But.. will it still stand up?

[cjard]

OK, so I have a bit of a conversion project on.. A brick built shell with some additional steelwork supporting the slate roof. The walls are an internal skin of buff engineering brick and externally probably sandstone rubble and render. There isn't a cavity per se, and the walls are probably at least a foot thick, I haven't actually measured. Foundation depth and type are unknown. Building was built 1926.

In one gable there are 2 semicircular windows, the base of the semicircle you see in the below pics is 4 metres wide. the garage doors I've drawn are 4m by 2.4m. The base of the semicircle is 5 metres off the floor. The gable is 10m high at the apexes. The supporting steel for the roof is a large girder going from wall (above garage doors) to wall (opposite) with another 3 uprights supporting it at ~5m centres. From this, 4 sort-of-batwing shaped trusses carry large timbers that bear the roof and the other end of the batwing is buried in the front/back walls. The end of each timber (not drawn) also rests on the gable wall

It would offer me the most flexibility in terms of what I want to do with the rest of the building, if I could put 4 garage doors in this gable rather than 2, but I'm concerned about the structural aspect; this entire wall is about 25 metres long, putting 2 garage doors in under the windows would give 8 metres of this over to doors and keep most of the load in a vertical direction. Putting 4 doors in would be great, but that's 16 out of 25 metres gone leaving the remaining 9 metres to carry the weight, which would pretty much be acting at 45 degree angles instead, and I'm not keen on collapsing or putting stresses on that would push the front and back walls out of shape

Any thoughts? Sort of thing that need referring to a structural engineer?

View media item 59643
View media item 59644
Above is a drawing from google sketchup, looking at the internal skin of the gable from the opposite side of the building . If you want it spinning round and re-snapshotting, let me know

 

[^woody^]

I don't understand what you are asking. Is that image what you have, or what you want to do, and what is the question?

 

[RonnyRaygun]

If you cut four new openings into the gable the main risk is that the masonry and/or the existing founations won't be able to take the increases stresses.

You don't have to worry about the forces pushing the wall out of shape, the loads will still be vertical.

Yes, you need to speak to a structural engineer. They might recommend box frames if the stresses are too high for the remaining piers/footings.

It can be done, but could be more work than you anticipate.

 

[cjard]

I don't understand what you are asking. Is that image what you have, or what you want to do, and what is the question?

the wall currently has no garage doors,the images are 2 options I have. I'm seeking comment on whether the 4 door option is likely going to require a huge amount of time and money invested in the structural aspect compared to the 2 door version or (assuming the cost of cutting a door is zero) are all other aspects of doing the 4 door and still have the building standing up at the end of it, going to cost the same

 

[^woody^]

Oh I thought it was to do with the roof.

Cutting openings in a wall is rarely an issue