Who confirmed that it is NOT a load bearing wall? A structural engineer, or a contractor who is not hired to do this job...hence cannot be made responsible?

Electrical isn't a problem during demo. Test the outlets and turn of the circuits that feed them. Light switches also. Other things inside walls are ducts for hvac, water lines and waste lines. If you have access underneath you can track down those. You'll want a plan for moving all.

knocking down a wall is one thing. Do you know how to sheetrock? Use corner bead? Finish the ceilings? Once the wall is gone you still need to finish. How are your millwork skills? Can you match the moldings? You will probably need to repaint the ceilings in both rooms.

We are removing walls and adding walls in our reno and we hired to do that. We have a GC to demo and rebuild, an electrician, taper and finish carpenter. A lot goes into just a wall.

You will need to know how to handle any wiring, HVAC ducting, water lines, and waste water lines in the wall. Obviously electrical poses physical danger if you do not know what you're doing. You can always remove the drywall and know for certain what is inside before you go to the point of removing the framing.

(not a pro) In addition to all the items mentioned above, consider your flooring. What will you need to replace to fill in where the wall used to be? Hardwood, tile, carpeting? Are you replacing floors in the adjoining rooms or will you try to patch? If patching... can you match the existing?

Make sure it is what you want and not just the idea of open concept ithat s marketed to you. The open concept is going away fast, younger home buyers are yearning for a cozier closed in kitchens. Pictures of your space would help.

Thanks everyone! Sorry I'm just getting back on here to reply. I appreciate all the tips and comments regarding what to look out for. Three contractors have now looked at it and have agreed that it is not load bearing, but it doesn't even touch the ceiling. So it very obviously is not supporting anything but itself.

We have torn out all the flooring in the house, so that is not an issue. All the flooring will be added all at once when this remodel is finished.

Now, as for sheetrock and corner bead, we do NOT know how to do that but we are willing to learn. I'll be covering the patched areas with shiplap or brickwork (haven't decided yet), so I'm not too concerned about it looking perfect. Again, the walls do NOT touch the ceiling so no worries with having to repair that. We will hire an electrician to move outlets and switches.

The house was built in 2005, so we are in the clear regarding lead or asbestos.

And open concept may be going away, but I'm not too concerned about that. This is my house and this is what works for my family. We are avid cooks and our evenings tend to revolve around what is going on in the kitchen. As for resale value, I am pretty sure an open concept would still sell better than the outdated 60's style pass through and 90's style partition wall with open plant shelves (i.e. dust collectors).

And so, I think we'll give it a go! We are waiting for a few more estimates, but I doubt they'll be any better than what we have already seen.

Thanks again for all the advice!

It's not that bad. Demo is a great place to start. Look at how to build a wall and you'll basically do that in reverse. Buy some tools, get dirty and accomplish something.

I wish you all the luck.

Label the electrical wires and switches in the wall. The DIY shows never tell you to do that. Good luck.

How will you remove the debris? Do a controlled demo and the cleanup is easier. Pull all the trim and remove the nails if you are saving it. If you are trashing it, you can bend the nails instead of pulling them. I realize it is not required but I prefer to avoid as many potential issues as possible and nails can puncture skin as easily as they do to contractor bags. You may wish to bundle the trim as it is easier to move and discard as a bundle than playing pickup sticks from a big pile. It is more fun to throw everything down but remember you will be doing the clean up and by cleanup time, you will be dirty and tired.

Also, dress for the adventure. Sturdy shoes, closely fitted gloves if you like them, long pants or jeans, hair secured and safety glasses

Lots of good info here…looks like a good project for you.. but mostly an invaluable learning experience…keeping in mind that making mistakes are the lessons best learned and remembered…after we went through a few projects like this …we built a new summer home and all those lessons were a tremendous help in designing and building a new home