How to break interior walls without weakening your house
May 08, 2024
First, assess the importance of the wall you want to break. Some walls are load-bearing meaning they serve as structural support for the ceiling, floor above, and roof.
Have a demolition plan in place before breaking walls. (Photos by Ritah Mukasa)
Ritah Mukasa
Journalist @New Vision
___________________ First assess the walls before breaking them(1)
Breaking a wall(s) might damage the entire house. You therefore need a plan and renovation must be done by a construction expert.
Muhammad Nsereko, a construction consultant with 3D design and construction says, that breaking a wall needs expertise and planning more so, in a storied home.
First, assess the importance of the wall you want to break. Some walls are load-bearing meaning they serve as structural support for the ceiling, floor above, and roof.
Breaking such walls weakens the structure. In the end, the house can develop cracks, move or give way. For that, before pulling down any wall, even if it’s in a bungalow, the structural engineer should analyze the beam network and determine if the wall you want to break is load-bearing or not. 
This will guide you on how to remove it and replace it with suitable structural support. This can be in the form of posts, a beam, a column, or both.
For example, if it is a flat. If you remove a wall that supports the slab, replace it with a support that can bear the same load as the wall.
“The number of beams or columns will depend on the amount of weight the wall was bearing,” he says.
On the other hand, Darwin Owomugisha a civil engineer with Darwin Construction says, partition walls (non-load bearing walls) can be removed without installing any structural supports. This is because they do not hold up any weight.
Also, hire a qualified plumber and electrician to handle plumbing and electrical installations.
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