Open Concept Kitchen Remodels in Portland

“Whoever is cooking is completely cut off from the living room. We can’t hear each other. The kids are in there and I have no idea what’s happening.”

“The kitchen is technically big enough but it feels so dark and closed. Taking the wall out would make both rooms feel twice the size without adding a single square foot.”

“We love to host but the kitchen is a black hole. Guests crowd around the entrance or sit in the living room while one person cooks alone. We want the kitchen to be part of the gathering.”

“You have to walk through the kitchen to get to the back of the house and it makes the whole traffic pattern terrible. Taking that wall out would fix how the entire ground floor flows.”

• ●Solid wall separating kitchen from dining room — no sightlines, no borrowed light
• ●Kitchen felt closed and isolated from the rest of the living area
• ●Limited counter space and no room to prep or host at the same time

• ✓Structural engineer confirmed load path — flush LVL beam installed in ceiling
• ✓Kitchen and dining room unified into one open, light-filled space
• ✓Extended counter run, full BDS structural permit pulled and passed

Structural engineering

Every load-bearing wall removal requires a licensed structural engineer to specify the beam, its connections, and any foundation work required to carry the new load. We coordinate this as part of design — the engineer’s drawings go into the permit application.

Portland BDS structural permit

Structural permits go through a more detailed BDS review than standard kitchen permits — typically 6 to 10 weeks. This is separate from the electrical and plumbing permits. We manage all permits from application through final inspection. See our permits guide.

Electrical and plumbing rerouting

Walls in older Portland homes almost always contain electrical runs, and frequently plumbing. In pre-1950 homes, that’s often knob-and-tube wiring, which in our experience usually gets replaced when permitted work disturbs it. We identify this in the walkthrough, not mid-demo.

Temporary support structure

Before a load-bearing wall comes down, the structure above it must be supported with a temporary shoring system. This is a critical step that cannot be skipped or rushed. It stays in place until the permanent beam and posts are installed and inspected.

Floor and ceiling continuity

Where the wall stood, there will be a gap in the floor and ceiling that needs to be filled and matched. In older Portland homes with original hardwood floors, matching the grain, color, and plank width takes real skill. We account for this in scope from the start.

Kitchen layout redesign

Opening the wall changes what the kitchen can do. Counter runs, island placement, appliance positions, and lighting all need to be redesigned around the new open footprint. This is why open concept remodels are full kitchen remodels — the layout changes with the room. See our process guide.

Extremely common in Portland homes built before 1950. Opening a wall for permitted work brings an electrical inspection, and in our experience any knob-and-tube in the affected area usually gets replaced. What the inspector requires is decided at your inspection. This adds cost that wasn’t in the original quote. We identify it during the walkthrough and build it into the estimate.

Sometimes what looks like a single wall removal requires addressing how load travels down to the foundation. In older Portland homes, an interior wall may be carrying load from multiple floors. The beam size and post-to-foundation connection can be significantly more involved than a simple span calculation suggests.

A drain line or supply running through the wall being removed has to be rerouted before the wall comes down. In older Portland homes, this is often cast iron original to the house. Discovering it mid-demo adds time and cost. We probe for this before demo starts.

A previous owner may have started this project and stopped, or made changes without permits. Opening the wall surfaces whatever was done before. Non-code work found during a permitted remodel has to be corrected before the permit closes. We assess this during the walkthrough, not after demo.

Wall removal, electrical rerouting, floor and ceiling patch, full kitchen remodel. No structural beam required. Permit is simpler. Most common in Portland homes where the kitchen-dining separation is a partition added later. See our full cost guide.

Structural engineering, beam, posts, foundation connections, full permits, kitchen remodel. The most common scope in Portland’s pre-war bungalows where the kitchen wall carries a clear single load path.

Large beam spans, multiple load paths, foundation work, knob-and-tube electrical upgrade, high-end kitchen finish. Projects in Dunthorpe, Laurelhurst, and Irvington often land here due to home size and structural complexity.

“Our 1914 bungalow had a galley kitchen that hadn’t changed since the 1970s. The wall between the kitchen and dining room came out, and what we got back is a kitchen we actually want to spend time in. They found knob-and-tube wiring when they opened the wall — showed us immediately, explained what it meant, and didn’t proceed until we agreed on the fix. That was the difference.”

“We had maybe 90 square feet of kitchen in a 1920s Craftsman. Every contractor we talked to either said it couldn’t be done well or wanted to blow out a wall we couldn’t afford. They looked at the actual space and came back with a layout that got us real prep counter, proper storage, and a functional work triangle — without touching a structural wall. The quote was what we paid.”

“Demo revealed dry rot behind the dishwasher and an old cast iron drain — neither in the original quote because nobody knew it was there. They stopped, called us, sent photos, and gave us the number before touching anything else. Final cost was higher than we hoped, but exactly what we agreed to once we knew what was in the walls. That’s how it should work.”