Wall Removal & Beams

When a wall comes out to join a kitchen and dining room, or two smaller rooms, the permit comes first. On ottawa.ca's list of building permit projects, "adding or removing walls, i.e., creating different room sizes and/or uses" appears as an interior structural alteration, and the list does not split load-bearing walls from partitions. Confirm with Building Code Services before any wall comes out.

Where the wall carries load, a beam and posts take its place. The design that goes in with the permit application comes from a qualified, registered designer (BCIN), an engineer or an architect, or from you, for a house you own (Ontario Building Code, Division C, 3.2.5.1.(3)(b)). We found nothing on ottawa.ca saying the City demands an engineer's stamp for every beam, so ask the City what it will accept for yours.

The Building Code sets a few minimums the drawings will show: beam ends bear at least 89 mm on their supports, and a wood column is at least 140 × 140 mm (184 mm round) unless calculations show a smaller one works, and never narrower than the beam it holds. The beam size itself comes from the design for your house, not from a chart on a website.

The City asks for inspections at key stages, booked 48 hours ahead. Items that show up on a quote: the design, the permit, temporary support while the wall comes out, the beam and posts, moving wiring, ducts or plumbing, and patching drywall, paint and floors afterwards.