Back to work on taking out our wall.
Tool time. A stud finder is handy, as is a reciprocating saw, which can cut through plaster, wood and nails in one heavy-duty swipe. You’ll also need a sledge hammer, a wrecking bar, safety goggles, a hardhat, and a good dust mask with a dust/mist rating.
If you’re dealing with drywall, you’re in luck; it’s much easier (or at least neater) than plaster and lath.
To keep dust to a minimum, you may want to rig up some sort of fan system to exhaust the dust outside. No matter what, you’ll have some dust in the room. Keep it out of the rest of the house by taping plastic over open doorways and shoving damp rags under doors. And vacuum rather than sweep when cleaning up.
Start by removing the trim. To save and reuse trim, remove it so nails pull through rather than trying to pull them out first. Remove any remaining nails by pulling them from the back side of the trim.
If you’re only cutting out a section of a lath and plaster wall, here’s a way to do it with minimum fuss. Outline the area with masking tape. Score the plaster on the inside of the tape, then gently tap the plaster with a hammer to loosen it. Remove the hunks of plaster, and cut away the lath with a reciprocating saw or handsaw. Alternatively, you could take a circular saw to the wall. (This kicks up a lot of dust which hides the line you’re cutting, so draw a second line off to one side to guide your baseplate.)
To remove studs, hammer out the bottom with a sledge hammer, or cut an angle through the stud, so one end will easily pull away.