There's A Wall I Want To Destroy (And Brick I Want to Reveal)

MegEn1

How much, VERY roughly, will it cost me?

Our house is an old brick duplex. Sometime in the last ten years the previous owners put an addition on the back. This means that what was the back of the brick house has been dry-walled over to be an interior wall. Our inspector says it likely has studs to hold the addition up.

I want to get rid of all the drywall and expose a wall of brick. What's more, I want to cut a square arch through the brick to make a wide doorway.

Our inspector said that would likely mean putting some sort of I-beam support at the top of the wall in front of the brick to diffuse the weight. Same with the actual arch in the brick itself.

Has anyone ever undertaken a project like this? Are we talking $3,000 or $10,000?

Thanks all for your input!

musictchr25

Sounds like with all the permits that you would have to get from your town/city, the cost of the beam to diffuse the weight, and cutting into the brick safely and supporting the remaining brick, that you're looking more towards the $10k range. 

A beam, if you go with a steel one versus a wood one, would be at least $2500. Permits and inspections will cost you at least another $1000. Cutting through the brick should be left to a masonry contractor, which depending on the thickness of the wall and how well the bricks are mortared together, could be another few thousand dollars. Rental of a dumpster for all of the debris is going to be about $750, but that's only if you need one. 

Those are the fees that I would expect off the bat. I don't know what it would cost to support the archway in the brick opening. But also, keep in mind, that you don't really know the condition of the brick or the mortar that is underneath the drywall. It could be in complete disrepair and be a structural issue in itself. 

Always allow for a 10% buffer in your renovation plans to accommodate any unknown or pop-up issues.