As the market is seeing an increasing number of houses with high-quality finishes, many new homes even come with free appliances and furniture, ready for immediate move-in. However, there are still some new or second-hand homes that fail to meet the structural or aesthetic needs of homeowners. In such cases, a certain degree of main structure alteration is necessary. But this is not a simple task; it requires a comprehensive consideration of design standards, material requirements, construction quality, and the house structure. Moreover, the structural safety of the house must be a top priority. Otherwise, the consequences of damaging load-bearing walls can be severe, even threatening the structural safety of the entire building. Let's take a look at the precautions for main structure alterations below.

The main process of structural renovation includes activities such as removing walls, building new ones, scraping off wall plaster, dismantling radiators, and replacing plastic steel windows, etc. In essence, it's about first setting up the framework of the construction site. For second-hand homes, since the walls need to be painted, it's advisable to move the air conditioning unit for easier painting in the future. As for the wall surface, if the original joint compound is waterproof, there's no need to scrape it off; if it's uneven, apply a primer and then scrape on a layer of joint compound to level it. If not, remove and redo it entirely. Two to three coats of joint compound are sufficient. In the grooves of the walls, apply plaster and then affix genuine kraft paper (that can't be torn) before scraping on the joint compound. Any hollow spots or cracks must be addressed. Structural renovation is one of the earliest projects for second-hand homes or raw houses requiring户型 changes, mainly involving activities like removing walls, building new ones, scraping off wall plaster, dismantling radiators, and replacing plastic steel windows, etc. After the renovation, the waste should be cleared out promptly to maintain indoor cleanliness and facilitate construction. It's also a good time to finalize the purchase of finished doors. Now is the time to organize and confirm the information for cabinets, range hoods, cooktops, water heaters, and other items.

Firstly, the details of the renovations: precast panel walls cannot be removed or windows opened in them. Walls thicker than 24 centimeters are load-bearing and cannot be removed arbitrarily. Door frames embedded in concrete are not recommended to be removed; doing so could compromise the building structure and pose safety hazards. The low wall adjacent to the balcony cannot be removed; typically, walls between rooms and balconies have doors and windows that can be removed. However, the wall beneath the balcony is not to be taken down. The beams and columns in the room cannot be altered as they support the floor slabs; they cannot be removed. The steel bars in the walls should not be moved; if they are damaged while laying other lines, a report must be submitted, and the construction team will repair them.

Later, the disassembly of the main structure allows for more practical space usage. Once the debris is removed, it should be promptly cleared out to maintain indoor cleanliness and facilitate construction.