Is this wall load bearing and how much to move it?

[grimem]

Hi everyone, been reading the forum and it's a great resource (thanks to all the experts who post). My first post (and first house!) so go easy!

I'm buying a house at the moment and I want to move a wall to make the (tiny!!!) bathroom bigger.

I don't think the wall is load bearing based upon the floor plan:

What are people's initial thoughts based upon the floorplan, and is there any way I can check without paying for a structural survey?

Also, I would be grateful for people's thoughts regarding the likely cost of moving a non load bearing wall (assuming it is) back 50-75cm or so?

If anyone has any experience of moving/amending staircases to free up more room on the landing that would also be gratefully received, as it would help a lot in this instance . . . .

Thanks to everyone in advance for their help

Mike

 

[joinerjohn]

Your main consideration is,, Where the bathroom is at present, if you extend this inwards, you'll lose head height on the stairs. Have you considered using the small bedroom (at the top of the stairs) as the bathroom, thus creating a (albeit) small storage room at the front?. Should be fairly easy to do as you have a toilet on the ground floor, so there's a drainage point fairly close.

 

[grimem]

Your main consideration is,, Where the bathroom is at present, if you extend this inwards, you'll lose head height on the stairs. Have you considered using the small bedroom (at the top of the stairs) as the bathroom, thus creating a (albeit) small storage room at the front?. Should be fairly easy to do as you have a toilet on the ground floor, so there's a drainage point fairly close.

Thanks for taking the time to reply, and an interesting point.

It would work as far as our lifestyle is concerned (third bedroom is to be a study anyway as my fiancee is a freelance translator and works from home) but I think I'd have concerns about the size of the 3rd bedroom then from a resale point of view? Having said that, the bathroom would be immeasurably better over there!

I acknowledge the headroom issue, any ideas as to how that can be addressed? Are there building regs specifications regarding the maximum steepness of stairs (perhaps a shorter, steeper case could be put in?)

There is a small bit of space behind the bathroom wall before the stair headway (where a boiler currently is that we would have moved somewhere) which would free up about 50cm or so. Sounds negligibly, but would basically double the space between bath and wall!

Mike

 

[Paul-man]

How about leaving the wall which is by the stairs as it is, but pushing back just the section where the door is out onto the landing, as far back as the master bedroom door, to give you an L-shaped batheroom (you could move that bedroom door too, but not sure if the benefits would be worth it.
The result would be that the space which is currently the landing would afford you more space in the bathroom. You could possible move the sink onto the opposite wall to where it is, but further from the bath.

did you plan to try and put a loo in there?

What is the square with a line through on the landing near the 2 smaller bedrooms?

 

[grimem]

How about leaving the wall which is by the stairs as it is, but pushing back just the section where the door is out onto the landing, as far back as the master bedroom door, to give you an L-shaped batheroom.

The result would be that the space which is currently the landing would afford you more space in the bathroom. You could possible move the sink onto the opposite wall to where it is, but further from the bath.

That, sir, is an excellent idea. Why didn't I think of that?!

did you plan to try and put a loo in there?

Yeah we definitely need to put a loo in there; is this likely to cause issues as far as your suggestion is concerned (please excuse my ignorance!!)

What is the square with a line through on the landing near the 2 smaller bedrooms?

good question I'll check with her indoors as I don't recall there being additional steps (which is what it looks like) but I may be wrong.

 

[grimem]

What is the square with a line through on the landing near the 2 smaller bedrooms?

The top of the staircase is basically one step below the level of the landing.

there is a step up into the bedroom directly in front of the top of the stairs, then a step up to the same level on the right on the landing.

The position of the step is a bit misleading on the plan - it looks like it's in the middle of the landing space but it isn't.

 

[Paul-man]

did you plan to try and put a loo in there?

Yeah we definitely need to put a loo in there; is this likely to cause issues as far as your suggestion is concerned (please excuse my ignorance!!)

>>I'm not a builder myself, but I've been going through similar iterative processes myself of how to rearrange our existing space. I can see though from the plan and someone elses observation that your soil drain is going to be at the back of your house where the downstairs loo is. I reckon you will be best with the loo against or close to the outside wall and will need a new soil pipe running down the outside. Where it connects to is a matter for someone onsite.

I think the work at this stage becomes notifiable to building control (if it wasn't anyway!)

 

[RedHerring2]

and will need a new soil pipe running down the outside. Where it connects to is a matter for someone onsite.

where do the bath & w/b drain to?