If you are getting ready to do some renovation work to your home, the first thing that's going to happen is that you are going to do is get rid of what's already there. That means it's time for some demolition work. If you are going to do some of that work on your own, you want to make sure that you are doing the job right.
Check to See if the Wall Is Load Bearing
A load bearing wall is one that helps to support the weight of the roof and distribute it down to the foundation. A good rule of thumb is if the wall that you want to demolish is more in the center of your house and it runs perpendicular to the joists that are holding up your roof or an additional floor it is a load bearing wall. It is still possible for you to take down one of these calls, but you need to be much more careful. You will have to do something that will help support the load that the wall was carrying. Installing some temporary headers and posts, or framing up some temporary walls to take the load will do that.
If the wall isn't load bearing, then all you will really need to worry about is your house's mechanical systems. You can use a saw to open up a hole to see what is going on in the area you want to demolish before you get started so that you can see that you aren't going to run into any of the big systems.
Protect Your Floors
You are also going to need to protect your floors. You don't want to damage floors that aren't coming up in the demo stage. You can tape down layers of cardboard to do that. There are also products that are designed specifically to protect your floors. Make sure that you put the floor protection down on both sides of the wall, and make sure that the floor protection goes further down the wall than the area that you are demolishing so there isn't any collateral damage.
If you are going to have some renovations or remodeling done to your house, you are generally going to have to get rid of something that's already there. You can do some of the demo work yourself, or the same company that is doing the reno work can take down everything that needs to be demolished. For more information, contact companies like National Concrete Cutting.
