Building advise needed

[Vagrant No2]

Any builders that can advise on partial wall removal ?
Basically want to remove the wall that runs on one side of the stair case to open up the area under the stairs so it is then incorporated into the lounge .At present it is a understairs cupboard with a full size door . By removing the wall we can put a corner sofa in there .Above this wall is the upstairs landing so I assume this wall is supporting the floor joists .
Do I need to run a RSJ along this wall to support it or something else.

I can do a rough sketch and post it on here later if my desription is not accurate enough .

[Sancho]

I'm not actually a builder, but I do project manage construction work, and am a surveyor.

If the house has floorboards, the easiest way to identify what is likely to be a structural wall is to look at what direction the floorboards run. Structural walls will go in the same direction as the floorboards.

However, not all walls running that way will be structural. If the wall has a door in it, it's pretty unlikely that it's supporting anything. What's it made of, brick or timber stud? It may be supporting the stairs.....

[Vagrant No2]

We have those rubbish chipboard panels for flooring . I have photos of the house being built and know the joists sit on this wall .

[Sancho]

Oh, well that helps a lot. So is it a brick or timber wall? What is above the door opening?

[Vagrant No2]

Wall is made of breeze block and cuts with a saw . Not sure wot is above door but would think there is a concrete lintle. I think I need to photo or draw this for you and post in this thread so you can get a better idea.

[Dixie.t]

Get Tiger round he will sort it for you.

[Pelicanbill]

I am a builder .... been one for quite a while and nothing has fallen down as yet. You need to send in a sketch and a photo would be nice. It all depends on whether the stairs were made to self-support so that the infil is not load-bearing, or it might be that removing wall could necessitate some additional support. I am happy to discuss on phone mob: 07802 888 115 or you can email me at stewart@pelicanpost.co.uk. Am out taking dog for a walk in the snow ..... good excuse to take Aunt Sally out for a run lol .....

Best of luck


PS .. I called myself 'Pelican' cause you can look forward to a big bill if you employ me ..

[Sancho]

I understand now.

It would depend on the load being put on the wall and the size of opening you want to make, but you may be able to get away with just putting a bigger lintel such as this in there.

That should give you a span of up to 2700 at 20kn load and I would expect the upper floor of a house to be much less than 20kn. Your best bet, however, is to either consult a structural engineer or get hold of the original building regulations submissions for the house (the Council should have them) as they're likely to include details on loads. You can bigger catnics if you want a bigger span or the top floor of your house is incredibly heavy

Hope that helps a bit....

[Sancho]

I am a builder

Loving the 80s porn music on your website

[Vagrant No2]

Some pics , I hope , to help .

1st pic is the room with area of wall I want to remove
2nd pic is the stair case behind the wall . The wall to be removed is to the left of stairs
3rd pic is top landing with the wall area beneath the wood paneling

[Sancho]

Have you got one from inside the cupboard to show how the stairs are fixed on either side?

[Vagrant No2]

Have you got one from inside the cupboard to show how the stairs are fixed on either side?

The underside of stairs is plastered in .

[Sancho]

Bum. In all likelihood, they're sitting on top of that wall for support. I don't think you have a problem supporting the upper floor as you will be able to stick a catnic in there to make the size of opening you're talking about. Your problem is in supporting the stairs.

Stairs obviously have very little load on them in the great scheme of things, so I would suggest a decent builder can come up with a solution (probably a timber joist running diagonally) with no great dramas.

Are planning to do the work yourself?

[Vagrant No2]

Got this from building photos taken by the builder. As you can see the wll does support the floor joists . I think the stairs bolt onto the 2 bolts shown in the pic and are not supported by the wall.

[Vagrant No2]

I thought of cutting in a catnic or lintel here