Removal of load bearing wall - done properly?

MikeSteel · 10 May 2017

Hi!

I need your expert advise. I am about to exchange on a house that had a load bearing wall between kitchen and living room removed. The sellers don't have any paperwork for the work done 1.5 years ago, but a piece of paper that I could have prepared on the computer, no date and I can't find anywhere online the name of the company.

My questions are, can I assume that if there were any problems with the installation of the beam, cracks or problems would have appeared by now?
Our solicitor proposed an idemnity insurance which doesn't cover us in case of bad worksmanship. Will the building insurance cover any problems?
Is there another option to check that the work was done properly other than regularisation(Which could take time, cost money and require work to cover any exposure of the beam)?

We had a building survey which said that the job was done in a good standard.

Deleted 224857 · 10 May 2017

Structural survey. Building survey only covers basics.

stuart45 · 10 May 2017

A Building survey is the modern name for what used to be called a Structural survey. It can be tailored to meet the needs of what you require, but depends on what the seller will allow to be done on their property. eg. they may not allow floor boards to be lifted etc.

^woody^ · 10 May 2017

stuart45 said:
A Building survey is the modern name for what used to be called a Structural survey.

They are different, but it's people's perception of them that is often wrong.

A building survey is done by a building surveyor and looks at everything about the property, but tends not to comment on structural issues or movement.

A structural survey would be done by a structural engineer and would only comment on structural matters and nothing else.

^woody^ · 10 May 2017

MikeSteel said:
can I assume that if there were any problems with the installation of the beam, cracks or problems would have appeared by now

Not after just one and a half years you can't.

That's not enough time for a timber beam to go through some heating seasons and gradually bend and snap for instance.

And dry lining won't show the cracks of the wall behind either.

It's all about the specific situation. If I was in anyway not 100% sure of the work, I'd want some floorboards up for a look at the middle and ends of the beam.

Morpheus Cane · 10 May 2017

If your not sure and unhappy with what is offered then walk away, as if faults do show up it could be very costly to rectify.
I guess the only way to see if the job was done properly is to remove all the plaster and expose the rsj to make sure it's the correct one and it's sitting on enough each end and anything else that needs to be checked to say it's structurally sound.

MikeSteel · 10 May 2017

^woody^ said:
Not after just one and a half years you can't.

That's not enough time for a timber beam to go through some heating seasons and gradually bend and snap for instance.

thanks for the reply. The sellers say that it is a rsj beam, so it shouldn't be timber, right?

tomfe · 10 May 2017

Many council building control certificates are just done on word so they look crap.
Phone up your local building control and ask them for any details they have on the works.
It won't actually prove that the works have been done well, what it does prove is they spent some money on the certificate so are move likely to have done it correctly.

^woody^ · 10 May 2017

MikeSteel said:
thanks for the reply. The sellers say that it is a rsj beam, so it shouldn't be timber, right?

I used timber as an example. Steel beams can gradually bend too. But it's the section size, the bearing supports and the packing of the wall which are important.

big-all · 10 May 2017

MikeSteel said:
Will the building insurance cover any problems?

no it wont cover you against any know or suspected fault
it will not cover you against bad workmanship or lack off maintainance
building insurance is for accidents and acts off god but excludes problems caused or contributed too by any know or suspected fault or by bad workmanship or lack off maintainance

garyo · 10 May 2017

tomfe said:
Phone up your local building control and ask them for any details they have on the works.

Many councils also publish building control applications online now too, so it's worth a dig around on their site.

rules&rulers · 11 May 2017

Personally i would not buy that property as it has been described.

Although i would consider to buy it but with strict conditions.

Ps minefield comes to mind.

tomfe · 11 May 2017

An indemnity policy will cover you if you get fined for none building regulation approval.
They don't normally cover you for anything else.
9/10 there will be nothing wrong. If you really want the house go for it but knock £3k off the price so that you can if needed redo the works.

motorbiking · 11 May 2017

Surely somebody did some calculations for the load? Wouldn't this modification have needed building control?

MikeSteel · 11 May 2017

thank you all for the replies!
If at the end there is a problem with the work, it shouldn't be something I cannot rectify by paying someone to redo the work, right?

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Removal of load bearing wall - done properly?

Deleted 224857

rules&rulers

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