Removing internal wall

[incognitotheone]

Hello,

recently I have bought a ex-local authority property built around 1950/60. It is end of terrace (with 3 in row), 2 storey house and needs some refurbishing. Before I contact local professionals on Monday I have decided to ask some questions here. Maybe it will give me clearer picture when talking to builders. Thanks in advance.

1. Removing internal walls. I am planing to remove two of the walls and build a partition wall to make bathroom bigger and generally improve flow upstairs. Walls that I want to remove are solid masonry built on wooden sole plate, there are no walls below them. I also had a look into loft and I do not think they are supporting anything.

2. It looks like one of the other walls upstairs (again solid masonry) is build on floorboards? It is just partially on joist. Is this acceptable?

I would be grateful for any suggestions and information about those issues.

 

[^woody^]

Not structural and can be removed.

But with these, you tend to find that any partition walls joined to them all rely on each other for rigidity, so remaining walls can become loose once parts of walls are removed - requiring additional removals or devising some sort of restraint.

 

[incognitotheone]

Thanks for your reply.

Freestanding wall will be extended to external wall with studwork to creat partition. Should this be enough to provide strength?

 

[^woody^]

You won't know until you start knocking the wall down.

 

[Tigercubrider]

Sometimes knocking on your neighbours' doors can help as you my not be the first to have done this

 

[Cabbyfan]

Probably need a bigger drill mind

 

[JohnD]

that looks like an actual breeze block wall. you often hear the name but they have not been made for years.

I have a demolition saw, looks like a hand panel saw, but thicker steel and has big TCT teeth, good for cutting that sort of thing. No banging and much less dust than an angle grinder. I don't know what they'd cost now.

 

[23vc]

Not structural and can be removed.

But with these, you tend to find that any partition walls joined to them all rely on each other for rigidity, so remaining walls can become loose once parts of walls are removed - requiring additional removals or devising some sort of restraint.

I had exactly that issue, took out a wall very similar to the OPs, and then found that an adjoining wall built of the same heavy clinker/breeze blocks would move with the touch of a finger at the top - a bit scary. Decent bit of studwork sorted it out easily though.

 

[incognitotheone]

Thanks for your replies. Walls have been knocked down. I am left now with about 4 feet of wall which I want to extend with studwork. Do you have any advice which kind of fixing would connect wood to those breeze blocks? I have bad feelings about any expanding ones as those blocks are quite crumbly.

 

[23vc]

Standard red or brown plugs and decent length screws worked fine for me