering tearing down:
My first question is simply how much of this I can do myself. I know I need a plumber to reroute the water, but what about the rest? Is it enough with a sledgehammer and a persistent friend, do I need to rent tools to do it, or do I have to hire a professional to take care of the entire wall?
Grateful for answers!
Is the house otherwise built in concrete? When is the building from, the 50s-70s maybe?
That wall most likely doesn't support anything, so it can just be torn down. But since I haven't seen it in real life, I still think you should have someone knowledgeable take a look at it before you start breaking it down.
That wall most likely doesn't support anything, so it can just be torn down. But since I haven't seen it in real life, I still think you should have someone knowledgeable take a look at it before you start breaking it down.
The house is from sometime in the 50s. I've had a consultant look at the wall, and according to him, it's not load-bearing.
So you think I can manage to take down the wall with the help of a sledgehammer and a persistent friend?
So you think I can manage to take down the wall with the help of a sledgehammer and a persistent friend?
Dust I am prepared for, luckily I still have my current apartment for another month so I don't need to live there while I demolish. I guess a couple of respirators might be a good investment before the demolition begins 
The only thing I'm a bit unsure about is the radiator. As it stands now, it's attached to the wall I want to tear down. What I'm considering is whether I can demolish the whole wall and let the radiator stand on the bench in the kitchenette, or if I should expose the pipes so a plumber can redo them before I tear down the rest of the wall. What do you think?
The only thing I'm a bit unsure about is the radiator. As it stands now, it's attached to the wall I want to tear down. What I'm considering is whether I can demolish the whole wall and let the radiator stand on the bench in the kitchenette, or if I should expose the pipes so a plumber can redo them before I tear down the rest of the wall. What do you think?
A reciprocating saw is the most convenient in my opinion.
The best thing is if you, the first thing you do, can chop out the pipes at the place where they need to be plugged so the plumber can fix it. Then it's just a matter of tearing down.
The best thing is if you, the first thing you do, can chop out the pipes at the place where they need to be plugged so the plumber can fix it. Then it's just a matter of tearing down.
Before you start tinkering with this, for safety's sake, find out where the shut-off valve for the heating pipes specific to your apartment is.linc said:
I assume you've added apartment insurance to your home policy?
If you have trouble finding a suitable reciprocating saw, an angle grinder with an appropriate disc could be an alternative.
Hello!
I have some experience with demolishing walls made of lightweight concrete.
I've used a reciprocating saw = dusty, sledgehammer = makes a lot of noise plus you still have to saw afterward.
Handsaw = Best tool for demolition.
Mark the cut where you want to demolish the wall, mark on both sides.
Saw along the line, have someone stand on the other side of the wall to check that you are on the line there as well.
Use a reciprocating saw or hacksaw to cut any reinforcement.
In your case, what do you plan to do with the radiator afterward? Plug the pipes or?
I would probably have a plumber check it out first.
Regards,
Martin
I have some experience with demolishing walls made of lightweight concrete.
I've used a reciprocating saw = dusty, sledgehammer = makes a lot of noise plus you still have to saw afterward.
Handsaw = Best tool for demolition.
Mark the cut where you want to demolish the wall, mark on both sides.
Saw along the line, have someone stand on the other side of the wall to check that you are on the line there as well.
Use a reciprocating saw or hacksaw to cut any reinforcement.
In your case, what do you plan to do with the radiator afterward? Plug the pipes or?
I would probably have a plumber check it out first.
Regards,
Martin
Before you demolish, you should talk to the condominium association to ensure it's OK to tear down the wall.
The heater is somewhat awkwardly placed today, but it likely serves a function in the winter when it's cold. Check if it can be reinstalled.
The wall you want to demolish probably keeps cooking odors and such more out of the apartment than will be the case with your more open floor plan. Keep that in mind when your bedding smells like food.
The heater is somewhat awkwardly placed today, but it likely serves a function in the winter when it's cold. Check if it can be reinstalled.
The wall you want to demolish probably keeps cooking odors and such more out of the apartment than will be the case with your more open floor plan. Keep that in mind when your bedding smells like food.
I recently took a similar journey with a similar layout. First of all, I don't see any upside to removing the wall by the radiator as it doesn't improve the layout. Possibly if you plan a bar kitchen that should go into the bedroom.
Be content with taking down the small piece of the wall towards the facade wall and cutting up to the ceiling to the same height as the window niche. Then cut to the doorpost. You can remove the doorpost completely, which gives you at least 1 decimeter less of the "radiator wall." This is enough to give it a modern touch and increased light from the kitchen window. The advantage is that you don't need to call a plumber, you avoid having visible kitchen cabinets in profile, and you probably don't have to redo the electrical wiring (since the kitchen ceiling lighting likely runs through the radiator wall). Additionally, you can position a wall-mounted TV better (right angle) from the sofa.
I had bricks and tried with a reciprocating saw, it went reasonably well. However, I got tired when I reached the reinforcement, so I switched to the large angle grinder. Using an angle grinder is like cutting through butter, but the dust development is enormous. ENORMOUS. I cannot emphasize enough how ENORMOUSLY ENORMOUS the dust development from an angle grinder is. You can buy cheap power tools at Jula or Rusta, which work sufficiently well for taking down a wall.
Don't ask the association, it's pointless to involve people who don't understand our renovation enthusiasm.
Be content with taking down the small piece of the wall towards the facade wall and cutting up to the ceiling to the same height as the window niche. Then cut to the doorpost. You can remove the doorpost completely, which gives you at least 1 decimeter less of the "radiator wall." This is enough to give it a modern touch and increased light from the kitchen window. The advantage is that you don't need to call a plumber, you avoid having visible kitchen cabinets in profile, and you probably don't have to redo the electrical wiring (since the kitchen ceiling lighting likely runs through the radiator wall). Additionally, you can position a wall-mounted TV better (right angle) from the sofa.
I had bricks and tried with a reciprocating saw, it went reasonably well. However, I got tired when I reached the reinforcement, so I switched to the large angle grinder. Using an angle grinder is like cutting through butter, but the dust development is enormous. ENORMOUS. I cannot emphasize enough how ENORMOUSLY ENORMOUS the dust development from an angle grinder is. You can buy cheap power tools at Jula or Rusta, which work sufficiently well for taking down a wall.
Don't ask the association, it's pointless to involve people who don't understand our renovation enthusiasm.
There should be a valve that shuts off the water to the entire stairwell, so that's checked. I guess I should inform the neighbors first so they wonder why the radiators suddenly have no heat
Yep, I have, and the association has some insurance taken out, so I don't really need it myself.
Yes, I plan to cap the pipes. The kitchenette is _very_ small, and just getting rid of the radiator would make a significant difference for the space.
Yes, I've thought about this too; it will at least warrant an investment in a kitchen fan.
The idea is probably to extend the kitchen counter into the room in the long run, partly to increase storage space in the kitchenette and partly to use that counter as a dining table.
Once again, thanks for all the answers! It's being incredibly helpful!
If you live in an apartment with shared ventilation, it's almost 100% that you can't connect a fan with its own motor to the wall vent. The building's ventilation system is not designed for this, and as mentioned above, your cooking fumes will end up with some neighbor --> knock on the door from the BRF board...tracker said:
If you want to connect a fan to the wall vent, you should have one without its own motor but with a mechanical timer that turns a damper on and off.
If you want a charcoal filter fan with a motor, that's fine, just don't connect it to the shared ventilation.
Trivia: To get the best extraction effect, you should open/start the fan at least 5 minutes before cooking begins, also make sure to have a window open somewhere so that fresh air can come in (greased by the cooking and sucked out by the fan).