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Kitchen Work

Open Concept Kitchen Conversion in Fort Collins

Taking out the wall between kitchen and living space, with the engineering, the beam, and the load path that go with it.

Opening a kitchen into the adjoining room is the most common structural request in Fort Collins housing stock built between the 1960s and the late 1990s, where the kitchen was designed as a closed working room. The work itself is straightforward for a crew that does it regularly, and unforgiving for one that does not. A structural engineer sizes the beam, temporary shoring carries the load while the wall comes out, the beam goes in either flush with the ceiling or dropped below it, and the posts at each end need a load path all the way to the foundation. Expect $9,000 to $28,000 for the structural portion alone in this market, before any kitchen finishes, and add more if the wall carries plumbing stacks, ductwork, or the main electrical feed.

What the scope covers

  • Included in scope Structural engineer letter sizing the beam and specifying the bearing at each end
  • Included in scope Temporary shoring on both sides before any framing is cut
  • Included in scope Flush or dropped beam, discussed with you before framing rather than after
  • Included in scope Load path checked through the floor system to bearing below
  • Included in scope Rerouting of any plumbing, ductwork, or wiring that runs in the wall
  • Included in scope Drywall, ceiling, and floor transition finished so no scar line shows where the wall stood
  • Included in scope Dust containment and floor protection along the route from the work zone to the door

Setting your expectation before the quote arrives

The figures above describe what this scope costs around Fort Collins when the work is run by an established local contractor. Work through the cost calculator to set a number in your own head first, and read the Fort Collins kitchen remodel guide for how the local build sequence runs and who does what along the way.

Questions about wall removal

How do we know if the wall is load bearing?

Run of the joists is the first clue: a wall running perpendicular to the joists above is far more likely to be carrying them. Anything under a bearing point from the roof or an upper floor is suspect. But the reliable answer comes from opening the ceiling or reading the framing plan, and any wall being removed gets a structural engineer involved either way, because even a non-bearing wall may be carrying a duct trunk or a plumbing vent that has to go somewhere.

Flush beam or dropped beam?

A flush beam sits inside the floor system so the ceiling reads continuous. It costs more, because the joists have to be cut and hung off the beam with hangers, and it may need a deeper member. A dropped beam hangs below the ceiling line and is cheaper and faster, and in a room with a low ceiling it is impossible to ignore. In a taller room it usually reads as deliberate. Decide this early: it changes the engineering and the price.

Does the ceiling and the floor have to be redone as well?

Some of both, yes. The ceiling opens along the line of the beam and gets patched and finished back, and the floor needs a transition where the wall stood, because flooring was never laid under a wall. Done properly neither shows a scar line at the end. Where the two rooms have different flooring, that junction is a design decision worth making before demolition rather than discovering afterwards.

What surprises show up inside these walls?

Plumbing vents and drain stacks are the expensive one, because they cannot simply be moved sideways and often need rerouting through the attic. Heating ducts are the second. Electrical is usually the easiest to deal with. A remodeler who has done this in similar houses will tell you which of these is likely before demolition, and a quote that carries a stated contingency for it is a sign of experience rather than padding.

From the Notebook

More reading on wall removal

The Best Time of Year for a Fort Collins Kitchen Remodel

Snow, holiday timing, and contractor scheduling cycles all shape when to start a Northern Colorado kitchen remodel. Here is how the seasons really play out.

Why the Cabinet Order Sets Your Kitchen Start Date

Cabinet lead time, not crew availability, decides when a Fort Collins kitchen remodel can start, and how stock, semi-custom, and custom timelines compare.

What Dry Colorado Air Does to Your Kitchen Cabinets

Fort Collins winters run low on indoor humidity, and wood cabinetry moves with it. What to specify, seal, and acclimate to protect a Northern Colorado kitchen.

Other Scopes

Where else the budget could go

Most kitchens come down to one decision: change the surfaces, or change the room. Reading the neighboring scope is usually what settles which one you are buying.

Full Kitchen Remodel

Everything out, everything new: cabinets, counters, appliances, floor, lighting, and the wiring behind them

Kitchen Cabinet Replacement

New boxes in the same footprint, the fastest way to change how a kitchen works without moving plumbing

Countertop Replacement

New quartz, granite, or solid surface on existing cabinets, usually finished within a month of template

Small and Galley Kitchen Remodel

Getting real storage and real counter space out of a compact kitchen, without pretending it is bigger than it is

Start your kitchen with a free quote

Call (970) 305-3265 or use the quote form. A local kitchen remodeler comes out, measures, and puts a price in writing.

Call (970) 305-3265 Get a free quote