Opening up a Garland home

Garland grew fast after World War II and kept growing for decades, so its houses span several generations. A brick ranch in south Garland, a lake-area home near Lake Ray Hubbard and a newer two-story in Firewheel each hide their loads in different places. We plan the wall removal around the house you actually have.

Brick homes from Garland’s post-war growth

Parts of south Garland, including areas like Hiland, were built with brick homes in the 1950s, and neighborhoods like Devonwood and Axe have mid-century houses as well. Many of these homes were laid out room by room, with a kitchen closed off from the living area and a short hall leading to the bedrooms.

They’re solid houses, and they respond well to opening up. The wall between the kitchen and the living room is the one most families want gone, and in a one-story house it often carries the ceiling joists.

The closed kitchen behind the living room wall

In a closed mid-century kitchen, the cook faces the wall and the family sits on the other side. Removing that wall puts the kitchen and living room in one space, gives you room for an island or a bar top, and lets light from the front windows reach the back of the house.

Before we quote, we check what the wall carries and what’s inside it, from wiring and switches to a vent pipe or a gas line for the range.

Ranches from the 1970s and 1980s near the lake

Closer to Lake Ray Hubbard, neighborhoods like Club Hill and Rose Hill include many ranch homes from the 1970s and early 1980s. Homes of this era often have a den or family room set apart from the kitchen, and some add a formal dining room or a raised ceiling in the family room.

The wall between the den and the kitchen, or between the dining room and the den, is a common candidate. The engineer sizes the beam for the span and the roof framing above it.

Rear-entry garages and garage extensions

Many West Garland ranches have rear-entry garages, and some older homes have had their garage closed in at some point. If you want to turn part of the garage into living space or extend the house, the wall between the garage and the kitchen is usually structural. We handle that work with an engineered plan and a city permit, just like an interior wall.

Firewheel and newer two-story homes

Firewheel, a golf-centered community developed from the late 1990s, has many two-story homes with bedrooms upstairs. In these houses, the wall you want gone may hold up part of the second floor.

That calls for a beam sized for floor load and a check of the slab under each post. If the slab needs more support, we add a footing before the beam goes in.

Historic homes near downtown

Garland’s historic downtown square and older districts like Travis College Hill include some of the city’s oldest houses. Older framing doesn’t always match modern lumber sizes, and walls may have been changed by earlier owners. We open small inspection holes where needed so the engineer works from what’s really there.

Raising the ceiling in a ranch house

In a ranch house with a flat ceiling, removing a wall sometimes opens the door to a raised or vaulted ceiling over the new space. Whether that works depends on the roof framing, which we check in the attic. If the engineer can redesign the framing safely, we include it in the plan.

What the engineer checks in a Garland house

The licensed engineer looks at what sits above the wall, how the ceiling joists and roof braces land on it, how long the new opening will be and what the foundation under each post can carry. North Texas clay moves with the seasons, so the foundation check matters. Every beam is designed and signed off before we start.

Permits in Garland

The City of Garland requires a building permit for structural work like removing a load bearing wall. We file it with the engineer’s plan, schedule the inspection and close it out, so the work is documented when you sell.

How we price a Garland wall removal

Your price covers engineering, the city permit, the beam and posts, and the drywall, ceiling and floor patch. A long span, a second floor above or plumbing in the wall pushes the price up, while a short span in a one-story house keeps it lower. You get a written price before any work starts.

Timeline for a Garland wall removal

Engineering and the Garland permit come first and set the overall timeline. After that, most walls come out in one day of work, with temporary walls holding the ceiling until the new beam carries the load.

Porch columns on Garland homes

Many ranch homes have a front porch with a post in the middle or a covered back patio with columns in the view. Replacing those posts with a longer beam opens the view and the walkway. Exterior work like this may need neighborhood review, and we provide drawings when it does.

Planning a kitchen remodel too

If a kitchen remodel is on your list, open the wall first. The beam, the ceiling patch and any rerouted wiring or plumbing need to be finished before new cabinets, counters and flooring go in. We can hand your remodeler a finished, inspected opening, or do the opening now and leave the kitchen for later.

Selling a Garland home after the work

Buyers in Garland like open layouts, and their inspectors look for permits on structural changes. An opening built from an engineer’s plan, with a closed city permit and a transferable 12-year warranty, gives you clear answers when those questions come up at closing.

Keeping the house livable

Most families stay home during the work. We seal off the work area with plastic, cover the floors, keep a path through the house and clean up every day before we leave. If you work from home, tell us when your calls are and we’ll plan the loudest steps around them.

Questions Garland homeowners ask us

Can you remove a wall in a house this old? Yes. Older houses are often good candidates once the engineer knows what the wall carries. Text us photos and we’ll tell you what we see.

Will the beam show? It depends on the span and the attic space. Some beams hide in the ceiling and others hang below it.

Can you do the work in one visit? The wall itself usually comes out in one day of work, after engineering and the permit.

Garland neighborhoods we cover

We work across Garland, from Hiland, Devonwood and the older neighborhoods of south Garland to Club Hill and Rose Hill near the lake and Firewheel near the George Bush Turnpike.

Book your estimate in Garland

Call or text (469) 436-5680 with photos of the wall and the attic above it, or book a free on-site estimate. We serve every part of Garland, plus Rowlett, Richardson, Sachse and nearby cities.