Internal wall changes.

[JuxZeil]

Hi, can anyone help solve this please.
I have pics here of the party walls in question:

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• JuxZeil
• 25 Feb 2013
• 1

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• JuxZeil
• 25 Feb 2013
• 1

I would like to take out the lintel spanning the wc door and the small cupboard in order take the wall left of the wc door back, and to install a pocket door for the wc.
The wall isn't supporting anything up top as it's a 1950's house and the original ceiling Gypsum boards go in above the top bricks, but I assume the lintel is put there to 'tie' the walls in order to prevent collapsing. As the mortar is sanding I would be much happier knowing the brick walls remaining are well supported and was wondering what the best method of doing this would be?
The only ways I can think off(as I'm no builder) is;
1) To replace the lintel with a longer one, and as I would only have 4"- 6" of block under the lintel on the left side after taking the wall back, support it with claw bolts going through the lintel in the wall heading back to the outer wall.
2) To have a steel lintel made out of end capped 'H' beam and claw bolt at both ends and running along the top bricks/blocks remaining in order to tie the walls.

Any help regarding new methods I know nothing about would also be appreciated too.
Thanks in advance.

 

[dann09]

It's difficult for me to understand your post - others might be more successful.
Could you scan a sketch of the floor plan, indicating the walls/areas in question?
Is the floor above supported by any wall that you wish to lintel?

 

[JuxZeil]

Cheers for the help bud. Here's a quick scetch up(with MS Paint I'm sorry to say)......

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• JuxZeil
• 27 Feb 2013
• 1

This shows a rough plan of the first floor as it is now, the walls in red are the ones casing problems. I really don't want to take the whole lot down as I've not long built a pocket door and a fitted airing cupboard joining the far left returning wall.

From what I can tell the roof rests on both skin of the main cavity walls, and that the main support for the whole house is the chimney stack(now unused and bricked up at ground floor) which is in the center of the building. I've been informed that it's double skinned and constructed using the old equivalent of engineering bricks.
The solid walls on the 1st floor are mostly the old equivalent of medium density blocks(very coarse and crumble at the first sight of a drill), with the odd(very light coloured) house brick between and two layer run above the lintel line.
The walls are resting on the floorboards and stop about 1" below the roof joists. It almost looks like the ceilings were put up before the walls on the 1st floor as the original Gypsum boards run over the top of the walls. I can see why the previous owners just put new plasterboard over the top of the old ceiling. Getting the old boards down caused quite a bit of damage to the now soft render and lime on the walls.

I have a friend comming over to have a look who was in the building trade, but 'was' is the opperative word here. I need to know I'm sattisfying the newer building regs as well as my own standards while keeping costs to a minimum. It cost about £1000 to get Bournemouth planning officers involved without the plans , so if I can, I'd like to knock a chunk off that.