2BR configurations
I have a 20′ wide townhouse that currently has the large dining room in the back with the kitchen adjacent. I was thinking to move the kitchen and make both of these rooms into bedrooms. But the separating load-bearing wall only leaves about 6.5′ in the smaller room. It doesn’t seem very ideal. This seems…
I have a 20′ wide townhouse that currently has the large dining room in the back with the kitchen adjacent. I was thinking to move the kitchen and make both of these rooms into bedrooms. But the separating load-bearing wall only leaves about 6.5′ in the smaller room. It doesn’t seem very ideal. This seems like a typical problem for houses this size. What are some possible solutions to get 2 decent sized bedrooms? Is moving the load bear wall worth the effort?
Thanks in advance for any responses!
brokelin, I plan to do both since it is a multi-family. I want the extra bedroom without going duplex. As for the kitchen, I intend to go open kitchen by the living room in the front. Thanks for the tip about the natural lighting.
You don’t say what the use of the place is, whether you want to rent it out or inhabit it, and if so, what you will use the rooms for.
For renting out, you don’t necessarily need 2 decent sized bedrooms. Many people are happy to use the 6.5′ wide rooms as offices, dressing rooms, or rooms for small children.
If you need two decent sized bedrooms for your own use, then have at it moving walls. But I want to know where you plan to put the kitchen. I had a long narrow brownstone-type apartment where the kitchen was moved from the back to the middle. While I recogized the value of having it nearer the living spaces, it had no natural light. Afer some time, I realized I didn’t enjoy spending time in my kitchen nearly as much as I did in my previous one which had that nice brownstone window at the end. Now that I have a nice big window at the end of my kitchen again, I’ll never live in a place with an internal, no natural light kitchen again.
Had I bought the place unrenovated, with the kitchen in the back, I would have still moved it, but I would have taken care to either put it where it had natural light, or if in the middle, I’d have put it closer to, and directly in line with, the front windows, so it would get some views out, and views of light, if not direct light in the room itself.
And, while I like nice light and views in bedrooms, I realize it is more important to me in kitchens.
Every wall in these old row houses are load bearing to some degree. Definitely get a structural engineer to advise.
Drop me a line if you like: generative.arch@gmail.com I am more than happy to take a look.
For information purposes only, in older homes the wall you refer to is NOT technically structural.
The wood joists from masonry to masonry are the structure, and room partitions would be called “stiffening walls”, but they are not structural.
Yes, I would install a header if I was removing a wall, but no, technically it isn’t structural.
Because you are changing usage and egress, this would require DOB.
I’m not positive that its load-bearing, but its the same wall that spans the entire townhouse, including the stairwell. Also, I believe 20′ wide requires the extra support. It sounds like it’s doable, depending on the cost. I’ll need to find some architects to explore the possibilities.
Thanks!
We removed that exact same wall and installed a steel beam and lally post down to the cellar to compensate. Don’t take any risks — make sure an architect and a structural engineer look carefully at the situation. Every house is different.
You’ll definitely need an architect for filing- so why not bring them in for design help and to explore all possibilities?
In all likelihood, the weight bearing wall is the wall that runs through a townhouse that separates the public stairwell from the private area. Very possible to remove the wall in the rear portion and support by other means (steel beam, etc.). May need to drop ceilings in the newly enlarged room. Architect necessary.