Hi

I am not sure if it's the right sub-forums to post this. Apologies if it isn't.

We are looking into remodeling our dated kitchen and opening it to the living room.
Our house is a single story with high cathedral ceilings throughout.

Currently the kitchen is one of the few rooms with a drop ceiling, which we really don't like.

Before talking to contractors and possibly designers about the idea, I wanted to see if someone could give me general pointers on identifying beams, load bearing walls/posts.

- the main/tall wall between the main living room and kitchen: can this be partially open? I suspect that there are 2-3 main posts around the main opening
- I suspect there is a "dressed up" beam separating the kitchen from the smaller living room
- there is a gas fireplace we 1/ don't like 2/ don't need and we find it really limiting our kitchen remodel options; we hope we can get rid of it

Ideally we would want to identify everything we can get rid of without having to install new structural posts/beams and work around that. Any advice would be really appreciated.

thank you

Larger views...... https://imgur.com/a/mIvwpEU

 

What is directly above the kitchen ? It looks like a floor with a room above it.

 

Nothing's above the kitchen, faux ceiling, lighting, possibly (I think) an exhaust vent for the cook top and at least central air conduits (for the kitchen and the smaller living room)

edit: it's all closed up with no access to it.

 

I imported your pictures and added numbers and some markings on them.
Gives us a point of reference.

 

thank you this should be helpful

 

The wall with the fireplace is making the kitchen feel small. I think you should remove the fireplace and open up that wall up to the same height as the kitchen ceiling. Then put a peninsula there with bar stools. You could raise the kitchen ceiling to 9' or even 10'. I don't know that I would vault all the way up, if even possible. IMO, it's good to have some variation to break up the rooms.

I would also close off the door next to the oven. It only makes the kitchen feel smaller. You could remove that oven/microwave cabinet and put a pass through window there so it doesnt feel so closed off.

What is opposite the kitchen? A breakfast area?

I realize I didnt answer your questions, but wanted to provide some insight. I think you could do a reno without messing with that wall at all. The living room side looks like it could be load bearing (rafter support).

 

Hi and thanks for your input.

We're not exactly sure what the space adjacent to the kitchen is, but with the fireplace and the sliding doors to the back yard we suspect it is some kind of a family room/space. We haven't furnished it since we moved in because the kitchen remodel has been high on the to-do list.


Good to hear someone else also thinks the fireplace and separation need to go.

I kinda like your idea of raising the faux-ceiling above the kitcken, we had not thought about this one yet.

As far the main/tall wall separating kitchen/family room and main living room, I actually had second thoughts about opening that one up if we vaulted the kitchen, but if we only raise the kitchen ceiling by 1-2 ft then we could only open the lower part of the part and get a lot more natural light. The peninsula would become an island and we could make it L-shape and have stools on the short and long sides of the island?

the main (painted a different color) pillar on that main wall would most likely have to stay.


thanks guys