Hi - I'd like to remove the walls containing a laundry room closet. i've confirmed these walls arent load bearing.

I've never done this but not sure if I want to take a sledge hammer to the thing :-) Thinking I'd start by removing the drywall in between the studs (with a hammer?) and then carefully removing the studs.

Any tips? Warnings? Any help before I beging something like this?

 

Be aware of anything that might be in the wall. Most likely electrical but there could also be plumbing.

The better you can contain the mess - the less clean up you will have afterwards

 

ok, got it. i know of one line of wire for sure (to a receptacle that i have to move). i'll look underneath in the basement to check for plumbing (and prob other wiring too).

Thanks! My wife is worried about me "jolting" things, causing cracks and nail pops in the other walls/ceiling. So i figured I'd use a hammer to break the drywall.

Any tricks on removing the studs? I was going to use a circular saw to remove the majority. then hammer out the bases?

 

You see on TV many times people going at it with sledge hammers and the like doing demo when more of a disassemble is better to contain the mess.

Disconnect known power and water to the wall.
Remove your trim and face plates.
With a knife or reciprocating saw cut any corners of joining walls and ceilings so as not to demo "too far" by ripping the tape.
Make a cut about 1/2 way up the wall horizontally across.
Using a flat bar, or similar tool, pull the Sheetrock off the bottom and then top. Score and snap the rock into manageable pieces after it is off the wall.
Remove rock from other side the same way or push it off from the back.
To remove the studs either pound them out at the top and bottom or cut them with a saw. When cutting with a circular saw pull the stud towards you so not to pinch the blade.
If the studs have water or electrical running through the stud cut the stud on either side so they can be removed. Or remove them before hand.

Hope this helps!

 

Tolyn - helps?! This is perfect. Thank you so much! I've already promised my why not to pay someone to do this - just what I was looking for.

Thanks a bunch!

 

Ugh! I hate it when people on those shows bust everything up with a sledge hammer. It's so much more work that way! Especially when they do that with kitchen cabinets. They can just unscrew them and carry the entire thing out to the dumpster instead of 1,000 different pieces.

 

Yes, you are correct, but swinging that BFH is most of the fun of the project

 

"Especially when they do that with kitchen cabinets. They can just unscrew them and carry the entire thing out to the dumpster instead of 1,000 different pieces"

Ya, that gets me too I think they it do it more for TV than anything.

I doubt it's any harder to take the cabinets out in one piece than it is to bust them up. I'm sure there are lots of folks short on cash that would be glad to haul them off. The tool room in my shop has a set of kitchen cabinets I snagged out of a house that was being torn down. They're painted birch [I think] and no particle board. I used heart pine flooring from a house my brother in law was remodeling for the top. Can't beat the price and it works good too

 

To be more gentlemanly, use a reciprocating saw to cut the nails at the base plate, bend the studs out and pull them from the top plate. Makes less of a "jolt".
Home shows are on fast forward and show 10 hours of work in 20 seconds.

 

Warning: When trying to demo and cut wood that is in place, by cutting it in the middle, like you see on tv, be aware of possible dangerous saw kickback!

And with reciprocating saws, the board can suddenly get caught in the teeth of the blade in a way that rather than sawing it, it starts to shake the board and saw, together, violently, scrambling your brains. Ever have that happen?

 

And it is exhausting to even watch, even when someone else is doing it - now that I'm closer to 60 than 50.

And ever notice how they work like bonkers? I wonder if that is just for show while the camera is on them.