I have an old cottage with an internal wall. On one side this holds up joists for a small first floor room. On the other side it holds up a centrally placed large beam that supports the floor above.
Stripping the plaster off it (it had popped in a few places) I have found it is not stone/brick but a kind of mud and stud. The issue is that the bottom rail is very rotten (no proper footings in this house so its probably been sucking up water for many years). There is no immediate sign of collapse.
However I need to repair. the base has concrete either side so I think i cant widen for new footings - so can i replace like with like? - ie a stud wall with either a ply facing or OSB? what sort of extra timbersizes/support should I puuse - particularly under the large beam. I would prefer blockwork but i guess this may be too heavy for the (non-existent) footings. The wall is about 4-5m long and under 7 foot tall.
Many Thanks
Stripping the plaster off it (it had popped in a few places) I have found it is not stone/brick but a kind of mud and stud. The issue is that the bottom rail is very rotten (no proper footings in this house so its probably been sucking up water for many years). There is no immediate sign of collapse.
However I need to repair. the base has concrete either side so I think i cant widen for new footings - so can i replace like with like? - ie a stud wall with either a ply facing or OSB? what sort of extra timbersizes/support should I puuse - particularly under the large beam. I would prefer blockwork but i guess this may be too heavy for the (non-existent) footings. The wall is about 4-5m long and under 7 foot tall.
Many Thanks
