Removing thin (ply?) internal wall

[chesterfield]

Can anyone advise? This is a thin wall between 2 front reception rooms in our 3 bed Victorian house. Do I need a structural engineer to have a look?- I just want to knock out the bit within the frame. It sounds very hollow indeed. Thankyou

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

That looks like it's an opening already that's been boarded up. Peel off a bit of the board near the top and see what you find.

 

[chesterfield]

Thanks for your reply - yes I think it’s an opening that’s been boarded up as the house was tenanted. But how do I know if the right support is in place, or am I worrying unnecessarily? I’m a complete novice in this ..

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Thanks for your reply - yes I think it’s an opening that’s been boarded up as the house was tenanted. But how do I know if the right support is in place, or am I worrying unnecessarily? I’m a complete novice in this ..

More likely, it will be plasterboard, than ply, and hidden inside it will be timber framing. Such wide doors were not common in Victorian houses, which suggests the wide door was a modification. Such a modification, would need a beam of some sort, to support the structure immediately above.

To confirm what is in fact there, it might be worth investigating from above, if there are any loose floorboards.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

If the opening has been sound with no sign of cracking etc for several years its reasonable to assume whatever beam has been used was suitable.

 

[chesterfield]

Thanks so much for your replies. I had someone come over who reckons it’ll be fine but he’ll start removing the plasterboard & then we’ll see.. fingers crossed. Many thanks