I am wondering if I might get some help, please. My husband and I have a 5 year old home. The den is fairly small for a 3,400 sf home, approx 15x13. We are considering having the wall between the den and the formal living (approx 12x18) room knocked out to open it up, so the wall to be knocked out is approx 12 feet. The wall is load bearing, this we know for sure. We received quotes 2 years ago, one for around $3,000 and one for $5,500 so we dropped it altogether. Too much of a difference in between. In your professional opinions, obviously, you cannot give an exact estimate without looking at the room or seeing it, what do you think we could expect to pay for removal of a load bearing wall? We know this is not to be taken lightly. 3 wall sockets total so nothing fancy. From a basis tear down so we would determine our budget as to pillars, columns, french doors, etc. It may not be cost effective in this market if we had to sell to do anything but tear it down and open it up plain and simple.

Thank you so much! Your expertice is greatly appreciated! I will be calling for estimates within the next week. Anything you would advise on that as well?

The reason there was such a wide gulf in estimates is probably because you gave them no basis for estimating. A 12-foot opening is going to require a serious beam to carry the loads. Who designed the beam? Probably no one. Who determined that there was sufficient structure at the ends of the beam to carry the loads to the earth, Probably no one

See, you skipped a step, and that is having a qualified design professional examine all conditions whic would affect the removal of the wall, and determine a beam size, and detail the load paths of the weight at the supports at the ends of the beam. In skipping that step, you put the bidders in the position of guessing what you would need, so you got guesses, not estimates.

When you can present the bidders with an accurate drawing showing exactly what needs to be done, your prices will be both lower and more consistent. Retain the services of a good architect or structural engineer to design the changes necessary, and prepare a drawing showing what is required. Your bidders will feel much more comfortable, and your bids will be better.

Five grand is cheep as well.
the first thing you need to do is have a engineer come in and write up the specs for the removal and re-sizing of the beam that will be supporting the new load. Also need to figure out how to transfer this load to the ground via columns, posts and footings. Once you have this done THEN provide that design to the contractors so they can provide an estimate for the job. Not doing it the other way will cause the prices to be all over the place. Each contractor will have his or her own method of doing the job. You need to compare apples to apples. Also the township will require an engineer report with the design modifications in order to obtain a permit. Which of course you plan on getting.

Just a small word: a good architect or a structural engineer each can do what you need done. Notice the word "good". It isn't rocket science. My experience is that some architects will have no clue and you might be better off guessing, but some engineers will get carried away and build a bridge abutment or something like it. Notice the word "some". The rest, be they good architects or good engineers, will be right on the money with what you need. Ask around, don't just take names from the yellow pages.

You'll need a site visit by whoever you choose, and maybe from an hour to three or four hours of office time, depending on what must be done to get the loads safely to earth, and what is required to draw the design. Yes, some will say "$250 an hour, $1000 minimum"...that's code for "I don't want to be bothered". There are qualified competent professionals who will do what you need for a reasonable price. Hunt around until you find one.