# Forum Home Renovation Demolition  Arch removal

## baileyboy

Hi, I'm trying to removal an arch in the living room of an old queenslander.  
I was going to just cut it off but thought I'll check with you guys first. Any tips? Is it worth an money?

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## Moondog55

*Pictures* 
And if it is the style of arch I remember it is a quintessential part of the charm of "Queenslanders"

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## baileyboy

sorry, photo here. I forgot to attach it.

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## shauck

Not my taste but wow! Hope you remove it carefully and find a buyer/new home for it. I reckon that'd be worth a few bucks.

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## BaysideNana

:What she said: ....in the right house that would look fantastic and I guess would be worth a bit because one or two I've seen were Cedar.  Would  pay to check before you go ripping!

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## Moondog55

What Sue said
BUT
If that were our house I would be leaving it in place.

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## baileyboy

thanks, it looks nice but I find it reduces the size of the room. plus i'm going to polish the floors so I dont want to remove it later and having to deal with marks/having to repair the floor afterwards. what i'm struggling with is that I can't see how it connects to the frame. I dont want to saw it. I was going to saw it flush with the jam but thought there must be a smarter way.

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## melton2

you may find that the fixings have been countersunk and filled in for a flush finish..
you could possibly sand the paint away to expose any filling, and then once the fill is removed, you would expose the screw but that would be time consuming.
if you dont care to keep it in tact, then start cutting!
no simple way to remove it.

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## Moondog55

As baysidenana said tho, it may well be worth money if it is cedar; several hundreds in fact. 
If you are staying in the house for a long time then remove away but removing will diminish the houses potential resale

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## SilentButDeadly

If it is worth nothing to you and is in the way then just tear it out...hammer, chisel, chainsaw...whatever gets the job done. 
If you think it is worth something and you think it's in the way then get someone else to tear it out...like the buyer. 
If you (or anyone else) tears it out at all then you are scraping away the last vestiges of character your house may possess...which'd be like me coming up to you and stripping your eyebrows off your face with a swiss army knife because they are no longer of the fashionable style...

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## baileyboy

the house is 1880s. I'm sure if screws where invented by then  :Smilie:  
in any case, I think trying to get the concealed screws/nails out will be a very timing exercise and problem does more damage than anything. I'm 
considering using a sabre saw with a metal blade (to cut through any nails/screws) along the edges neatly and putty up any damages and sand back prior to painting again.

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## Bloss

The beam above the vertical slats will likely be load bearing - I assume you are intending to leave that in place. As others I reckon you will be reducing the resale value of the house . . .

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## Cecile

Before you do any chopping, it might pay to investigate whether or not your house is covered by a heritage overlay.  If it is, you are not allowed to remove it, period. 
I truly love that archway.  It's got the kind of character that is sorely missing in today's houses.  Is there any way you can rearrange the use of your rooms for better flow than to rip out such a gorgeous piece of buiding history?

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## intertd6

It shows a depth of character to retain something that is truly irreplaceable.
regards inter

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## SilentButDeadly

> It shows a depth of character to retain something that is truly irreplaceable.
> regards inter

  And if that depth of character were ever actually demonstrated by the average human then the world would be a very very different place....

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## intertd6

> And if that depth of character were ever actually demonstrated by the average human then the world would be a very very different place....

  And it doesn't take much effort either.
regards inter

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## baileyboy

Ok, i'm succumbing to the peer pressure. The arch is staying. I don't like, the missus don't like it but in case someone buying the house later wants it....

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## barney118

good call, fret work is hard to find, original pieces are worth weight in gold (or should I say stubbies)  :Beer:

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## METRIX

Personally I don't like it, but I am into contemporary modern so it would not work in my place, but it is also a shame to remove such an architectural feature of the house.
These ad character to the era of house, but they can be seen to be in the way with our modern open way of living. 
If you sell the house in the future it will add value and someone buying this type of house would surely appreciate it
If you really want it gone, put an add on ebay or local paper to sell it, it would be better for it to go to a new home rather than the tip. 
But if nobody wants it including yourself then just get rid of it (but not any structural elements of it), anyone else's opinion doesn't really matter as they don't have to live with it, and it's obviously not something you want.

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## Bloss

> Personally I don't like it, but I am into contemporary modern so it would not work in my place, but it is also a shame to remove such an architectural feature of the house.
> These ad character to the era of house, but they can be seen to be in the way with our modern open way of living. 
> If you sell the house in the future it will add value and someone buying this type of house would surely appreciate it
> If you really want it gone, put an add on ebay or local paper to sell it, it would be better for it to go to a new home rather than the tip. 
> But if nobody wants it including yourself then just get rid of it (but not any structural elements of it), anyone else's opinion doesn't really matter as they don't have to live with it, and it's obviously not something you want.

   :What he said:  although I do like the look (in that house type and age!), but unless you plan on a quick sell just do what you want - you'll be living in it.  
But worth seeing if you can keep it intact at least in sections as I reckon you might get some cash for it.

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## shauck

> although I do like the look (in that house type and age!), but unless you plan on a quick sell just do what you want - you'll be living in it.  
> But worth seeing if you can keep it intact at least in sections as I reckon you might get some cash for it.

  Agree with Bloss and Metrix. Well actually just re-stating what I said in the first place. Don't be brow beaten into keeping it.

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## intertd6

The architectural value of the feature has luckily had owners with depth of character for possibly 130 years & soon you will be only able to see such features in the library. In a queenslander house built in the 1880s it would be devaluing it greatly & another heritage feature lost from its natural place. I'm all for knocking stuff down when needed but I,m thinking this isn't one of those.
regards inter

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