Many of my remodeling clients want to remove a wall to create a more open floor plan by integrating the kitchen into the living and entertaining part of their home. A nonbearing wall is a cinch to remove. However, if the wall is bearing, which means that it carries ceiling or floor loads from above, removing it requires replacing it with a properly sized beam. The conventional approach is to remove part or all of the bearing wall and to support the framing with a header that sits below the ceiling plane. In this case, the owner wanted a clear, unbroken ceiling, so the beam had to be hidden above.
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