*ULTIMATE* "are my damn walls load-bearing" thread! Please HELP!!

[GloriousEuropa]

Please bear with. I know this is a long thread but I've taken forever gathering everything to make this.

I've posted here before asking about one particular upstairs wall in my renovation house that needs to come down and if it's load-bearing or not.

But after some research I really don't believe any internal upstairs wall in my house is load-bearing. Is this possible?

Some background. This is an ex-council house, 3-bed semi-detached, and is a small property as you'll be able to tell.

Firstly not a single downstairs internal wall has any continuation through to the upstairs. Some support joists over them, some don't. Here are all my downstairs walls...

(Hallway looking into living room)

(In living room looking through to dining room)

(Living room looking out to hallway)

(Dining room through to kitchen)

(Kitchen through to living room and hall way (two doorways))

Now as for the upstairs... every single internal wall is a timber sole plate attached to the floorboards with concrete blocks built on top.

I've taken the old skirting off a few, and the old cement render has sloughed off revealing the timber sole plate...

Those are all the main internal upstairs walls.

I took some pics of the roof construction inside the loft.

From where I was stood on a ladder up into the loft there is only about 4 feet of roof construction behind me (again, small house)...

Now finally, as for what is above the internal walls upstairs... nothing but plasterboard. No roof construction above single wall. Just plasterboard between the tops of the concrete blocks and the joists.

Since we're replacing all the ceilings anyway I asked my girlfriend to knock through the plasterboard with a mop handle butted up to the walls to outline their path in the attic.

I've drawn the outline of the walls in to help, along with a room plan I drew...

So now for ADVICE!!

Clearly it looks as though none of them are load-bearing, right? Because surely if they were, they would have part of the roofing structure directly above them, instead of plasterboard and joist runs, right?

So in that case, I'm definitely good to knock down the wall between bedroom A and C, and replace it with a stud wall, correct?

And finally how best to replace all the floorboards upstairs, which are absolutely wrecked?

For the walls I want to keep and seem solid, do I simply cut through the floorboards up to the nearest joists either side of the walls, and accept some small amount of the old floorboards will have to remain?

If you've arrived at this point, than you so much for taking the time to read through all this.

And for replacement flooring, is OSB or plywood better? I know ply is needed for the bathroom for tiling over.

Cheers!

 

[23vc]

If an upstairs wall runs at right angles to the ceiling joists above it, it’s assumed to be supporting them, so if you replace it with stud, support the joists above it until the stud wall is in place.
Yes the floorboards under the existing block walls are kinda stuck there, these old first floor block walls are a pain. Be aware too that as soon as you take out the lateral support, they’ll rock at the touch of a finger, can appear scary.

 

[GloriousEuropa]

If an upstairs wall runs at right angles to the ceiling joists above it, it’s assumed to be supporting them, so if you replace it with stud, support the joists above it until the stud wall is in place.
Yes the floorboards under the existing block walls are kinda stuck there, these old first floor block walls are a pain. Be aware too that as soon as you take out the lateral support, they’ll rock at the touch of a finger, can appear scary.

Thanks for the reply. Would two acros either side of the wall be enough?

And by take out lateral support do you mean cutting floorboards up to nearest joists?

 

[23vc]

You’re looking at acrows every meter or so and some scaffold boards
Once the wall isn’t tied in, eg by removing door frames or the ceiling plasterboard, it’ll rock. You may find that adjacent walls need shoring up if you remove a wall that was abutting them. This can be done at ceiling joist level with some noggins. It’ll be obvious when you come to do it, and easy enough to sort out.

 

[GloriousEuropa]

You’re looking at acrows every meter or so and some scaffold boards
Once the wall isn’t tied in, eg by removing door frames or the ceiling plasterboard, it’ll rock. You may find that adjacent walls need shoring up if you remove a wall that was abutting them. This can be done at ceiling joist level with some noggins. It’ll be obvious when you come to do it, and easy enough to sort out.

Jesus I just realised we already took away the door-frame area between bedroom A and B which linked them together above the door frame head with two blocks resting on top of it. Thankfully even with a firm kick the wall isn't budging.

 

[23vc]

Yeah the issue is when it’s not restrained on either side or at the top, it’s effectively a massive slab of concrete sat upright on some floor boards. If it’s solid then great

 

[GloriousEuropa]

Yeah the issue is when it’s not restrained on either side or at the top, it’s effectively a massive slab of concrete sat upright on some floor boards. If it’s solid then great

I'm now wondering if I should just put plywood flooring all over the upstairs floorboards, even if the floorboards aren't in great shape. Would solidly fixed plywood squeeze the old floorboards tight so it's a nice solid, non-creaking floor?

 

[23vc]

I wouldn’t overboard, I’d rip up and replace if they’re not in good shape. Glued t&g ply probably the ultimate, although glued t&g chipboard is usually used.