RSJ support. Cracking.

[John Wardle]

Hi I've done knock through to kitchen diner . I got a building regs fella to go through job with me . He came up with idea of using a 178x102 vertical post as he said a windpost. This is then bolted to a 203x102 which runs 3m and is under the floor joists which hold up wall in bedroom an in loft has 2blocks on top which roof beam sits on. I've had people come in an say never seen anything like that. A builder who does knock throughs has said he will take it down an put rsj straight into wall on padstone which only has 100mm bearing then . Wondering if that is enough to hold the weight above . Also above big pier I have some cracking . Could do with some advice on this. Thank you

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Your building regs fella- is he an actual building control officer from the bunch where you submitted your building notice or is he something else?
Bit hard to tell from your pics what is going on but the section of wall where the windpost is looks small and potentially unstable, esp since it is already carrying wall and roof load from above the french windows.
What's the problem your builder thinks he'll solve with his scheme?

 

[John Wardle]

Said he's never seen anything like it before an beam should just go straight into the wall. But then there is only 100mm bearing thickness of the block wall

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Well thats the last question answered, what about the first one?

 

[John Wardle]

He was not council from a company told me what steel to use

 

[^woody^]

He was not council from a company told me what steel to use

He was an idiot. It looks like the post is just resting on the floor too!

Do what the builder suggests.

The cracking is either that the floor was jacked up too much and has not settled, or the beam was put in and the walls and joists not packed properly afterwards. Either way its the builders responsibility to rectify and at their cost. And check the doors.

 

[John Wardle]

How does he fix it. Inspector said to dig down to footings an put pad there but footings was so deep engineer said to rebuild it an put padstone flush with floor an bolt into padstone then

 

[John Wardle]

As can see the wall under slab is out of line with the wall that was there

 

[John Wardle]

Plus it has been on steel for nearly 2 month now. Would it be ok to take down an redo it all

 

[^woody^]

WTF?

Why couldn't you just put the steel on the wall?

The inspector does not tell you what to do. What happens is that you instruct a [competent] person (structural engineer or suchlike) and he designs something and then the inspector can't dispute it - normally as he is not qualified to.

 

[John Wardle]

Lateral stability is what he is saying

 

[John Wardle]

Used a company called quadranti in chester person sent out he was structural an he told me what steel to use . I've been trying to get contact with you Woody you seem to no stuff about this on posts I've read. I'm not happy at all with what's done I asked him can it be changed for steel in wall an he said that would be your responsibility if it starts cracking underneath

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Who is saying lateral stability- bco or structural engineer? Did you get drawings and calcs from quadranti?
As woody explained, usual deal is drawings, calcs and steel specs from structural engineer, bco should only be checking that whats been done matches the drawings. You'll need a bigger hole to get down to footings..v slow and hard work thru a small hole

 

[John Wardle]

I got calcs off a structural engineer a 203x102 . But quadranti guy told me first that beam is fine an to put a windpost in. Which when I search internet not one person has what I have done. He told me to go ahead with the steel work. When hole was dug the engineer said he hasnt seen such deep hole at 1200mm an brickwork was still going down. Advised to stop digging as it was unsafe an umpractical. Build wall back up an put padstone at top as picture shows an bolt on to that. Absolute mess

 

[John Wardle]

This was at 1200mm deep an still going. No one could understand why it was still going deeper