Can someone help me

[Avbytaren]

Planning to remodel the kitchen

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Is there anyone who can help me determine if the walls are load-bearing or not, and if they are, what I can do to still change the floor plan? Any tips are welcome.

The walls that need to come down are between the closet and the room, and the one between the kitchen and the room should be opened from the chimney to the exterior wall.

I hope someone can help me, the house was built in 1939 and the frame is made of wood.

 

[Roary]

In general, the trusses rest on exterior walls and load-bearing walls. So if the walls run parallel to the roof ridge, there is a good chance they are load-bearing. If you have a basement, you can check there, are there walls in the corresponding places as on the upper floor? The weight from the roof is supported by the trusses and passed down to the walls that the trusses rest on. Under the load-bearing walls, there must be something that supports the load-bearing walls above and transfers the weight into the ground.

If you've decided to remove the walls, whether they are load-bearing or not, you can remove the wall material and see what it looks like inside. If there are small weak studs, the chance is slim that the wall is load-bearing.

Then there's always the trick of sawing a little into a stud; if the saw gets stuck, there's pressure on it.

None of these factors are a guarantee that things won't go wrong when you demolish. Some perpendicular walls are tension walls needed to stabilize the load-bearing walls.

If you're unsure and not particularly adventurous, it's a good idea to have someone who can tell you how things stand. A structural engineer or a skilled carpenter doesn't cost much for an hour.

 

[Avbytaren]

Does anyone have any suggestions for a floor plan, in case the wall between the kitchen and room is load-bearing? Perhaps I should mention that above the kitchen there is a bathroom and above the room there is a bedroom.

As mentioned, suggestions for alternative floor plans are welcome, as I'd like to open up more between the kitchen and dining room.

 

[Roary]

The fact that the wall is load-bearing doesn't mean it can't be taken down, it's just a bit more complicated. Basically, you just need to put in some props and install a glue-laminated beam, so don't let that stop your plans. It's worth spending a few extra thousand kronor to get it the way you want when you're already in the process of building.

 

[Avbytaren]

The fact that the wall is load-bearing doesn't mean it can't be taken down, it's just a bit more cumbersome. Basically, you just need to place some supports and put up a glulam beam, so don't let that stop your plans. It's worth spending a few extra thousand to get what you want while you're in the midst of building.

Doesn't glulam warp quite a bit, can't you use a steel beam instead?

 

[pinebar]

Yes, you can. It should be encased with double plasterboard, but it will still be more discreet or at least take up less ceiling height than a glulam beam.

 

[peterochcarina]

We have just removed load-bearing walls in a house similar to yours. Since we did not want to install a laminated beam that would "divide" the ceiling, we had plans for an iron beam in the attic. It was then very cumbersome to achieve, so my husband built "Fort Knox" in the attic, a strong framework that connects the ceiling with the framework on which the outer roof is built. Do you have the possibility to do something similar in your attic? If so, my husband can share how he went about it.
Best regards, Carina

 

[Avbytaren]

We have just removed load-bearing walls in a house similar to yours. Since we didn't want to put up a glulam beam that would "divide" the ceiling, we had plans for an iron beam in the attic. It was then very tricky to achieve, so my husband built "Fort Knox" in the attic, a strong framework that connects the ceiling to the framework the roof is built on. Are you able to do something similar in your attic? Because if so, my husband can explain how he proceeded.
Best regards, Carina

But the wall we are going to remove is on the ground floor.

Does anyone know if it is enough to just keep a part of the wall between the kitchen and the room?

 

[Roary]

On the ground floor, you should have more pressure on the wall because it has to support the upper floor as well. An alternative could be to place pillars instead of a beam.

 

[Farzan]

Does anyone know if it's enough to save just a part of the wall between the kitchen and room?

I would say that no one can say for sure without taking a closer look at your house.
But if I were to guess, it's probably the section closest to the chimney that is most important, because around there, there are often beams or similar in the upper floor's joists that require extra support. The previous owner had removed walls in my house around that area, and it is sagging considerably right now (soon to be fixed).

 

[Avbytaren]

I would argue that no one can say for sure without taking a closer look at your house. But if I were to guess, it's probably the section closest to the fireplace that is most important, because around there are often beams and such in the upper floor's framework that require extra support. