Why Lewisville homes are ready for an open plan

Lewisville grew quickly after Lewisville Lake was built, and whole neighborhoods went up in the 1970s and 1980s. Many of those homes have the floor plans of their time: a closed kitchen, a separate dining room and a den with a fireplace on one wall.

Those layouts can usually be opened up. The work is in knowing which wall carries the load and planning the beam before anything comes down.

Single-story homes from the 1970s boom

Many Lewisville homes from that first wave of growth are single-story, with long hip or gable roofs over the whole house. In those houses, the wall between the kitchen and the den usually carries ceiling joists and sometimes roof braces from the attic.

Because there’s no second floor, the beam can often be hidden flush in the ceiling. The engineer checks the attic to see exactly what lands on the wall and sizes the beam for it.

Two-story homes and floor loads

Lewisville also has many two-story homes, especially in its newer neighborhoods, with bedrooms over the kitchen and family room. There, the wall between the two rooms can carry the floor above, so the beam is sized for floor load and the posts are sized to carry it down to the slab.

Old Town and the original center

Old Town grew up around Main and Mill Streets, where the original settlement moved uphill after flooding on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. Houses near the old center are older than most of the city, and some have framing, additions or foundations that don’t match today’s standards.

Older commercial buildings in Old Town are also where commercial wall removal comes in, when a business wants to join two rooms or open a back space to customers. The process is the same as in a house: engineer’s plan, permit and inspection.

Established neighborhoods across the city

Between Old Town and the newer areas are established neighborhoods like Vista Ridge, Valley Ridge, Highlands and Lewisville Valley, with a mix of home sizes and ages. These are often the houses most ready for an update: the kitchen is dated, the layout is closed, and the family wants one room for cooking and living.

Castle Hills and newer construction

Castle Hills, now part of the City of Lewisville, is a master-planned neighborhood of larger, newer homes, many of them two stories. Walls there often carry more than they seem to, including second-floor loads, ductwork and plumbing for upstairs bathrooms.

Opening a wall in a larger home usually means a longer, deeper beam, but straight, modern framing makes the work predictable.

Fireplace walls and dens

Many Lewisville dens from the 1970s and 1980s have a brick fireplace on one wall and a closed wall to the kitchen on another. Homeowners usually want the kitchen wall gone and the fireplace kept as the focal point. We plan the opening so the beam and posts land clear of the chimney and the fireplace stays as it is.

Slab foundations on Lewisville clay

Most Lewisville homes sit on slab foundations over clay soil that swells when wet and shrinks in dry summers. When a wall comes out, its load moves to the posts at each end of the new beam.

The engineer checks that the slab under each post can carry that load. If it can’t, we add a footing before the beam goes in, so the new opening stays level for years.

Permits in Lewisville

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

If your home is in Castle Hills, permits go through the City of Lewisville too, so the process is the same anywhere in the city.

Townhomes and shared walls

Lewisville also has townhome communities. Inside a townhome, interior walls can be load bearing just like in a house, but the walls shared with neighbors are part of the building’s separation and stay in place. If an HOA manages the building, we provide the engineer’s plan for its review before work starts.

Switches, vents and pipes in the wall

In older Lewisville homes, the wall between the kitchen and the den often holds the light switches, a return air vent or a plumbing vent. We find them before we quote and list the rerouting in your written price, so the work day goes the way it was planned.

Raising a flat ceiling

Some Lewisville homes have flat ceilings throughout, and once a wall comes out, the bigger room can feel low. Depending on the roof framing, part of the ceiling may be raised or vaulted. We look in the attic to tell you whether it’s possible and what it would take.

Getting a dated home ready to sell

Buyers touring an older house often picture it opened up. Doing that work before listing, with a closed City of Lewisville permit, an engineer’s plan and a transferable 12-year warranty, gives buyers and their inspectors the paperwork they ask for.

What a wall removal costs in Lewisville

Cost depends on the span, the load above and what runs through the wall. A single-story kitchen wall with nothing inside is the simplest job. A two-story wall with plumbing and ductwork sits at the higher end. Engineering, the permit, the beam and the patching are all in the written price you get before any work starts.

From estimate to open room

Most walls come out in one day of work. The engineer’s design and the permit review come first and set the overall schedule. On the work day we shore the house with temporary walls, remove the wall, set the beam and posts, and patch the drywall, ceiling and floor where the wall stood.

Commercial walls along I-35E and SH-121

Lewisville has busy commercial corridors along I-35E and SH-121, with offices, restaurants and stores that sometimes need to open a wall between rooms or join two suites. Commercial wall removal follows the same rules: engineer’s plan, permit, inspection and a written price before work starts.

Common questions in Lewisville

How do I know if my wall is load bearing? In many single-story Lewisville homes, the wall between the kitchen and the den is. Text photos of the wall and the attic above it to (469) 436-5680 and we’ll tell you what we see.

Can we stay in the house during the work? Yes. Most families stay home. We close off the work area, protect the floors and keep a clear path through the house.

Will the opening look finished? Yes. The beam is wrapped in drywall, and the ceiling and floor are patched where the wall stood, so the room looks like it was built that way.

Book your estimate in Lewisville

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 all of Lewisville, from Old Town to Castle Hills, plus Flower Mound, Highland Village, Carrollton and The Colony.