The expense and difficulty of moving an exterior kitchen wall

constructionextensionexteriorframingremodeling

I'm considering a kitchen remodel, that is in the front-right corner of a house, and surrounded by a covered deck on both sides. The deck extends out 8ft in the front and 9ft on the right.

I'd like to find out if it's possible to move the front kitchen wall into the deck area, that is basically a small alcove. The deck is original to the house, and roof line already extends to the end of the deck. So assume you don't have to move the roof line.

The length of the front wall is 13ft, and contains counter w/ sink and dishwasher. I'd like to move it out at least 3 feet, maybe the full 8ft.

How hard would this remodel be? Moving the drainage and water, electrical. Framing the new wall, building up a new subfloor, etc. Do you think this is feasible, or am I past what a contractor could pull off? What kind of cost would this be just for the extension.

Best Answer

You'd need to get an engineer to look at it first. The biggest problems I can think of are structural -- even if the house is pier and beam, you'd need to move piers out. If it's not, you would need to dig out a new foundation. Then you have to figure out if the overhang is actually appropriate as a roof over indoor space, that moving the wall won't interfere with your joist and roof structure, and make sure that you're not interfering with your attic ventilation among other things.

I wouldn't just call a contractor and have him start swinging a hammer, and I definitely wouldn't do this yourself. On top of that, this will definitely require a lot of permits and a stamped architectural design to be filed with your city or county.