Load bearing wall removal in North Richland Hills

North Richland Hills stretches from I-820 in the south to North Tarrant Parkway in the north, and its homes generally get newer as you go north. That spread matters when you want to open a wall, because the framing, the ceilings and what sits above the wall change from one part of the city to another.

We look at the age of the house, whether it has one story or two, and how the roof is framed. Those three things decide what the engineer designs and how much work the opening takes.

Southern NRH and the ranch-style neighborhoods

Closer to I-820 and Grapevine Highway, neighborhoods like Holiday West have single-story brick ranch homes on established lots with mature trees. These houses typically have a center wall that holds up the ceiling joists, with the kitchen on one side and the living room on the other.

Replacing that wall with a beam turns three small rooms into one, and it is usually the biggest change you can make to a ranch house without adding on.

Smithfield’s older streets

Smithfield is one of the oldest parts of North Richland Hills, and its streets mix older homes with newer construction. In an older house, we expect earlier remodels and changes to the framing, so we look in the attic and inside the wall before the engineer designs the beam.

Older homes also tend to have smaller kitchens closed off from the rest of the house. Opening that wall is often the change that makes an older home feel current.

The middle of the city

Much of North Richland Hills was built from the 1970s through the 1990s, in neighborhoods like Fox Hollow and Kingswood Estates. Homes from that era usually separate the kitchen, the family room and a formal dining room. Opening the kitchen to the family room is a common request in these houses.

Many of these homes also have a formal living room at the front that families rarely use. Joining it to the dining room or the kitchen turns it into everyday space.

Two-story homes in northern NRH

Along North Davis Boulevard and North Tarrant Parkway, many homes were built in the 1990s and 2000s, and two-story plans are common. In those houses, the wall between the kitchen and the family room often supports the second floor, so the beam is sized for bedrooms, bathrooms and everything in them.

Upstairs bathrooms add weight, and their drain lines often run down through first-floor walls. We find them during the estimate and include the rerouting in the written price.

HomeTown homes and townhomes

HomeTown, the master-planned community around the NRH Centre, has single-family homes on smaller lots as well as townhomes. On a smaller lot, the space inside the house matters more, and opening a wall can make a compact main floor feel larger. In a townhome, the wall shared with your neighbor stays, while interior walls can be evaluated like any other.

If your HomeTown house is two stories on a compact footprint, the wall you want removed may support rooms above, and the beam is sized for them.

Raising a ceiling after the wall is gone

In some NRH homes, the family room has a raised or vaulted ceiling and the kitchen does not. With the wall removed, some owners want to raise the kitchen ceiling to match. That depends on the roof framing above the kitchen, which we check in the attic before the engineer designs it.

Permits in North Richland Hills

The City of North Richland Hills requires a building permit for structural work like removing a load bearing wall. We file it with the engineer’s plan, schedule the inspection after the beam is set and close it out.

A closed permit matters when you sell. Buyers’ inspectors look for it on structural changes, and with the engineer’s plan and our transferable warranty, the work is easy to explain.

Foundations across the city

Most North Richland Hills homes sit on concrete slabs over clay soil, which shrinks and swells through the year. A beam moves a wall’s load onto two posts, so the engineer checks the slab at each one. If it needs reinforcement, a footing goes in first.

If the slab has had foundation repair in the past, tell us during the estimate so the engineer can take it into account.

Commercial work on Grapevine Highway and Davis Boulevard

Businesses along Grapevine Highway and Davis Boulevard sometimes need to open a wall to combine suites or change a layout. For a business, the process is the same as for a house: the engineer’s plan, the permit, temporary shoring, the new beam and the finish patch.

Patios and porch columns

A covered patio post in the wrong spot blocks the view to the yard and limits where furniture can go. A longer beam lets the post go away. The engineer checks the patio roof framing first, and if your neighborhood has an HOA that reviews exterior changes, we provide drawings for it.

HOAs and planned neighborhoods

Many newer NRH subdivisions are planned communities with homeowners associations and their own rules for the outside of the house. Interior wall removal rarely needs approval. A porch, patio or garage change usually does.

Pricing

Your written price lists engineering, the NRH permit, the beam and posts, shoring and the patch to drywall, ceiling and floor. Second-floor loads, ceiling changes and rerouted plumbing or ducts move a project to the higher end. Nothing is scheduled until you approve it.

If you’re combining the wall with other work, like raising a ceiling, each part is listed separately so you can decide what to include.

How long it takes

The work itself usually takes one day. Engineering and the permit come first and decide when that day can be.

We protect the floors, hang plastic to contain the dust and clean up at the end of the day, so you can stay home during the work.

What happens on the work day

The crew builds temporary walls to support the ceiling on both sides, removes the old wall, sets the beam and posts and removes the shoring once the beam carries the load. The drywall, ceiling and floor are patched where the wall stood, and the NRH inspection is scheduled.

Questions NRH homeowners ask

Is my house too new to have load bearing walls inside? No. Newer two-story homes have plenty of them, especially under the second floor.

Can you raise my kitchen ceiling at the same time? Sometimes. It depends on the roof framing above the kitchen, which we check during the estimate.

How do I start? Text photos of the wall and the attic above it to (469) 436-5680, or book a free on-site estimate.

Our crew and warranty

We are a family-owned company that only removes walls. A licensed engineer signs off on every beam, and every job is backed by a 12-year written warranty that transfers to the next owner.

Book your estimate in North Richland Hills

Call or text (469) 436-5680, or book a free on-site estimate. We work across North Richland Hills, from Holiday West and Smithfield to HomeTown and the neighborhoods along North Tarrant Parkway, plus Hurst, Keller and Watauga.