Blocking up an Internal doorway

[Footsoldier888]

A guy close by is carrying out a renovation and the the kitchen door is being blocked up with lightweight clinker blocks of about 8kg. The joists run across the doorway and are 3 by 2 at 400 centres, this being a 1920's semi. The joists terminate in a sleeper wall just past the door threshold, with the kitchen having a solid floor.

I was just wondering how you build off at the floor, do you install a soleplate? How do you treat the joists in terms of strengthening?

Above the door sits the original wooden lintel but there is an old diagonal crack running through the brickwork above the lintel. How do you treat this? Would you repair and replace or as the crack is old can the existing lintel remain in situ?

TIA.

 

[Footsoldier888]

OK what they have done is remove the brickwork between what was the lounge and kitchen doors. They have put a steel in above.

They have removed the wall between the kitchen and lounge and about a 4m steel has gone in. This is on a padstone but there is mortar above the padstone. But the padstone itself is now sitting above the steel they have put in above the doorway.

Also they have taken down the chimney breast in the lounge and there isn't a support in the lounge currently.

It all seems a bit worrying because I don't think there is any Building Inspection going on. The work seems to be going at a tremendous pace too.

 

[geraldthehamster]

Why is it worrying? is it likely to fall on your house?

 

[Footsoldier888]

No but I was wondering about doing the same as them at my house, which is an identical house. Also I am trying to improve my building knowledge.

I would just like to know if you have a steel beam that replaces a 350mm wall that the first floor joists are tied into, plus the purlin takes support from this wall, on a 100mm wall that itself has a beam over what was two doors. The over door beam is only on brick which itself is not of great quality. To me it seems a lot of load could be resting on a half brick wall and I just wondered what your opinions on that would be.

 

[Notch7]

No but I was wondering about doing the same as them at my house, which is an identical house. Also I am trying to improve my building knowledge.

I would just like to know if you have a steel beam that replaces a 350mm wall that the first floor joists are tied into, plus the purlin takes support from this wall, on a 100mm wall that itself has a beam over what was two doors. The over door beam is only on brick which itself is not of great quality. To me it seems a lot of load could be resting on a half brick wall and I just wondered what your opinions on that would be.

If you want to do the same, get a structural engineer to do the calcs, and the paperwork can be submitted to building control. If structural work is done, it is notifiable and there neecs an inspection. Buildi g inspectors will approve the fitting of a standard lintel in small openings with no complications, beyond that calcs are required.

 

[Footsoldier888]

Thanks - I would do that.

I was just wondering if in principle you can have a load bearing steel beam resting on a 100mm wall that is itself above a steel that is over an unsupported opening? To me it seems like a recipie for disaster if you haven't checked the foundations and ensured the 100mm wall it strong enough to take that sort of load.

It's just that I am watching these guys do the job and I am getting the idea there has been no inspection or structural calcs undertaken. I know the lady who bought the house a little and although it is clearly her responsibility, she has asked some builders to knock the wall between the lounge and kitchen down plus remove the chimney breast and I really am concerned it might not be structurally safe from what I have seen. I don't know if I should say anything to her or not. I think it is one of these situations where she has told them what she wants ie open plan living and left them to it without any contract. I can't really blame the builders because they are doing what she asked and they have no plans to work from. It's just it really doesn't look safe from what I have seen.