Can we remove these bricks from under the stairs?

[Fishwalker]

Hi. So we're having the hall renovated and I've forgotten until a week before, due to the stress of the cost spiralling, to tell the Electrican that the Plasterer is coming the same day!

Worst still, that we wanted to move the understairs door to the left slightly, to create shelves inside to the right.

That means removing some bricks and adding a wooden lintel and upright strut to create a taller doorway.

Our last builder seemed to think it was doable before the plaster came off and that the stair case was supported off the upper floor but still...

Can any builders tell me if this wall looks load bearing to the right of the wooden upright strut in the upper part of the wall? The bricks are pretty loose at the right edge.

I know it's quite common to put a downstairs loo here so surely it's a possiblity?

Do you think it is a straight forward case of cutting the bricks where the new frame would go? Or should we have got a structural engineer in to check it?

Understairs cupboard

• Fishwalker
• 11 Apr 2021

Understairs

• Fishwalker
• 22 May 2021

Understairs cupboard

• Fishwalker
• 22 May 2021

Hall brick

• Fishwalker
• 22 May 2021

 

[big-all]

hard to tell
where you have a change off direction off the strings you must have timber usually a square newel that goes directly up and connects to a floor or down to the floor otherwise the load need to be supported usually underneath

 

[Taylortwocities]

I've forgotten until a week before, due to the stress of the cost spiralling, to tell the Electrican that the Plasterer is coming the same day!

Not a good idea to have an electrician and a plasterer on site at the same time.
Just saying!

 

[Fishwalker]

Well the plasterer went AWOL on Saturday and so now just the Electrican is coming today.

Aside from not knowing what to do about the plasterer (how long would you give a tradesperson to put you straight over communication of availablity, if they told you their wife suddenly had kidney stones and they were having to look after her but had booked a camp site at a ligit camp site near you for their camper van (coming up from down south to Yorkshire) but they were having to put off work at the moment and they'd get back to you ASAP. 2 days before the start date? He confirmed it was all green for go 2 days before that.

It'll take at least a month to get anyone else who can lime plaster!

I was prepared to give the benefit of the doubt as kidney stones can be the worst pain but he was supposed to be bring his brother and cousin to work with who are both qualified tradesmen too with websites and none of them could have called?

Re: the supporting wood. There is a wooden post vertically installed in the brick further up that meets the floor joists above, behind where we wanted the doorway, so it doesn't look to be supporting where we want the new door. I'll post some pics when I get chance
.