We're considering removing a wall between a kitchen and living room in a late '70s/early '80s house. The wall divides the two rooms on the ground floor, and does not continue above the ceiling (the room dividers upstairs are all studwork, and have a different layout to the downstairs walls. I've had a couple of structural engineers look at this. Both agree that the wall is not supporting vertical loads. One suggests leaving 500mm piers either side to maintain buttressing with the outside (cavity construction) wall. The other suggests the wall can be removed providing the floor is strapped to the walls. Being a belt and braces sort of chap, I'm considering doing both. Does this seem unduly cautious? I can't tell what sort of strapping if any is already present until we start pulling things apart - unless there's an easy way to tell?