Removing supporting wall beneath stairs

[Hpd]

Hi this might be a tricky one to describe but I'll do my best. I've got a staircase with a half landing, which is supported partly by a wall in the kitchen below.

I want to remove this wall to make more space in the kitchen. I've chipped off some plaster and found that the wall supports a joist that sits in the external wall of thof house. Essentially I'm taking away one corner out of this turn in the stairs.

The question is... can this instead be supported by hanging it in some way from the floor joist above it?

Very difficult to explain but if you've got any advice I'm all ears

**The pics try and show from the kitchen the joist that sits on the wall needing to be removed, and also from above it shows there is a floor joist I'm hoping I could hang it from.

 

[^woody^]

You wont be able to hang that and that wall above off the floor

 

[Hpd]

The wall above sits on the first floor joist by the look of it, won't be possible?

 

[^woody^]

That spotlight is not beneath the quater landing then?

 

[Hpd]

The spotlight is beneath the second turn in the stairs yes.

 

[Hpd]

The wall above is actually sitting on the floorboard and joist (the green lines I've drawn in the second photo)

 

[^woody^]

The spotlight is beneath the second turn in the stairs yes.

If that spotlight is beneath the 1/4 landing (ie that square flat bit on the stairs) then that wall at the top of the stairs is in line wth the bit of wall below the stairs, and despite resting on a joist, if that is a single joist and getting mid-span support off the wall you want to remove, then you can't remove it without upgrading the joist

 

[Hpd]

Ah I understand. How can I find out if the wall is a mid span support like you mention? I guess it's quite likely actually but is there a chance that it's not? And that the wall below simply does just carry the quarter landing?

Also IF that's the case would it even be possible to then hang the quarter landing from the joist above or is that simply not a done thing?

 

[Doggit]

What's behind the wall; is there a cupboard there by any chance, and are the stairs on the other side of the kitchen wall. If this is the case, then you could rebuild the wall to support the half landing.

 

[Hpd]

Yeah that's right it's a cupboard there, and the stairs are beyond the kitchen wall. I think I've figured out there's a wooden lintel that does hold the wall above, and this lintel sits on the wall I'm wanting to remove. It also catches the quarter landing. So... think I'm out of luck in removing it at all

 

[Doggit]

So you're happy to remove the cupboard; then you'd rebuild the wall under the quarter landing. I'll admit it's a bit difficult getting the exact layout from just the two pictures, so post a better description of what you're trying to achieve.

 

[Hpd]

Well I was hoping there was a solution to knock out that cupboard completely leaving only the bulkhead in the corner. I had originally thought the wall above was simply built on the first floor joists but on closer inspection there's a timber lintel carrying this weight and is sitting on the cupboard wall.

I had first thought that my only problem was that the quarter landing was supported by the cupboard wall, which it is aswell.

If that makes any sense?

 

[Doggit]

The quarter landing will be supported by the wall, but it's also supported by the kitchen party wall, so would you accept small wall at the end of the wortops. You've got the cupboard under the stairs which you still need to get into, so you can't take the worktops to the end of the wall.

 

[Hpd]

Yeah the idea was to lose the whole lot so a table and chairs would go there. Having to leave part of the cupboard arrangement there would be a shame so I wouldn't go ahead with that. Thanks for all the help by the way

 

[Hpd]

I've just smashed a bit more plasterboard out and found that the timber joist/lintel seems to fix into the trimmer at the top of the stairs and doesn't actually sit on the wall.

So.... I'm right back to square one and my question is, can the timber that does sit into the brick wall (the one that holds the quarter landing) actually be hung from above rather than be supported from beneath?