Hello,
I am after a bit of advice. If anyone can spare the time it would be appreciated.
Sister is wanting to move a door into an understairs cupboard. it already has a door from the kitchen (but its in a completely inadequate position, meaning they can not use it with the kitchen layout they have!).
Its hard for me to explain so I've done a diagram below, this is of the ground floor.
Ok so basically a cupboard with a full height door opening next to another door into dining room - this has original wood lintel. The door opening is going to be stud walled closed, and then intention was to put a door into this from dining room in the position shown.
Above the dining room the joists are run into this wall and dont continue to party wall (obviously because of stairs) so this wall is supporting weight of the hall above and a small office room. Where the joists for other room can span external wall to party wall they do i.e. above kitchen where there is a bathroom and (not shown but) a bedroom in front of dining room. So what I am trying to say is that this wall is taking the weight of the hall and office because of the stairs preventing the joist spanning to the party wall - so definitely load bearing.
Sister has had a friend of hers whos a builder in to look and he says he can do it and will just put in a lintel, but we have had a look and this will basically leave a very small (1.5 bricks) which the lintel will span on to at the kitchen end (basically a single skin 1.5 brick column). Weve also removed the plaster in the cupboard and the brick work doesnt look healthy to me couple of cracked bricks etc, and where the door is to go looks like someone has rebuilt from a previous attempt. Also can see a metal piece of steel in mortar about half way down which looks to be spreading the weight along the wall if you see what I mean. Essentially it looks to me like someone may have put a door there in the past and it caused problems (maybe not done properly).
I know its probably difficult to say from my description but I'm a bit worried about this, do you think that the 1.5 bricks is enough to just put a lintel in? I certainly think from the state of the bricks that at least the '1.5 brick column' would need rebuilding. Bricky has said he would use acrows and strongboys to do this. Is this sensible? I know strongboys are used to install lintels but I thought usual method was remove couple of course below strong boy , put in lintel, leave for couple days remove bricks for opening and then remove acrow? Can an acrow essentiall be used as a column to support the weight of the above floor when all the bricks below are removed and lintel installed? I mean the acrow/strong boy would be having a point load acting as a column and he would remove all bricks below rebuild an then put in the lintel at the same time.
I would have expected a suggestion of a steel column to replace the bricks and somehow this would have to also be given lateral stability - maybe another piece of steel into party wall to do this? I realise this would likely be more expensive but there is no point in having a bodge job done to later find the house is falling down! My sister's main priority is cost as she has a baby on way etc, but she doesn't want to let this mean something isn't safe.e
I also guess if the wall and brick wasn't exposed and we hadn't seen evidence that maybe there had been problems in the past we wouldn't even have questioned what was being done. Obviously dont want to let this go ahead if its not right.
So if anyone has any advice, or had done seen anything similar in the past it would be most appreciated.
I am after a bit of advice. If anyone can spare the time it would be appreciated.
Sister is wanting to move a door into an understairs cupboard. it already has a door from the kitchen (but its in a completely inadequate position, meaning they can not use it with the kitchen layout they have!).
Its hard for me to explain so I've done a diagram below, this is of the ground floor.
Ok so basically a cupboard with a full height door opening next to another door into dining room - this has original wood lintel. The door opening is going to be stud walled closed, and then intention was to put a door into this from dining room in the position shown.
Above the dining room the joists are run into this wall and dont continue to party wall (obviously because of stairs) so this wall is supporting weight of the hall above and a small office room. Where the joists for other room can span external wall to party wall they do i.e. above kitchen where there is a bathroom and (not shown but) a bedroom in front of dining room. So what I am trying to say is that this wall is taking the weight of the hall and office because of the stairs preventing the joist spanning to the party wall - so definitely load bearing.
Sister has had a friend of hers whos a builder in to look and he says he can do it and will just put in a lintel, but we have had a look and this will basically leave a very small (1.5 bricks) which the lintel will span on to at the kitchen end (basically a single skin 1.5 brick column). Weve also removed the plaster in the cupboard and the brick work doesnt look healthy to me couple of cracked bricks etc, and where the door is to go looks like someone has rebuilt from a previous attempt. Also can see a metal piece of steel in mortar about half way down which looks to be spreading the weight along the wall if you see what I mean. Essentially it looks to me like someone may have put a door there in the past and it caused problems (maybe not done properly).
I know its probably difficult to say from my description but I'm a bit worried about this, do you think that the 1.5 bricks is enough to just put a lintel in? I certainly think from the state of the bricks that at least the '1.5 brick column' would need rebuilding. Bricky has said he would use acrows and strongboys to do this. Is this sensible? I know strongboys are used to install lintels but I thought usual method was remove couple of course below strong boy , put in lintel, leave for couple days remove bricks for opening and then remove acrow? Can an acrow essentiall be used as a column to support the weight of the above floor when all the bricks below are removed and lintel installed? I mean the acrow/strong boy would be having a point load acting as a column and he would remove all bricks below rebuild an then put in the lintel at the same time.
I would have expected a suggestion of a steel column to replace the bricks and somehow this would have to also be given lateral stability - maybe another piece of steel into party wall to do this? I realise this would likely be more expensive but there is no point in having a bodge job done to later find the house is falling down! My sister's main priority is cost as she has a baby on way etc, but she doesn't want to let this mean something isn't safe.e
I also guess if the wall and brick wasn't exposed and we hadn't seen evidence that maybe there had been problems in the past we wouldn't even have questioned what was being done. Obviously dont want to let this go ahead if its not right.
So if anyone has any advice, or had done seen anything similar in the past it would be most appreciated.
