Hi guys
Some advice or suggestions would be much appreciated regarding some building works prior to my kitchen installation...
We live in a typical 1960s ex-council semi-detached house in Leeds. The intention is to completely redevelop the kitchen area. The project is going to be a MAJOR strip-back before we start installation. This will include the knocking down of some internal ("slightly load-bearing") brick walls.
Having stripped the ceiling plasterwork away we can easily see the main joists running across the entire room. They are concrete and measure approx 3 inches wide by 8 inches high - I estimate they are about 12 feet total length.
One of the walls we are planning to knock down runs perpendicular to the direction of the joists and is four feet into the room and therefore four feet away from the ends of the joist where the connect with the outside of the house.
Several neighbours in the street have done this exact same job without major issue but a couple have complained that when the internal wall is taken down some of their concrete joists have cracked a little or sagged slightly (none have ever come down as I presume they are steel rebar strengthened).
My question is this:
Are there any solutions available which would allow me to add extra rigidity/strength to these concrete joists prior to me removing the internal wall beneath them?
I wish to eliminate any possibility of sagging due to the expensive tiled and heated floor in the bathroom above.
Cheers in advance for any help or suggestions.
Regards
Kyle, Leeds
Some advice or suggestions would be much appreciated regarding some building works prior to my kitchen installation...
We live in a typical 1960s ex-council semi-detached house in Leeds. The intention is to completely redevelop the kitchen area. The project is going to be a MAJOR strip-back before we start installation. This will include the knocking down of some internal ("slightly load-bearing") brick walls.
Having stripped the ceiling plasterwork away we can easily see the main joists running across the entire room. They are concrete and measure approx 3 inches wide by 8 inches high - I estimate they are about 12 feet total length.
One of the walls we are planning to knock down runs perpendicular to the direction of the joists and is four feet into the room and therefore four feet away from the ends of the joist where the connect with the outside of the house.
Several neighbours in the street have done this exact same job without major issue but a couple have complained that when the internal wall is taken down some of their concrete joists have cracked a little or sagged slightly (none have ever come down as I presume they are steel rebar strengthened).
My question is this:
Are there any solutions available which would allow me to add extra rigidity/strength to these concrete joists prior to me removing the internal wall beneath them?
I wish to eliminate any possibility of sagging due to the expensive tiled and heated floor in the bathroom above.
Cheers in advance for any help or suggestions.
Regards
Kyle, Leeds