Tried to plan around that weird hallway pillar, turns out it was load bearing

So my buddy bought this 1970s split level and the main hallway has this random 2 foot wide pillar smack in the middle, right where you'd naturally walk. We thought it was just some stupid decorative choice, so we talked about knocking it out and opening up the sight line to the living room. I measured twice, checked for plumbing, even tapped on it like I knew what I was doing. Then I popped into the crawlspace and saw the beam sitting right on top of it, not to mention the floor joists all landing on that same spot. That pillar is basically holding up half the second floor, and the original builder just left it like it was nothing. We ended up redesigning the whole layout around it, put a bookshelf on one side and a bench on the other. Has anyone else dealt with a hidden structural column ruining an open floor plan dream?

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rowan_hayes22d ago

Figured out the hard way that the stuff you hate most in a house is usually the stuff holding it together, kinda like that one friend who’s annoying but somehow keeps the whole group from falling apart. Once you see it, you can't unsee it, and honestly the bookshelf idea sounds way better than any open concept anyway.