Knocking down a partition wall in a block of flats. What to use and how to do it?

Smaller flats dominate the market at present. They can usually be bought in blocks of flats, and their advantages are often a good price and a favourable location. The drawback, on the other hand, is cramped rooms. By knocking down some walls you can create an attractive space in them, but you need to prepare properly for it.

• When to decide on demolition?
• Types of wall: load-bearing or partition?
• Consult an architect before the demolition
• Do I need a permit to knock down a partition wall?
• Safety measures during demolition
• What tools should you use to knock down a wall?
• How to take down a partition wall?

When to decide on demolition?

Windowless kitchens and small, awkwardly shaped rooms are the hallmark of many flats in Polish blocks. Despite this, they remain quite popular among buyers. Buildings erected before 1990 are being steadily modernised, which improves their appearance and functionality. Another point in their favour is their location in well-connected estates close to schools, nurseries, clinics and shops – which, in turn, is the Achilles' heel of many new developer estates. This makes it worthwhile to remodel flats in blocks.

How can you deal with cramped rooms? You can enlarge them by taking down or moving walls. For example, a small kitchen and a narrow hallway can be combined with the living room to create a fashionable, spacious interior. As a result, even a small studio flat will begin to look like a comfortable apartment.

Types of wall: load-bearing or partition?

Before starting work, you should first check what type of walls you are dealing with. Load-bearing walls cannot be knocked down, because they perform a structural function for the whole building, and interfering with them could lead to a structural collapse. There is no such danger with partition walls, which serve only to divide rooms and usually do not carry any loads.

The type of wall can be recognised in two ways. One is to see how the walls are marked on the floor plan. On drawings, partition walls are clearly thinner than load-bearing ones and filled with a different pattern. However, documentation can be faulty, especially in older blocks, so it is a good idea to verify it "on site". To do this, simply measure the thickness of the wall at a door opening, or, if there is none, check how deep the drill goes in. Partition walls are most often 10–16 cm thick including plaster, whereas load-bearing ones are about 20 cm.

Consult an architect before the demolition

Even when you manage to make sure that the wall intended for demolition is a partition wall, it is worth consulting an architect or structural engineer to be certain. In multi-family buildings the layout of the flats is usually repeated on every floor, so knocking down one wall will usually mean removing the support for partitions on the higher storeys. After carrying out the appropriate checks, the specialist will be able to determine how this will affect the structure of the building.

If the architect or structural engineer finds that demolition could cause a hazard, you can plan to install a supporting beam or columns. Such reinforcements will transfer the loads from the upper floors, which in turn will make it possible to open up the space in the flat as intended, and may also add interest to the interior.

Do I need a permit to knock down a partition wall?

Under the law, demolishing a partition wall does not qualify as alteration work, so there is no obligation to apply to the authorities for permission. Nevertheless, in the case of cooperative or municipal flats it may be necessary to obtain permission from the building's management and to present the relevant building documentation. Before starting the demolition, you therefore need to make sure that the cooperative's rules do not oblige you to complete such formalities.

READ ALSO – A PERMIT FOR RENOVATION – WHEN IS IT NEEDED?

Safety measures during demolition

Once all doubts of a structural and legal nature have been resolved, you can start work. For safety, disconnect any wiring or plumbing running through the wall being taken down and, if necessary, protect the floors and any equipment in the rooms that could be damaged by falling rubble. It is also a good idea to cover openings leading to other rooms to limit the spread of dust around the flat.

What tools should you use to knock down a wall?

The choice of tools depends on the material the partition is made of. You can use power tools such as a demolition hammer or a rotary hammer drill, and weaker walls can also be knocked down with a simple sledgehammer. You do not have to be a professional for this kind of work, but you must still take care of your own safety. We recommend equipping yourself with work clothes, work gloves, safety boots, a dust mask, goggles and head protection, and doing everything on stable ground.

READ ALSO – IS IT WORTH BUYING A FLAT THAT NEEDS RENOVATION?

How to take down a partition wall?

A wall should be demolished from the top, working gradually downwards. If you start with the lower sections, you risk being hit by falling bricks or blocks that have lost their support. It is worth getting a helper to tip the rubble straight into a skip placed nearby, which will make the work go much more smoothly. Depending on the size of the wall and the way it was built, taking it down can take one to two days.

Demolishing partition walls does not require a permit and you can do it yourself. In theory. In practice, even such seemingly simple work can end in unexpected and serious consequences. For this reason, to avoid surprises when knocking down partition walls in a block of flats, it is best to seek advice from the specialists at the REMAX Gold estate agency, who will gladly share their knowledge of how to modernise any flat.