Pocket doors

Have never done this, only read about it on here and other related forums and my understanding is that this is a simple idea on the surface but very complex to execute well... not the kind of project a layperson should take on and generally most people recommend against doing this altogether.

can you do dry wall? you are going to double the width of hole in the wall where the door is. then remove the studs in that section of wall, then buy a pocket door kit and new door that you will instal put it all back together with new door installed and now get some drywall install it properly so that you dont send a screw into your new door because your screws need to be shorter and finish the dry wall on both sides of the wall where the door will pocket into because when you rip out the studs you will screw up the drywall on the other side of the pocket.
if this were new construction I would say heck yeah easy retrofit when you are not doing a total gut? nope.

Find a really good trim carpenter pay him to do it. not a chuck with a truck find a guy that only does trim and door work, not a jack of all trades if they are good thats all they will be doing is trim and door work.

Pretty difficult. Sheetrock on both sides need to be cut back to the ceiling and 16" wider on both sides if opening allows.
Need to have enough space for 2x the door width with plus an inch or so. That space needs to have old studs removed and split-jams put in place (they usually come in the pocket door kit).
The space where the door will sit inside the wall of course cant have any plumbing or electrical.
Planning will need to be taken to make sure existing flooring fully covers from making the new opening too wide.
The load bearing issue usually isn't an issue since the new header can be upsized to carry the load. It gets more involved if the load is significant and now the jack stud might be moved off its intended bearing spot. If on concrete slab, this usually isn't a big deal.

Pocket door kits for 2x4 wall are pretty flimsy. The kits for 2x6 wall are better since there is more split jamb thickness on either side of the door. I have several 2x4 pocket doors in my house. They are fine but they they stay in their pockets 95% of the time. If its an often used door, its much less convenient to open, close and lock.

we removed ours and removed half the wall to open up bathroom. wasn't too bad of a project. Would not want to install one.

I’m a big fan of pocket doors. In new construction you can design around them but for retrofit you’re probably better off with barn doors or building a sister wall to the existing wall with the required pocket gap. Any competent carpenter can do it that way

another thing to keep in mind if you are on a 2x4 wall to be sure your door is no thicker than an 1 3/8" standard interior door. if its an antique door or some special door that is 1 3/4" or more, you may need to expand the width of the wall to receive the thickness of the door and frame needed for it.

Thanks for the insightful replies ya'll! I may go the barn door route...