Load bearing?

[DevilDamo]

I was asked by a work colleague to visit her daughters property yesterday to have a look at a wall they're wanting to remove to make the existing bedroom/proposed office more usable. At present, there is a built in cupboard, which consists of 50 x 100 timbers. This cupboard is only half high, meaning... the lower part takes the stair soffit (i.e. 2m headroom) and so only the top half of this cupboard can be used for storage.

Here is a quick sketch of the area in question...

There will be trimmers around the staircase... obviously. The floor joists span side to side and the roof trusses span front to back. This cupboard wall appears to be built off the trimmers but it doesn't appear to be carrying any load.

From the information above and my sketch, would you assume these cupboard walls are non-load bearing? I spoke to BC and they said it's not something they'd get involved with, which I found a bit odd as it may have structural implications. I don't really deal with this particular LA. Any others I'd speak to wouldn't mind popping out.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Presumably your trusses are spanning from external wall to external wall so tis pretty unlikely they'd take intermediate support from an internal wall don't you think?

 

[DevilDamo]

Correct. That is what I thought.

 

[Static]

Ok.. few questions

Age of property?
Is anything under the cupboard wall on ground floor?
Are the external walls and wall beside the hallway solid masonry?
Confirm cupboard wall is studwork?

If answers to the above are:
1920-40s
No
Think so
Yes

Then its more than likely non load bearing.. but best to get them to check the head of the wall when removing to ensure no ceiling joists/struts sit ontop..

 

[DevilDamo]

Age of property?

Is anything under the cupboard wall on ground floor?

Only what looks like to be the downstand to the part that supports the stair, so nothing that runs floor to ceiling.

Are the external walls and wall beside the hallway solid masonry?

External walls... yes. I can't remember about the wall to the hallway. I don't "think" so at first floor level but there is a wall on the hallway line at ground floor, which must be used to support the floor joists, spanning side to side.

Confirm cupboard wall is studwork?

Yes it is.

I'm 99% confident it isn't load bearing. That is what I told the client lastnight.

 

[Static]

60s semi.. yer would be similarly confident its non load bearing

 

[theoldun]

DD You quote.
From the information above and my sketch, would you assume these cupboard walls are non-load bearing?

If trussed roof, walls are definitely not load bearing. Standard procedure for finishing raking bulkhead.

Quote
was asked by a work colleague to visit her daughters property yesterday to have a look at a wall they're wanting to remove to make the existing bedroom/proposed office more usable.

With all respect, fail to see how removing cupboard will make room more usable. You will not gain any floor area, and you will still be left with ugly looking raking bulkhead which will require wprk to tidy it up.
oldun

 

[Static]

With all respect, fail to see how removing cupboard will make room more usable. You will not gain any floor area, and you will still be left with ugly looking raking bulkhead which will require wprk to tidy it up.
oldun

They can always box it out with some studwork and turn it into some office storage space lol

 

[theoldun]

With all respect, fail to see how removing cupboard will make room more usable. You will not gain any floor area, and you will still be left with ugly looking raking bulkhead which will require wprk to tidy it up.
oldun

They can always box it out with some studwork and turn it into some office storage space lol

So why take the cupboard down, do you not class that as office storage space?.
oldun

 

[Static]

That was sarcasm..
But not unheard off for someone to demolish something only to rebuild pretty much the same thing but called something different..

 

[DevilDamo]

I too don't understand how by removing a cupboard would increase the usable space. I told them the cupboard was formed because of the slope to the stair headroom. For some reason, I think he thinks he can just remove this slope and put in a flat soffit!!! Yeh... nice headroom.