You might have seen TV shows for reconstruction and renovation. Bringing down walls for making spacious living rooms and closet spaces can seem like a good idea, but you need to be prepared and properly equipped with all important information so you don’t mess up with the whole structure of your house.
Reconstruction is more difficult than first-time construction because removing the basic walls on which the entire structure of the house stands can be a tricky business. These are the steps you need to consider to get on with your reconstruction work:
1.Know how much money you can put aside
It is a good idea to know how much money you can allocate to this project as this can be a starting point for you to finalise how much work you can undertake. Budgeting for any project is the most essential feature. You can also start with highlighting how much work needs to be done, and estimate a cost for this.
2.Consult a professional
You need to consult with a contractor. It is a good idea to get on board the person who helped you design the place in the first place. They would have the complete information about the structure and would be able to remove the relevant walls, while ensuring the strength of the structure remains.
3. Know your design
You should be fully aware about the design of your house. This means you should be able to distinguish your load-bearing walls from partition walls. Demolition of partition walls is easier than of load-bearing walls. For removing load-bearing walls, you need to install additional support through steel beams that can strengthen the structure by shifting the weight to another wall.
A separating wall is a thinner, typically 4.5-inch wall, whereas a load-bearing wall is a 9 inch wall, on which the entire house is built.
4. Increasing roof height
Roof height can’t be increased so easily because most houses in Pakistan are built using concrete. The top slab of a smaller room can be more easily removed and repositioned as compared to a bigger room, but that isn’t without its share of problems either. The structure of the house can be weakened by this and requires a lot of careful consideration.
External beams have to be installed to shift the load and in most cases it is advisable to not be done. Most people who want to increase the height of their roof ones whose houses can be classified as old construction. In that case, it is even more dangerous and tricky.
5. Piping works
Piping work typically involves plumbing for the washrooms or kitchen. If you’re going for an all-out remodelling, then you would have to not only get a new pipeline for water, but would have to put a separate sewerage line as well. This requires mapping which only a professional can do.
These are the steps that you need to take in order to get your house completely reconstructed or remodelled. For any queries or feedback, please comment below.
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Remshay Ahmed
Remshay Ahmed is a journalist. Amongst many, her most recent interest includes dissecting Pakistan's economy and trailing the growth of the realty sector.
