Interior wall removal advice

[eyedee]

I'm just about to get underway with some home alterations including removing a supporting wall between the galley kitchen and dining room and installing a Universal Beam. I've had a structural engineer draw up plans and calculations and have submitted all the paperwork to Building Control. I've already stripped the wall of a radiator, electrics and fittings and I'm getting 3 builders to come and quote this week to remove the wall. But I'm also considering doing all or some more of the work involved in knocking the wall through myself.

Once I received the engineers plan I started researching the various methods for removing a wall and installing a beam, but I've not had much luck finding advice or guidance that seems to relate to the joist layout of my house. Almost everyone recommends Akro's from the house foundations, or spread across a scaffold plank over the floorboards, and then pressed up against the ceiling joists that run perpendicular to the wall using another scaffold plank. Thing is my kitchen ceiling doesn't have any joists running perpendicular (except from one trimmer that holds up the underside of the stairs above the room).

Above the dining room the joists also run parallel with the wall to be removed, so that doesn't appear to be any good for support either? Or am I wrong?

Someone told me a way of doing it would be to support the wall from the first floor by placing akro's and needles through the wall in the bedroom and bathroom. But that sounds overkill to me and I can't really do it anyway as I've just had the bathroom tiled and fitted with a rad and sink unit that takes up all the wall space.

As a total novice (when it comes to wall removal) I'm struggling to uncover any other solutions and I'd be proper grateful if all those with experience could help me with the best way to support the upstairs wall whilst the lower wall's knocked through and the beam installed.

I've included the engineers plan, a diagram I put together showing the intended position of the beam, and a photograph of the kitchen ceiling.

Advice would be much appreciated. Cheers guys.





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[tony1851]

You can prop under the trimmer, and for the remaining lengths, two or three Strongboys should be sufficient to support the remaining brckwork. Fix them into the first mortar joint below the ceiling, to get the beam as high as poss.
You may get some cracking in the grout upstairs, but that's not unusual.

 

[cannonfoder]

more like 4 strong boys on that length.
maybe couple as sears if needed to help with setting steel.
Put it on concrete blocks as pad stones and shim up with slate

 

[eyedee]

Cheers guys. I was thinking 3 or 4 strong boys on one side to hold up the upstairs wall and then 3 adjustable props to help lift the beam up into position.

Is it better to use slate between the beam and the underside of the upper wall or a bed of mortar? I've been told a bed of mortar might be best.

Cannonfodder, what are sears?

Thanks again.

 

[tony1851]

I've been told a bed of mortar might be best.

Yes, because when you squeeze it up and the mortar comes out, you know it's got an even bedding all along.

 

[cannonfoder]

spears sorry
use 4 acrows an stongboys to take the load upstairs.
your need to make the hole abit bigger then the I beam so you can (swing it in) we have used acrow props to wind up the steel after its in place. some times if theres no room to move the steel it pays to prop the steel in place then build in the pad stone. Use a good 4/1 mix on top of the steel then wind up the steel in place get it level then try to hammer in slate shims inbertwine the steel and wall above then pug in the cement on top of the pad ston then agen hammer in slate...


But most of all dont just put the props straight on the floor lay down scaffolding boards across the floor joist s ti pick up the loads.
even if its concrete floor dont matter still do it.

you can use sharp sand rather then building sand as its got more packing strength.

 

[eyedee]

Thanks very much for the advice guys. Really appreciate it. I'm having the first of 3 quotes provided today so I'll decide from there if I'll get builders in or do it myself.

Thanks again.