Setting Padstones in a 9 inch wall-advice please.

[Sandmere]

Hi all

I recently removed a structural wall in a Victorian terrace to create an open plan living area. The wall separated the front and rear rooms at ground floor. I had a structural engineer calculate the beam size and padstones I required. The required padstones were 440x215x140. And they sat parallel underneath the beam and on top of a pier wall.

I am renovating a new property and want to do the same thing but this time sit one end of the steel on the external wall, not on a pier wall. As the exterior wall is a 9 inch I can take the inner sleeve of brick out to create a whole in which I can sit a padstone of size 440x215x100 in and it will fit fine.

When steels are sat on a 9inch exterior wall is it usual to use a thinner padstone like this?

Hope that makes sense?

 

[tony1851]

Yes - otherwise the padstones would show on the outside.
As long as the pad is 100 thick (ie approx 1/2 brick depth into the wall) and the beam sits fully on the padstone, that will be OK.

 

[ree]

I would find it difficult to advise you based on the scanty information given.

You say that you are an experienced DIY'er but you neglect to give the span, or the dimensions of the steel. Neither do you give the site conditions - whats above and below.

Typically, authorities require 150mm either end bearing for a 1m to 4m span but that can be reduced to a 100mm bearing with BCO's permission.

FWIW: i'd suggest BCO's involvement.

 

[Sandmere]

The beam has a 3m span. And the engineer has advised using a 203x102x23.
Above this sit the floor joists for the first floor and in turn above that is a non load bearing bedroom stud wall.

The brick and mortar is fairly crumbly, the house was likely built at the turn of the century.

I'm fairly certain sitting a 100m thick padstones in the wall will be adequate but just wanted to double check.

Thanks

 

[tony1851]

100 width x 440 long pad should be OK to support a beam with that loading.
Has the SE by chance suggested you use a 7N block as a padstone?

 

[Sandmere]

SE hasn't suggested I could use a 7N Block, could that be an option?

One thing I have noticed is that the padstones I have bought don't seem to have particularly square edges, which means to get the horizontal level (so the steel sits perfectly flat on it) the vertical is out? Is this normal or have the padstones just been cast badly?

Thanks for all the help on this so far.