Are you considering a home renovation project for your real estate in BC? Does it include removing walls from inside your own home in Metro Vancouver BC? If you have been dreaming about having an apartment interior that allows you to get a clear view of the living room from the kitchen area and other corners, then removing a wall could be the best option out there.
Removal of a wall from the house’s interiors might appear a challenging task. However, with proper planning and research, you can make the most of this essential home renovation project. Moreover, to streamline the overall process, it is also recommended that you should hire services from the professional home renovation service providers or contractors in your region.
Apartment Renovations –When Should You Remove a Wall?
Whether you wish to upgrade the overall value of the Vancouver condo or improve the overall aesthetics of your lovely apartment, getting a wall removed is a major home renovation project.
There are several reasons to take down a wall in the interiors of your apartment. Some of the common reasons are:
- To make the available space look much larger
- To maximize the overall lifestyle
- To enhance the décor of the house
- To improve your ability to monitor the house when you are in a different corner
Whatever might be the reason for undertaking your wall removal project, you should analyze the long-term effects of the same. At the same time, you should also analyze how the given solution would address to a specific issue that you might be facing at home.
Factors to Consider While Removing a Wall in Your Residence
Before you dive into a wall removal project for your apartment in Yaletown, BC, here are some important factors to consider:
- Load-bearing Capability: When you are getting involved in the interior wall removal task, there are two basic types of walls to consider –load bearing & non-load bearing walls. Load bearing walls are known to provide support to the overall weight elements of the house including joists, the upper floors, attic, roof, and so more. The exterior walls of the house or apartment tend to be load-bearing in nature. However, only certain walls on the interiors of the house tend to be load bearing.
On the other hand, the non-load bearing walls are known to just support themselves. While the wall might be attached to the ceiling physically, it will not be supporting the ceiling. The main purpose of the non-load bearing walls in the apartments is to separate the different rooms in the house structure.
While it is simpler to remove a non-load bearing wall towards the interiors of the house, removing a non-bearing wall in your apartment’s interiors could be a challenging task. With proper planning, you can execute the same seamlessly. While undertaking such a project, it is always recommended that you should seek professional services.
- DIY or Professional Services: There are several ways to conduct a DIY project while removing a wall from the interiors of your apartment. However, there are some complications that could be involved in the process. Therefore, when you wish to achieve seamless results, it is recommended that you should seek professional services. This holds especially true when you are quite a beginner at it and do not possess proper knowledge to execute the task on your own.
- Inside of the Wall: The wall of the apartment might be hiding much more than just the overall structure or bones of the house. If there happens to be some outlet to the given wall area, then you should consider the wide array of electric lines down the wall there. Moreover, there could also be a possibility of HVAC or plumbing systems going through the particular wall.
Or maybe, there could be some old gas line that you would not prefer meddling with while undertaking a wall removal project. This is the reason why it is recommended to hire professional wall services such that there are no major issues created after the same. This is especially the case if you plan on listing any of your yaletown condos for sale.
- The Overall Resale Value: In case you are putting up your Yaletown condos for sale, then the resale value should be a priority. You should prioritize the overall resale value over conducting any major remodeling project in your house. Therefore, when you wish to remove a wall from the house’s interiors, then you should consider the effect of the same on the overall resale value of the house. With expert approval, you can look forward to either making or breaking the deal in future with a wall removal project. As such, you should take your time and reconsider the decision.
- Unwelcome Surprises: If you are dealing with some old house or apartment, then you might come across various surprises including old newspapers, magazines, or even potentially dangerous items like lead paint or asbestos. Therefore, if you wish to stay away from witnessing such sights, you can seek professional services to do their tasks.
When do You Need a Permit for your Vancouver House?
When you are undertaking some major house renovation project in the Lower Mainland like taking down the wall of your apartment, you would be required to obtain a permit for the same. This is implemented to ensure the overall safety standards of the neighborhood and the environment as a whole.
In Greater Vancouver, BC, you would be typically required to have a proper permit to get involved in a home renovation or construction project in the following cases:
- Any new type of construction –including some new buildings or remodeling projects to the existing buildings for the creation of a new area
- Changing the existing land use of some existing commercial premises
- Addition of some secondary suite to the existing house
- Remodeling projects including the movement of interior walls or changes to the existing electric, gas, or plumbing lines
- Structural repairs
- Building a garden shed or the garage area
- Drywall repairs in multi-unit buildings of the residential kind
- Tenant or rental improvements for the given commercial space
Make the most of the given renovation project!
