Fitting a hidden RSJ without upstairs wall access.

[RRRRRR]

Hi- my structural surveyor has recommended a ceiling void RSJ. One side is joists at right angles, so I guess they will fit into the RSJ web which is fine, but the other side is a chimney breast, which is also fine. However!Upstairs on the rising chimney breast is a tiled fireplace I'm keeping, and on the back of that chimney breast, a room with 1920's glass panelling stuck to the wall..... Now here's the not very exciting question: How can the wall be propped up by acrows/ Strongboys to get the RSJ flush with the bottom of the upstairs glass wall/ breast if I can't get to the wall because the fireplace/ glass panels are in the way? (All this assumes I believe I'd need to insert the acrow supports in at about skirting board height upstairs as the only way to slide the RSJ in). Should I just drop the beam down to a height where the acrows prop up a brick or two below the fireplace/ glass panels and accept I'll see more of the beam downstairs..... or is there a genius out there who knows a way around this?!? Hopefully- Richard.

 

[Deluks]

By removing floorboards against the upper wall you could use acros which sit on the ground floor, go up through and support strongboys/needles.

You will need to acro the joists on the 'right angle' side as well.

 

[RRRRRR]

Hi- thanks for this, but being new to this stuff, I'm not quite sure how this works- support right angled joists on acrows downstairs- fine, take upstairs floorboards up- fine...ish on chimney side, allowing for concrete hearth (flat bit around fire), get acrows through- fine, and then slide them into chimney breast upstairs, either side of fireplace (and not so far as to take glass out on other side? All help gratefully received! Thanks.

 

[Deluks]

Without any visual pointers, hard to give a precise reply, but sounds ok-ish. The breast continues down to the ground floor, right?

 

[RRRRRR]

Yes. It's the downstairs chimney breast coming out. I guess the surveyor should recommend positioning of acrows. Mine hasn't.

 

[alittlerespect]

Hi

So! Are you trying to remove the chimney breast or the whole wall + the chimney breast?

Also, is this an external wall or a dividing wall between rooms?

You mention floor joists sitting in the flanges of the steel which would suggest an external wall as the floor joists usually run front to back of a house and most chimney's are located on an external flank of a wall!

Any chance you can download the plans or at least an outline drawing of some description?

Regards

 

[RRRRRR]

Hi- thanks for getting back- just types an exhaustive reply...... said I logged out and lost everything I'd written. So, in summary, internal wall. Room one joists at right angles over extenal and internal wall. Room two joist in parallel with outside wall, ends resting on wall to be removed and on a beam where the chimney breast extends out. Mmmmm......