Soon due to complete on a house, had the SE in to draw up and calculate how we can open up a kitchen and 2 reception rooms to one open plan kitchen diner.
He’s sent me calcs with a fairly big caveat (albeit normal from all accounts I’ve seen on here) stating that the existing brick be exposed to determine if they can take the additional load, prior to commencement of work and subject to approval from BC.
The plan is to remove one original external wall which has already been extended upon to create rec room 3 off the back of rec room 2 and kitchen. And another internal load bearing wall between rec room 2 and kitchen.
His original plans came across requiring metre cube concrete foundation pads under each end of the longest beam spanning 4250mm, with vertical steel supports coming down. And the second beam which tees off from here would sit on a pad stone, this beam is 3700mm.
I’ve asked if we could avoid the need for the concrete foundation pads by keeping some of the original wall which currently sticks out by about 300mm each end as additional support for the longer beam which he has said could be possible, having this beam on padstones instead.
My question is what level of work do I need to do to determine whether the existing brickwork is sufficient enough to support the pad stones?
I’m slightly concerned that we’ve gone from needing concrete foundation pads with vertical steels to a much less invasive and more preferable job with just 2 steels and pad stones, just by keeping 300mm of existing wall (which is now part of an opening to the rec room 3 extension with something similar in the kitchen).
Picture shows blue as original wall to be kept, red as walls to remove.
Thanks.