[DianeCTurner]

I am planning a kitchen renovation using IKEA cabinets. The house is a 1970's ranch on a slab with a small walk-through galley kitchen. Soffits on both walls are wasting WAY too much overhead storage space. My plan is to remove the soffits to make room for the 39 1/2 wall cabinets. I would love to hear about any possible problems with this plan. I am a single mom on a limited budget and hope to do much of this renovation work myself. Thanks.

[designbymeiny]

Just make sure no duct work is hiding in your soffit. I plan on removing my soffit above the sink wall for the same reason you mentioned, being able to put 39" high wall cabinets there. I happen to know that it is possible because I have seen it done in a house that is similar to ours. Neighbors in similar houses can be a great resource as to a 'behind the scenes' look into the walls/soffits of your house.

[Chuck]

What Design said about neighbors being a resource of information on your project is true. It's the old "been there, done that" kind of thing - they know the hurdles, hazards and other issues you might run into along your path.

As for removing the soffit, it's a great idea, as it allows you to put to use otherwise wasted space. However (isn't the always one of these), ducting isn't the only obstacle you might run into inside the soffit - there may be electric, water and/or drain lines** that need to be dealt with.

Water and electric lines are fairly easy, and relatively inexpensive, to deal with; ducting and drain lines can be very difficult - even impossible - to deal with. If you run into any of these things during the demo process, you will probably need to call in a tradesperson to determine whether the obstacles can be moved, and how much it will cost.

What you might want to do while you plan your project is knock a couple of holes in the soffit in different locations along its run, big enough to get a flashlight into and allow you to see what's going on inside. That way, you can find out in advance if you have other issues you'll need to deal with.

Lastly, chances are very good (I'd bet the ranch house and the ranch on this one) that the walls and ceiling behind the soffit are NOT finished, and you will need to allow time and money to do this work. It can normally be done with drywall, tape and spackle, but you'll need to do some measuring to figure out how much material you'll need.


** Because your house is a ranch, it most likely that you won't encounter drain or water lines, though a waste vent line is possible, as is HVAC and electric.

[quiltmaster]

I removed mine and have never been happier with the way it opened the space. Go for it.