turning a half wall into a full wall

lcmakeup

I have a dining room that's separated from the rest of the house by a thick half wall. I believe it's a load bearing wall. It holds a lot of weight, and is about 1.5 feet deep, with shelves built into it.

I'm wanting to turn this room into my office.




How can I build up this wall and make it into a full wall? I wouldn't necessarily need the full wall as deep as the half wall, just as long as the outside appearance of the wall looks flush. It would actually be neat to keep some of the depth on the inside of the wall to set stuff on...

ideas?

please speak in layman's terms as I am just a simple minded makeup artist who knows nothing about this...just going to relay info to my husband

jdt141

You can build a stud-wall out of 2x4's to close off that space. If it were me.... I would:

Remove the existing drywall / plaster on the ceiling and top of your existing knee wall / built in shelf, only where you need it.

Add a top plate on the ceiling and bottom plate on the existing knee wall, tying in with either screws or nails to the existing framing.

Add studs vertically between the top and bottom plate every 16" (16" on-center, or o.c.)

Drywall.


There's a lot to this job if you're a new DIY'er. I'd suggest a couple of books to give you a full appreciation of what to do. I've had good luck with most books from Taunton press.

Ron6519

It's a half wall, so since it doesn't go all the up to the ceiling, it can't be a load bearing wall.
You can rip it out completely and build a new wall or you can add studs to the top of it and sheetrock both sides. Use the bottom area as a storage area for the office.
Ron

Sandra20

Install a glass wall.

samps70

If it was me i would use 2 1/2" metal studs & track keep in mind to put in wood backing for hanging pics.