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I am moving a wall about 12 inches. this wall is in-between the kitchen and dining room. there is no plumbing in this wall only electric. the ceiling that i am moving the wall to is accoustical tile. is there anything special I need to do? what and how do I frame this wall? do I build it laying down and raise it? do I hang the top plate and plumb bob the lower plate? what size do I need for the ceiling nails? help me I need help so I don’t screw this up. thanks
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Are you basicaly asking that someone draw pictures and give exact detailed step-by-step instructions for the job ? (It sounds like that is what you need/want)
Is the existing wall a bearing wall ?
This is just the first of many questions you should be able to answer before you even begin to consider moving this wall yourself. There are also many ways to get the job done incorrectly, and worse, dangerously.
There is no magic phrase that anyone can speak that will make you or anyone else a passable carpenter. Even if there were someone standing right there beside you, directing your every move, there would still be no guarantee of no problems.
Are you planning on moving all the electrical circuits yourself ?
There are plenty of adages floating about which describe how one cannot be a cabinet maker in a day. There is a reason for that. Just because someone knows how to chicken-type and how to use a mouse doesn't make them computer experts. Just because someone knows which end of the hammer to hit a nail with doesn't make them capable of moving a wall, replacing a door, etc. The fact that you don't even know what kind of nails to use doesn't bode well for your chances of doing the job correctly.
There is no substitute for experience. Maybe you should consider letting someone else do this for you. At the least, I would suggest that you hire yourself out as laborer on some construction jobs. Get some experience before you start trying to make structural changes to your home.
*Hi Steve,It sounds like your about to bring down a lot of aggravation on yourself for 12". If the wall is bearing, you could mess up big time. Don't do it. Hire a carpenter. Besides, there may be a much better way to design whatever it is that your trying to do.
*I agree wiith Luka and Jim if their perception of your question is correct and you have no real experiance. When your dealing with structure especially existing structure changing/moving walls there are alot of things that could happen and not all are favorable. With electrical installations some down right nightmarish things can happen. But if you do have some experiance then maybe you could rephrase your question.
*Steve --First do a little exploratory ceiling demolition -- make a hole you can look through -- to see the relationship between your wall and the joists above.If you find that the joists above are perpendicular to the wall, and the ends of the joists rest on top of the wall, then don't even dream of messing with it, get a pro. If the joists are parallel to the wall, or if they continue in one piece across it, let me know and I'll re-post the whole FAQ on bearing walls.-- J.S.
*Steve, What do you do for a living. I want you to explain it to me so I can do your job tomorrow. That is basically what you are asking. If you have ZERO experience and cant tell if its bearing and even if its not, hire somebody. There is a lot to be said for doing it yourself, there is also a lot to be said for sitting back, watching the game and listening to somebody do it properly. It all depends on how brav eyou are, are you married and is it a happy marriage, and more importantyly are you a good shee3trock finisher. You can hide ugly framing with rock but you cant hide bad finishing with paint.
*Aw hell guys, give the guy a break. Steve, go to the Holiday Inn for a couple of days, rent a good sawzall and assortment of blades, (including the ones that insulate you from power wires), take a good size hunk of chalk, mark out the wall to be moved, and well...go to it! Now, the Holiday Inn trip will serve two purposes..First, you gain knowlege that took most carpenters years to learn in one fast night or two (Just like the commercial says), and second, if the knowlege is'nt gained that quick...you know where you'll be staying when the wife gets upset. The chalk on the other hand may be utilized by someone who finds the bodies if the whole roof comes down while removing a bearing wall.Seriously, like everyone has said, there's more to it than just sliding a wall to the side. It would be like me washing up for surgery as the doctor in the morning, SOMEONE'S IN TROUBLE!A lot more bad can happen than good when all variables don't add up.
