Remove a Non Load Bearing Wall — Floor, Ceiling and Walls Patched
One wall stands between the kitchen and the dining room, or splits a basement in two. You want it gone, and you want to know it is safe to take out.
JMB Builders removes non load bearing walls across the Twin Cities metro. We check first that the wall carries no load: joist direction, what sits above, what sits below. If it is bearing, a structural engineer sizes a beam and it becomes a different job. If it is not, the wall comes out, wiring and ducts in it are rerouted by licensed trades, and the ceiling, end walls and floor are patched. Priced per project.
- Priced per project
- Bearing check before anything is cut
- Ceiling, walls and floor patched
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Taking out a wall is quick. Knowing it can come out, and making the room look like it was never there, is the job. The first step is the bearing check. We look at which way the ceiling joists or trusses run, whether they end or splice over the wall, what is above it (a second-floor wall, a point load, an attic with trusses) and what is below it (a beam, a wall or a post in the basement). A wall running the same direction as the joists, with nothing under it, is usually non-bearing. Anything unclear gets opened up at the top plate before we cut.
If the wall is bearing, a structural engineer sizes a beam and posts, a building permit is pulled, and it is a different job. We tell you that before any demolition. If it is not bearing, the next question is what runs through it. Outlets and switches get moved by a licensed electrician; a supply line, drain, vent or duct gets rerouted by a licensed plumber or HVAC tech. That can be the biggest part of the price.
Then the patching. The ceiling gets a strip of drywall where the top plate was, taped and textured to match. The end walls get finished corners. The floor is where it shows most: hardwood gets boards laced in, LVP gets a row or two replaced or a flush patch, carpet gets seamed, and tile gets pieces cut in or a threshold. We plan the floor patch before the wall comes out.
What you supply
- Photos of both sides of the wall, the ceiling above it and the basement or floor below it
- Leftover flooring from the original install if you have any
- Your paint colors — painting is quoted as a separate line, or paint it yourself
- Clear access to the rooms and the attic or basement below
What JMB supplies
- Bearing check of the wall from above and below, opened at the top plate when needed
- Dust protection and floor protection in both rooms
- Wall removal and haul-away
- Wiring, pipes or ducts in the wall rerouted by a licensed electrician, plumber or HVAC tech
- Ceiling strip hung, taped and textured to match
- End walls finished with corner bead or trim
- Floor patched where the wall stood, laced in or matched as close as the flooring allows
- Baseboard and casing reset where the wall met them
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Wall length and height
- Wiring, plumbing, vents or ducts inside the wall that must be rerouted
- Floor type under the wall and whether matching material is available
- Ceiling texture to match: smooth, knockdown, popcorn
- Plaster walls, which take longer to remove and patch than drywall
- A bearing wall, which needs an engineer's beam and is quoted as a different job
Send photos of the wall from both sides, the ceiling above it, the floor at its base, and the basement or crawl space directly below it.
How long it takes
A short partition with no wiring: two to three days including patching and drying time. Add time for rerouted wiring, plumbing or ducts and for a floor lace-in.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Remove a Non Load Bearing Wall — Floor, Ceiling and Walls Patched: questions, answered
How can I tell if a wall is load bearing?
Check which way the ceiling joists run above it; a wall perpendicular to the joists, especially where they overlap or splice on top of it, is often bearing. Look below it too: a beam, wall or posts directly under it point to bearing. Exterior walls and walls in the middle of the house are the usual bearing walls. When in doubt, it gets checked before anything is cut.
What happens if the wall turns out to be load bearing?
It can still usually come out, but it is a different job. A structural engineer sizes a beam and the posts that carry it down to the footing, a building permit is pulled, and the ceiling is shored while the beam goes in. We tell you before any demolition starts.
Do I need a permit to remove a non load bearing wall?
In many Twin Cities cities, removing a non-bearing partition with nothing in it needs no building permit, but moving wiring, plumbing or ducts does need the trade's permit. Rules vary by city. Check with your city's building department before work starts.
How do you patch the floor where a wall was removed?
It depends on the floor. Hardwood gets new boards woven in so the patch has no straight seam. LVP or laminate gets planks replaced across the gap. Carpet gets seamed, and tile gets cut pieces or a threshold. Leftover flooring from the original install makes the best match.
Can you remove a wall that has outlets or a light switch in it?
Yes. The circuits get rerouted by a licensed electrician before the wall comes down, either into the ceiling or to a nearby wall. Switches for lights often move to the nearest end wall.
How much mess does removing a wall make?
Drywall and plaster dust is the main mess. We hang plastic to close off both rooms, cover the floors, and clean up at the end of each day. Plaster walls make more dust and debris than drywall.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
Related jobs we do
Drywall Texture Matching — Knockdown, Orange Peel and Skip Trowel
The patch is flat but you can still see it, because the texture around it is not — matched and blended by hand or hopper so the wall reads as one surface after paint.
Read moreReframe a Closet Opening — Wider Doors or an Open Nook
A narrow closet door you cannot get a bin through, or a closet you would rather have as an open reading nook or shelving wall — we reframe the opening and finish it so it looks original.
Read moreRemove a Door and Close the Wall — Fill In a Doorway
A second door into the bedroom nobody uses, a doorway that eats the only wall the couch fits on, an old closet door after the closet moved. We take the door out and make the wall whole.
Read morePlaster Wall Repair — Cracks, Loose Plaster and Lath Patched to Match
A pre-1950s house with cracks that come back every spring, a ceiling that sags or a bulge that moves when you press it — plaster repairs done so they hold instead of reopening.
Read moreHardwood Floor Installation — Nail-Down Solid and Engineered
Real wood floors, installed the way they stay flat in a Minnesota house — acclimated, nailed tight on a checked subfloor, and trimmed out by the same crew.
Read moreAccess Hole Patching After Plumbing or Electrical Work
The plumber fixed the valve and the electrician ran the wire. Neither one patches drywall. We close the holes they left and match the texture so nobody knows they were there.
Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All drywall pages
Where we work
Drywall near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: