Removing a Load Bearing Wall and What It Really Costs

You want the kitchen and living room to become one bright space, and the only thing in the way is a wall that, as far as you can tell, holds up the house. The cost of removing a load bearing wall is where most open plan dreams either get realistic or get abandoned, because the quote that matters is not for knocking the wall down. It is for everything that has to replace it.

I have priced and project managed this job in five houses, from a small brick cottage to a 1970s two storey. The numbers below are typical ranges for a single wall of three to five metres. Your region, ceiling height and what is hidden inside the wall will move them, so treat them as a planning guide rather than a quote.

How to tell if a wall is load bearing

You cannot be sure from inside the room, but a few signs make it likely.

• It runs at right angles to the ceiling joists. Look in the roof space or the floor above. Joists resting on top of a wall usually mean it carries weight.
• It sits near the middle of the house and runs most of its length. Central spine walls often support the roof or upper floor.
• There is a wall directly above it on the next level, or a beam or post directly below it in the subfloor.
• It is an original external wall that ended up inside after an extension.

Those clues are for your planning only. Only a structural engineer can confirm it, and that visit is the first real cost of the job.

What removing a load bearing wall really costs

Here is how a typical bill breaks down. The figures are in local dollars and assume one wall, a standard ceiling height and a timber framed or brick house with reasonable access.

Add those up and a straightforward job lands somewhere around $9,000 to $20,000. A hidden flush beam, which sits inside the ceiling so nothing hangs down, can add $3,000 to $6,000 because the ceiling has to be opened and joists reconnected to the side of the beam. Long spans over five or six metres, a second storey above, or a brick wall in a double brick house can push the total well past $30,000.

The steps, in the order they happen

1. Engineer visit. The engineer confirms the wall's role, calculates the loads and specifies a beam size, post locations and footing details. Get the report in writing.
2. Approval. In many areas, structural changes need a permit or a certifier's sign off. Your builder or engineer will know what applies locally. Skipping it can cause real trouble when you sell, because buyers' inspectors look for exactly this.
3. Quotes. Send the engineer's drawings to at least three builders so everyone prices the same job. Our guide on how to compare renovation quotes covers what to check line by line.
4. Propping. Temporary walls or adjustable steel props hold the ceiling on both sides while the old wall comes out.
5. Demolition and beam install. On a simple job this is one to three days. The beam goes in, posts are fixed, and the props come out once everything is secure.
6. Inspection, then finishing. An inspector or the engineer checks the work before plaster closes it up. Then come plastering, flooring and paint.

Allow four to eight weeks from first engineer call to finished paint, most of it waiting on reports and approvals rather than building.

When an open plan does not pay you back

The usual advice is that open plan living always adds value. I would be more cautious. It adds value when it solves a real problem, such as a dark, closed kitchen in a family home. It can do nothing, or even hurt, in other cases.

• Small apartments and cottages can lose their only separate room, and buyers with children or home offices want doors.
• Heating and cooling costs rise when one system has to cover a much larger single space, and noise travels further.
• Kitchen storage shrinks because the wall you removed held cabinets or a pantry.

Sometimes a wide opening of two to three metres, leaving short wall returns on each side, gives you most of the light and flow for less money. The beam is shorter, it may not need new footings, and you keep a sense of two rooms. If the budget is tight, check how this job ranks against other work in our guide to prioritising renovations on a tight budget.

Ways to keep the cost down

• Accept a dropped beam. A beam that hangs 200 to 300 millimetres below the ceiling is cheaper than a flush one, and it can look deliberate if you paint it or line it with timber.
• Plan the flooring join early. Where the wall stood there will be a gap in the floor. If you were going to replace the flooring anyway, do it after this job, not before.
• Bundle the trades. If an electrician and plasterer are already coming for the kitchen, schedule them for both jobs at once. Doing work in the right order to renovate a house avoids paying twice.
• Clear the space yourself. Removing cabinets, skirting and fittings before the builder arrives can save a day of labour.

What not to save on: the engineer, the approval and the beam itself. A cheaper, undersized beam can sag over years, cracking plaster and making doors upstairs stick.

Frequently asked questions

Can I remove a load bearing wall myself?

You can do the prep, such as clearing furniture, removing cabinets and pulling off skirting. The structural work, propping and beam install should be done by a licensed builder following an engineer's design. In most places it also needs an approval that a homeowner cannot sign off alone.

How long does it take to remove a load bearing wall?

The physical work usually takes one to three days for the wall and beam, then about a week for plaster, paint and floor repairs. The full process, including engineering and approval, typically runs four to eight weeks.

Does removing a wall need council approval?

Structural changes usually do, though the rules differ by area. Check with your local council or a private certifier before work starts. Unapproved structural work can delay a sale or require costly fixes later.