Knocking down a load bearing wall

[Finallyspringishere]

We are having the wall between our kitchen and dining room knocked down. The job involves resiting a radiator, removing the wall and adding a support steel, making good the plaster etc and blocking up a doorway with plasterboard.

Can anybody give me an idea of how long this should all take? The builder isn't answering directly when I ask and just says he has another job that starts 3 weeks later!

3 days I think if its straightforward - thats what it took in our old house. This house, more complicated by chimney breast, levelling off of ceiling and floor (they didn't match up), moving boiler switch etc etc, about 1.5 weeks.

Thanks that's helpful.

Dare I ask how much mess it made?

If its straight forward and you have good builders who will clear up, not that much but obviously lots of dust from the bricks and plaster work. I think I stayed overnight elsewhere in the old house and it was all relatively tidy (although dusty) when I came home.

This house - with the 1m wide chimney breast, I don't think there was a surface in the house (despite various preventative steps) that wasn't covered in dust and it seemed to hand around in the air for weeks. Not much help I know. Best thing we did though, love the new space it has given us.

I think think that removing the wall between our (victorian) kitchen and dining room was one of the dirtiest/messiest parts of our building works . Sorry not sure how long it took as part of s bigger job.

Fab now though

Oh no :( I have a toddler this is going to be hell isn't it.

5 days

Make sure the builder puts up an effective dust screen between the kitchen and the dining room so the majority if the dust stays in the dining room. Decide if you are going to allow the builder to use your vacuum cleaner to clean up the dust!!! Better if they bring their own. Go out all day when they are knocking through. Make sure they bring props to shore up the room above. The worst is over in a few days. Keep you toddler in the lounge and kitchen. Do very easy meals and eat in the lounge for a few days. Drop being house proud!!! It will be great when it's finished.

The whole house needs decorating top to bottom. The wall is the first job being done a few days after we move in ( impatient husband) so I won't have even bothered unpacking.

Me and dh did it in 4 days, but obviously it took longer to decorate as had to leave plaster to dry, properly clean up all the dust.
We did it with 3 dc, they helped, except for dd who was a toddler and happy to watch from her playpen through the glass doors

I'm relieved to hear it may not take too long. I've been really fretting over it as we will have just moved in and none of the rooms will be decorated. I would much rather do the wall later once the rest of the house is finished and it's a bit nicer to hang out in the bedrooms.
DH thinks I'm being silly but I dread a week of having to contain a toddler in a house full of unpacked boxes.

I think your DH is right, with all the dust etc you want to get the messiest job out of the way. It'll look fab when finished I'm sure

Can you and toddler spend a few days visiting a friend?