Hi. We are remodeling our kitchen and while taking down a pantry closet we found an air condition duct in the interior wall. The duct goes from the basement up to the second floor. Our only option on re-routing is to the wall between the kitchen & the garage or the exterior back wall. Either is only 2 feet away from the current position.

I am concerned about cutting through the ceiling/floor joists. Is this possible to do?

I am concerned about cutting through the ceiling/floor joists. Is this possible to do?
NO those are usually load bearing surfaces.

Get a pro carpenter that knows what he is doing. He can box off and double up on the timber to make it safe.

Other option is to run the duct out in the garage using short turn 90's with a small piece of duct.

Naturally I cannot see your situation.

What do you mean by 'box off'?

They header off the cut joist BUT the joist has to be tied back into other non cut Joist. It is not a job for a DYI. Serious damage can happen if not done correctly.

Oh I agree -- at first I thought we could do it but with the structural integrity at play we are going to call in pro for sure. I just wanted to understand what was involved and what are options are.

Unbelievable all of this to gain 3' in counter space! Should we use a air conditioning pr or a good carpenter?

We actually thought of another option today -- possibly moving the kitchen door [into the Garage] down to the back corner and leave the wall there as a divider in a sense. The pantry side wall [the one with the duct] is was about 30" deep -- so we could shorten it to counter depth. The width of the pantry is suffient for a doorway [39"] But that of course is more money - ughhh.

Should we use a air conditioning pr or a good carpenter?

I would say a carpenter for the wood part. A/C pro usually only knows how to use a saws all and that can be trouble. Plan what you want to do the tell the carpenter. It might be easier than you think.

I figured a carpenter for the structural piece! I hope it's easier than I am envisioning!!

Thank you so much for your insight.