Load bearing wall removal for Murphy homes

Murphy sits between Plano and Wylie along FM 544, and most of its homes went up in a short stretch of time. That gives many Murphy houses similar layouts and similar framing, which helps us plan wall removal quickly. Most requests are for the wall between the kitchen and the family room, or the walls around the formal living and dining rooms.

Murphy’s building boom after the turnpike

Murphy was a small Collin County community for a long time. When the President George Bush Turnpike opened to the west of town in the late 1990s, new subdivisions followed quickly, and much of the city was built in the late 1990s and 2000s.

Those houses are now a couple of decades old. The structure is usually sound, but the layouts reflect what buyers wanted back then: separate rooms, closed kitchens and plenty of walls.

Kitchens ready for their first big update

Many Murphy kitchens still have their original cabinets and counters, and owners are planning their first full remodel. That’s the best time to remove a wall. With the kitchen torn out anyway, the beam, the ceiling patch and any rerouted plumbing or electrical go in first, and the new cabinets and flooring follow across the whole open space.

Formal living and dining rooms nobody uses

A lot of Murphy homes from this era have a formal living room and a formal dining room near the front door, both closed off from the rest of the house. Families tell us those rooms get used a few times a year. Opening one of them to the kitchen or the family room turns dead space into a room that gets used every day.

Plant ledges, arches and half walls

Homes built in the late 1990s and 2000s often have plant ledges up high, arched openings and short half walls with columns between rooms. Some of these are purely decorative and can come out without a beam. Others hide a post or a bearing point. We check each one before we quote, so you know which parts are simple and which need engineering.

How we tell if a wall is load bearing

We start in the attic. If ceiling joists or a second floor rest on the wall, or a roof brace lands on top of it, it’s carrying load. In two-story homes, we also look at what sits directly above, like a bathroom or a closet wall. You can text photos of the wall and the attic above it to get an early answer before the visit.

Two-story Murphy homes and the rooms above

In two-story homes, the wall between the kitchen and the family room often carries the floor of a bedroom or game room above. That calls for a beam sized for floor load, not just ceiling load. The engineer checks the span and the weight above, then picks a flush beam hidden in the ceiling or a dropped beam that lines up with the kitchen island.

Walls along the staircase

In many two-story Murphy homes, a solid wall runs along the staircase and blocks the view from the entry into the family room. Replacing part of that wall with an open railing makes the first floor feel much larger. Whether it needs a beam depends on what the wall carries, and we check that from above and below before we quote.

Fireplace and media walls

Some Murphy family rooms have a fireplace or a built-in media niche on the same wall that separates them from the kitchen. Fireplaces and chimney chases stay where they are, but the wall on either side can often be opened. We plan the opening around the fireplace so the room stays balanced.

Slab foundations and post support

Murphy homes sit on slab foundations over Collin County clay, which moves with the seasons. When a long beam replaces a wall, its posts carry concentrated weight down to the slab. The engineer checks whether the slab can take that load, and if not, the plan includes a footing before the beam goes in.

Permits in Murphy

The City of Murphy 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 the permit out, so the change is documented when you sell.

HOAs and exterior work

Many Murphy neighborhoods have an HOA, though not all of them do. Interior wall removal rarely needs HOA approval. Exterior changes, like removing patio columns or extending a garage, often do, and we supply drawings for the review.

Opening up to the back patio

Covered patios behind Murphy homes often have posts that block the view of the yard. Replacing them with a longer beam opens the patio and makes room for furniture or an outdoor kitchen. We shore the patio roof while the posts come out and the new beam is set.

Retail and office spaces in Murphy

We also remove walls in commercial spaces, like retail suites and offices along FM 544. Joining two suites or opening a back office into a showroom follows the same steps: an engineer’s design, a permit and a crew that keeps the work area contained. We can schedule around your business hours.

What changes the price

Span length, second-floor loads, the type of beam and anything inside the wall, like ductwork, plumbing or gas lines, all affect the price. Engineering, the permit and the drywall, ceiling and floor patch are included. You get a written price before any work starts.

The timeline

Engineering and the Murphy permit come first and set the overall timeline. Once the permit is approved, most walls come out in one day of work. Inspection and finishing follow, and we clean up at the end of every day.

You don’t need to move out. We close off the work area with plastic, protect the floors and keep a clear path to the kitchen, bedrooms and garage. Temporary walls hold the ceiling until the new beam carries the load, and only then do they come down.

Questions Murphy homeowners ask

Can I keep the arches and columns somewhere else in the house? Yes. We only remove what you choose, and we patch the ceiling and floor so the change blends in.

Should I remodel the kitchen first or remove the wall first? Remove the wall first. The beam and ceiling patch need to be done before cabinets and flooring go in.

Is the work covered by a warranty? Yes. Every job is backed by our 12-year written, transferable warranty and we carry $1M in insurance for structural work.

Neighborhoods we work in

We work in every part of Murphy, from Maxwell Creek and the Timbers neighborhoods to the homes on both sides of FM 544 and the newer development on the city’s northeast side. Whether your house was one of the first built in its subdivision or one of the last, we plan the opening around its own framing.

Book your estimate in Murphy

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 Murphy, plus Plano, Wylie, Sachse and Richardson.