Knocking down a small wall

vovin

I have a closet I don't want anymore, and I need to knock out this 2 foot wall (http://i.imgur.com/NQB9Z.jpg)

Do I have to hire a professional? What tools do you need to do this?

fixrite

That is not a supporting wall, so taking it down is a simple matter. Remove the baseboard, score the drywall in the corner. Remove drywall from wall. Remove studs. You will need some drywall to repair where the wall came out from the wall. You will also need to repair the flooring material that is there, so hopefully you have some left over carpet.

mae-ling

Although I agree that it is probably not a supporting wall, it may be. Depends on how the roof is above it. If it is all trusses on a gable roof then you are fine.

vovin

Just some 2x4's in this wall. Not load bearing, right?

sublime2

You have 2 maybe 3 studs there.
That is not a load bearing wall.
Its not even wide enough to carry a load.

vovin

Woo hoo!

joecaption

How do you plan on dealing with the ceiling and floor repairs once the walls gone?

AtlanticWBConst.

It is likely not a load bearing wall.
However, if there is an attic with access above, you should go up and check to see which direction the ceiling joists run, and also where main carrying beams are.

You cannot be fully sure (assume) that every single structure was built correctly, and that a previous owner "did not" perform (monkey with) their own amature alterations - improperly (I see both points, about 10% of the time during residential renovations).

Always "be sure" = Don't guess.

__________________
- Build Well -

vovin

The ceiling and floor i'm not worried about really. I'm doing hardwood floors soon so im just gonna leave it like that. The tricky part is this 2x4 sticking out of the wall. I pulled some of it off and there is like a 4" gap. So do I just get a thinner piece of wood to fit in there and cover it with drywall?

Mmfh

Looks like you should pull the rest of that 2x4 out, cut the sheetrock back on both side until half of the 2x4 is exposed on both side of the hole.

Clean up everything, now you should cut a new piece of sheetrock that will fit in the hole, you will have 1/2 of the 2x4 on each side to attach the new sheetrock too.

Mud and tape after that, sand until smooth. Prime and paint.
Go have a beer and admire what you did!

vovin

This 2x4 in the ceiling has all this plastic around it. Is it not supposed to come down?

hand drive

That is black plastic wrapped over a 2x4 top plate, most likely a vapor barrier to keep attic air from entering the house.