Removal of wooden room divider

[DHealing]

Hi Everyone,

Long time lurker - first time poster here.

I have a wooden room divider which I wish to remove, which separates the kitchen from the dining room. It looks like an old door frame although the door has since been removed.

Image here:
http://imgur.com/TumGV

I am happy to retain the wooden frame itself (marked in blue) but wish to remove everything in red to open the space up. The reason I am posting here first rather than reaching for the crowbar is that I am a little worried that the vertical wood (red) may be taking some weight from the structure above.

Reasons why I think it might be taking some weight:
1) External wall immediately above (the kitchen itself is a single storey extension)

Reasons why I don't think it is:
1) It's only a 2x4 vertical which butts straight onto the concrete floor with no fixings
2) The vertical is split to allow for a horizontal piece (as-per the red lines on the above image)

I do know that the ceiling joists are running perpendicular to the wooden frame as shown. So what do you guys think - am I being overly cautious here? Please do let me know if I have missed any required information.

Cheers,
Dave[/img]

 

[tony1851]

Cut a strip of plaster away along the top of the frame, to see if anything's resting on the frame. If you don't, you (or anyone else) are just speculating.

 

[DHealing]

Thanks Tony, that sounds like a logical suggestion to me - I assume you mean go up into the ceiling plaster?

Cheers,
Dave

 

[catlad]

It looks like the old back door into the garden, before the kitchen extension was built to me.

 

[DHealing]

Nah - I should say that extension isn't the right word as it's original - but it is a single storey projection out to the front of the house.

Dave