Open Concept at Last

Carlos M.'s 1972 Miami ranch home had a floor plan designed for a different era — kitchen, dining room, and living room as three separate boxes. He knew he wanted open plan but was terrified of load-bearing walls.

He posted his floor plan and interior photos on DunRite Social, highlighting the wall he wanted to remove. A structural engineer in the community replied within hours and walked Carlos through exactly what photos to take to assess load-bearing status: the crawl space showing the foundation, and the attic showing joist direction.

The verdict: the kitchen-dining wall was not load-bearing. The kitchen-living wall was — but with a properly sized LVL beam, it could come down.

Another community member flagged that the HVAC duct running through that wall would need rerouting — something none of Carlos's contractors had mentioned. "He said if I didn't address it, I'd end up with an ugly soffit through my new open plan," Carlos says.

Project cost: $24,000.

"The house is unrecognizable," Carlos says. "Same square footage, same furniture — but the light travels, the space flows, and I can cook while talking to everyone at my party. The community gave me the knowledge to do it right."