Another "Is this wall load-bearing" thread?

[Jennie123]

Hi! We are planning to demolish the thin/narrow wall between the garage and the hobby room in the basement this fall. If it is load-bearing, we will get help for this with the load transfer, but otherwise, we plan to demolish it ourselves. From what I have read, it should not be load-bearing, but what do you think?

/Jennie

 

[Mats-S]

thin/narrow wall between garage and hobby room

Need a few more details

What is the thickness of the wall?
What material is the wall made of?
What is the joist above made of, concrete, wooden beams?

 

[Jennie123]

A few more details are needed

What is the thickness of the wall?
What material is the wall made of?
What is the structure above made of, concrete, wooden beams?

Hi!

What is the thickness of the wall?
Approx: 10 cm

What material is the wall made of?
I knocked off some plaster and it looks like it's made of lightweight concrete. See picture.

What is the structure above made of, concrete, wooden beams?
Wood

 

[Mats-S]

Most likely, the wall is not load-bearing because:
1. Load-bearing freestanding walls in lightweight concrete are thicker, about 20 cm. It seems that you have a load-bearing wall running through the middle of the basement, between the garage/hobby room and the laundry room/boiler room, and as you can see, it is significantly thicker.
2. The beams in the ceiling supporting the upper floor are 99% likely to run in the same direction as the wall you want to demolish, i.e., they run across the direction of the garage.

Note!
In houses as old as yours, demolishing even a non-load-bearing wall can cause some settling on the floor above. Over the years, a certain load has developed on the non-load-bearing wall. This small load is released when you demolish the wall. I don't think this will happen in your case, but it's good to know that it can occur.

So measure the height carefully before you demolish, at several well-marked points (there are laser meters on Amazon for 300 SEK that work excellently). Then measure continuously during demolition and at a few weeks' intervals afterward.

IF you experience settlements that you think are too large, it is possible to raise the joists back up and build a beam, but again, I don't think you will need that. What might happen is that you have to realign one or more doors that have settled on the upper floor. So check those a bit during demolition.

But note, my reasoning is based on the assumption that the wall is not load-bearing, and I have not been on-site to verify

 

[Jennie123]

Most likely, the wall is not load-bearing due to:
1. Load-bearing freestanding walls in lightweight concrete are thicker, typically 20cm. It seems like you have a load-bearing wall running through the middle of the basement, between the garage/hobby room and the laundry room/boiler room, which, as you can see, is significantly thicker.
2. The beams in the ceiling supporting the intermediate floor are, with 99% certainty, in the same direction as the wall you want to remove, i.e., they run across the garage's direction.

Note!
In houses as old as yours, even demolishing a non-load-bearing wall can cause some settling on the floor above. Over the years, some load has been placed on the non-load-bearing wall. This small load is released when you demolish the wall. Although I don't believe this will happen in your case, it's good to know it can occur.

So measure the height carefully before demolition at several well-marked points (there are laser measurers on Amazon for 300kr that work excellently). Then measure continuously during demolition, as well as at intervals of a few weeks afterward.

IF you experience settling that you find excessive, it is possible to raise the flooring back and build a supporting structure, but again, I don't think you will need to do this. What might happen is that you may have to realign some doors that have shifted on the intermediate level. So also check these during the demolition.

But note, my reasoning is based on the assumption that the wall is not load-bearing, and I have not been on-site to check.

Thank you very much for such an explanatory and detailed response! Gold star to you.

 

[Mats-S]

Thank you so much for such an explanatory and detailed answer! Gold star to you

Thank you, thank you,
yes, I got a little experience during my 20 years as a carpenter and joiner