if the wall is loadbearing

[imamartian]

so say my kitchen wall is load bearing... it runs in line with the joists upstairs, but the bedroom wall (timber stud and plasterboard) is directly above... how do i remove the kitchen wall? timber joist? steel? how do i work out how big a joist to get?

 

[neds]

There should be a wall directly above your kitchen, where the kitchen load bearing wall is? Maybe its not as simple as that but if there was, you can get a couple of steel needles to poke through the wall upstairs then use some load bearers in the kitchen and tighten up below where the needles are. Once thats is supported you can start taking the wall down. you can then get a wooden joist or steel one to take up the load. I'm no builder but its what I've seen builders do before!

 

[^woody^]

First have a look in the loft to see if any roof timbers are supported by the bathroom wall - unlikely

If none, then you either install a double-joist at ceiling level, or just place some noggins across between the two joists either side of the wall

No need for needles if doing noggins, or even if the stud wall is built of the floorboards

 

[imamartian]

Thanks.

If you imagine two shoe boxes side by side with a 3-4 inch gap between them. The right shoe box is my living room, quite long. The gap is the hall and the stairs. And the left box is my kitchen and dining room. There is a wall separating the left shoe box into these two square(ish) rooms.
Above is similar, two bedrooms with the dividing stud wall directly above.
I want to remove the wall below to create a kitchen diner

So should i double up on the joist on which the bedroom wall sits? Or are you saying noggins (nailed?) to the adjacent joists will be sufficient?

More importantly, do i need to consult the local BCO?