knocking a wall down to open plan

[mally66]

hi all.
I'm thinking of having an open plan kitchen/dining room. The thing is do i need a lintel??

the wall i intend to knock down is 9" brick but only around 2.5mtrs long. i have checked the floor joists and they run the same way as the wall. also i have checked the wall above it an i believe this is part plaster only.

hopefully a picture is attached. the wall in question is the one to the cupboards on

mally

 

[jeds]

Not sure what you mean by the wall above being part plaster? If that means a timber partition wall then you can't assume this is not load bearing - they sometimes are. Check in the loft to see if there are any braces or posts resting on or near the area above the partition. If there are you need to ensure there is no roof load being transferred down through the partition to the masonry wall. Also check the ceiling joists to make sure that isn't loading on the partition.

If not then you probably don't need a steel beam but you will need to take account of the partition load itself. Usually the floor joists beneath a partition need to at least be doubled and sometimes trebled.

 

[mally66]

john,

thank you for your reply. I cannot check the loft as it has had a bedroom put up there (Full planning permission) all i can say is that the wall up there slope to the front and rear of the property in line witj the roof if that makes any sense.

does this picture clarify anything???

//www.diynot.com/network/mally66/albums/
mally

 

[jeds]

So you're saying you have a loft room above the first floor partition.

If the space in the loft room above the partition is clear then it is unlikely there will be any roof load on the partition.

However, the original ceiling joists would have been upgraded to floor joists for the conversion and you must ensure these joists do not load onto the partition. You might be able to make a guess from the direction of joists but the safest way is to either remove a section of floor in the loft room or a section of ceiling in the first floor room and inspect the void between the loft floor and ceiling.

 

[Richard C]

However, the original ceiling joists would have been upgraded to floor joists for the conversion and you must ensure these joists do not load onto the partition.

You say the loft conversion “has full PP” but that’s rather irrelevant as far as the structure goes; was the conversion notified & inspected for structural compliance with Building Regs.?

Your picture gives no clues whatsoever & I would advise caution. You need to follow “jeds” advice & lift a section of the floor boards/ceiling to establish exactly what’s being supported by what up through to the roof structure; even more so with a loft conversion. If you are at all unsure about how to interpret what you see, you should get inspection & advice form someone who is.