*Steve,You've been given a lot of good advice here. If you can get past the load problem, the wiring problem and the wife problem, then nail down the bottom plate, plumb two marks on the ceiling at each end, snap a line, nail the top plate to the joist, nail the double plate under that, and fill in the wall with studs.Sounds easy? It's not. Don't forget to shore the ceiling up level before you start, or you will build back any belly you may have in the ceiling now.There are soooooo many things to look out for if you haven't done this before. Too many for me to try to type. Is there a second floor above? Is this a slab or pier and beam? If it's pier and beam you will have to add a triple beam in the underpinning to carry the weight of the new wall location.See what I mean? That's just the start of things to consider.Be careful,Ed. Williams
*Don't do it.
*Steve, I agree with Chriss Robb - while not in any way demeaning what carpenters do for a living, this is pretty basic stuff that just about anyone with some determination can do. I certainly agree that you need to make sure this is not a bearing wall - but if by "acoustic tile" you mean that the ceiling spans the two rooms and this wall just reaches up to the acoustic tile, then it cetainly is not a bearing wall. If you can stand amid a pile of rubble that used to be a wall in your house and not panic, then you can do this project. I say go for it, then next time tackle something bigger and better.
*Good for you, skmd. Great advice. Of course, I assume that you are planning on being there to tell his wife that it was worth it when he electrocutes himself. Or you are planning on paying for the marriage counseling and making sure they both make it to all the sessions when the house becomes a major bucks to fix, unliveable shell because the wall should not have been taken out without proper backup support, etc. (Not to mention being there to back up his bank account when it is drained for the medical bills and the cost of fixing the problem)...It's easy to tell someone else to go ahead and go for it. No skin off your back, right ? Besides, it makes you sound really cool, like you know what the guy is going through. You and him against all the rest of us unreasonable stick-in-the-muds. So what if the roof falls on the guy and orphans his kids... you'll still be able to sleep.
*HEY SKMD!, I was just kidding...DON'T DO IT, I don't care what NIKE says. Some things as I said can be a LOT worse than good if you don't know what your doing, and by the time you realize it..TOO BAD, TOO LATE.
*hey, hey, guys - look, I wasn't telling the guy to just close his eyes and pull out the sledge hammer and start swinging. What I meant to say is that, if you do the proper back ground work (eg make sure it is not a load-bearing wall, make sure there isn't a plumbing stack in the wall, -- NOT exactly impossible stuff to ascertain), and assuming his home life is fairly stable (when did this become a marriage counselling newsgroup?), and if he feels his nerves can tolerate a certain amount of disorder and a period of uncertainty in his life, then this is not something the average guy (or woman) should feel is out of reach. My first project involved widening a closet, which included doing the proper prep work on the wall, then dealing with some debris etc, but I didn't exactly get weak-kneed at the thought of it. The bottom line is - yes, be sure you have a good idea of what you're doing before you start; but no, don't dismiss the idea just because you've never done it before. Give the guy - and me- a break,and perhaps just an iota of credit....
*Did anybody call Steve? He might be at home under a pile of ceiling joist.Steve? Are you there?
*Steve , Your not hearing some one say "If you build it he will come! Are you? We all admire you for you bravery on wanting to tackle such a job but after reading the one sided advice on the issue it will be your stupidity that we all remember you from .... Get help!
*Since when did this become a marriage counselling newsgroup??? Since I did my very first job for my very first married couple! And it's been remodeling/counselling ever since! Jeff
*Steve- If you're really interested in doing this sort of work in your home, do what I did- Hire a carpenter to do the work with the understanding that you would like to help and learn while he does it. If there is any construction going on in your neighborhood, ask one of the carpenters if they would want to help with your wall and make a little extra $$ for the holidays instead of going to the yellow pages. (Hope I'm not stepping on anyones' toes here.) I learned a great deal while helping frame an opening and installing a sliding patio door. Also watched the electrician rewire the wall to bring juice to the new deck, but I would still leave electrical to the pros.
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I am moving a wall about 12 inches. this wall is in-between the kitchen and dining room. there is no plumbing in this wall only electric. the ceiling that i am moving the wall to is accoustical tile. is there anything special I need to do? what and how do I frame this wall? do I build it laying down and raise it? do I hang the top plate and plumb bob the lower plate? what size do I need for the ceiling nails? help me I need help so I don't screw this up. thanks