Widen opening on load bearing wall.

[Rockyv]

Hi all, we are looking to remove our door between the kitchen and breakfast room. There is a normal uk standard size door. We would like to remove the door then open it but another 10inch's. This is a load bearing wall.
My builder says under 1.8 meters a structure enigneer is not needed and simply needs a lintel and no building regs.

Is this correct?

Any help would be appreciated.

Please!

 

[tony1851]

Your builder is incorrect on both counts:

1. There is no arbitrary length below which 'a structural engineer is not needed' - it depends entirely on the circumstances;

2. As the wall is load-bearing and therefore structural, any alteration to it is ergo a structural alteration, and anyone
undertaking a structural alteration must apply for Building Regulations approval, so that the building inspector can make the necessary checks.

Your builder has told you this rubbish because a) he doesn't want you to hold up the work while you make an application, and/or b) he doesn't want a building inspector sniffing around the job.

 

[^woody^]

My local councils will accept lintels without calcs, and also typical beams up to 3m in standard loading situations (ie walls between rooms) without need for an engineer.

Also, when buying a standard lintel of any size, the loading is already worked out, so as long as it's used in a standard way and not something whacky, then no engineer is ever needed.

Load bearing walls always need building regs though, and altering doorways can affect fire safety, so that's another part of the building regs checks.

It's never a good sign when builders say that work that does require building regulation approval does not. I'd be more inclined to trust them if they said "I don't know, but I will check and confirm".