# Forum Home Renovation Demolition  Best way to demolish an internal wall

## Saltypete

I would appreciate some advice from those who have done this. I have a perfectly sound single skin brick wall about 3.6 high and 3.4 wide that I need to demolish. My (pita) engineer has provided internals to sort the load etc, and my electrician has the switchboard all sorted.
I want to do this safely, with minimum excitement and mess rather than quickly. How do I go about it?

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## Random Username

One brick at a time -   Ozito 850W Rotary Hammer Drill Kit I/N 6290249 | Bunnings Warehouse 
You should be able to start popping bricks fairly easily off the mortar once you have the first row removed.  I'd be very surprised if it took more than about 10 seconds per brick.

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## toooldforthis

accept you are going to make a mess... and dusty!!
so unless you want to clean everything afterwards... move stuff; seal off areas (open doorways etc); put coverings/drapes/old sheets over stuff you don't want to move.

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## Jasey

I did exactly this at my place, a heavy rubber mallet starting at top you can remove a brick at a time, preserving all the bricks.

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## Marc

All of the above ... well I don't know about the rubber mallet, I suppose it depends from the strength of the mortar. One thing to consider ... you will drop bricks accidentally and 3.6 meters is a long way up ... by the way 3.6m and internal? Is it load bearing?  ... anyway, my point is that you need to protect the floor from falling bricks ... well unless it is rammed earth floor. So I would get a few sheets of plywood or particleboard or anything that can take a brick falling from 3.6m high. 
Also .. how are you going to get up there? Working from a ladder is possible but not particularly safe. I remember building a greenhouse on my own that was about 3.5m high and buying a ladder with a platform and wheels. It was very comfortable to work standing on that little platform with a rail around me.
Is someone helping? You need to find a way to lower the bricks you dislodge. Throwing them down is possible but you need a protected landing place, perhaps two.

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## Ourbuild

Plastic and plywood on floors to both sides of the floor.
Some Scaffolding as Marc has mentioned so you can get the wall down to head height.
Prop roof purlins if wall is load bearing, May need a LVL timber in the roof space if so to take the load.
Use a Stanley knife and bolster to remove cornices from each side of the wall prior to starting, then work your way down with a sledge hammer or lump hammer ( depending on line mortar or cement mortar) one brick coarse at a time.
Every second course will have a brick tied back into the opposite wall, you can crack those off flush with your bolster as you work down. 
All the best with it mate, post some pics for us!

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## Saltypete

Update to my removing bricks question. One brick at a time...... After getting the electrics made safe, I started in the ceiling and took the bricks down a few at a time. Then just continued the process once the wall got below ceiling level. Each brick needed jack hammering to remove it. Took a full day's work and our home was not a pleasant place to be with the noise, but all done now.  Stuffed at the end of the day, but a shower, good meal and a good nights sleep and it's not too bad..... 
Next job, prop my ceiling and install my counter beam.......

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