Help! Furnace in the way of an open concept!
+11
Hello. I am moving into a home built in the 1950s. They put the furnace right in the middle off the wall, between the kitchen and living room, leaving a dead space corner in the kitchen and no room for dining. I really want an open concept but my furnace is blocking my view. I know moving a furnace is expensive so I would like to figure out some way to make the living room and kitchen work with the furnace still in place. Any ideas? *disclamer, the house has since been cleaned up, these pictures were taken when I first got the keys to the home. We had a mess to clean up.
12 answers
-
Hi Hannah- with the photos that you have posted it really doesn't show where the wall is with the furnace. Not sure where the problem is in relation to your kitchen. Is it possible to retake and post now that you have cleaned everything out?
Country Design Home
on Dec 29, 2015
-
From the pictures, it looks like you have a typical ranch style house where there is essentially two "sides" to the house with a hall separating them. Is that right? If that's the case then I would bet the wall running along the side of your kitchen and down the hall is the load bearing wall so I would be very careful taking walls out until you check if it's holding anything up. You'll probably have pipes and wiring in these walls as well. If you want the wall where the range is sitting gone, then you're going to have to also deal with relocating the outlet for the range since it's on a 220 circuit and should go directly to the breaker box.
Mandy Brown
on Dec 29, 2015
-
I agree with Mandy. You'll need to have a contractor look at your situation and advise you.
Linda Johnson
on Dec 29, 2015
-
Possibly you are referring to the chimney stack from the furnace?
Sharyn Diaz
on Dec 29, 2015
-
btw...love your high ceilings and space above cabinets
Pjakin61
on Dec 29, 2015
-
is the heater in that wall by the fridge and open to the right?
Pjakin61
on Dec 29, 2015
-
I would suggest you live with it, as it is currently - get a feel for it - before making changes. i love my 50's home, and although we have knocked through (a load bearing wall, wasnt easy, but doable with supports) from the kitchen to dinningroom, this has lost some of the 'charm' I think. Good luck with any changes you make
Nicola Rouse
on Dec 29, 2015
-
I'm with Nicole on this. Try being in the space before consulting a contractor about making structural changes. It may be that the furnace chimney is what is in the area you're referring to. If you have a basement the furnace itself is probably down there.
MN Mom
on Dec 30, 2015
-
It looked like this when you moved in? Could you post pictures after the mess is cleaned up? Who can tell anything from this?
Margo
on Dec 30, 2015
-
I agree with Margo. Where is the furnace?
Flora
on Jan 01, 2016
-
You need to live in a place 6-12 months before you decide to do anything major.
Mrs B
on Jan 03, 2016
-
I lived in a 1955 house for 25 years. From time to time I thought about taking down the wall between the kitchen and LR. I never did. I always thought that maybe someday that home would be a great, unchanged example of how 50's homes were built :-) In the 50's they weren't thinking about open concept designs. People lived in smaller homes and rooms had specific purposes as compared to the "one room for everything" open concept so many homes are designed with today. Making a home something it was never meant to be sometimes takes away its original charm, IMO. As other's have mentioned, live with it 'as is' for awhile to see how it works. You might be pleasantly surprised to find you enjoy your kitchen which is a separate space from the LR. Now....all that being said, (although it's a bit difficult to tell exactly on the pics) I think you could remove the wall on the right in the first photo to open up the space there. No need to bother witih the 'dead space' that's the furnace (chimney, actually). You won't gain that much space if it was moved. Also, it appears from what I can see in the photos, that wall I just mentioned is a load bearing wall. Yes, it can be removed but you'll have to add in a header. Also you may have to move some electrical stuff that may be hidden in that wall. You won't know till you try demo....but then you've more or less committed ;-) Unless you have a large family, there is room for a small round dining table in that kitchen. It looks about the same size as the one in my 50's house. We raised two boys in that house and although it wasn't large by any means, it was always cozy and comfy. Look for a small round (about 42") table and chairs that will push all the way under the table and I think you'll find there is dining space. ... not for a large crowd but certainly for everyday use :-) P.S. Consider painting your kitchen cabinets a light color. I did! You'll be amazed how much larger the room will look! (I also painted my vinyl floor a light color. It wore well and people always wanted to know what kind of floor it was because it looked so nice.) Lighter colors will be your friend in this lovely small 50's home. :-)
CK
on Jan 05, 2016
Sign Up to Answer
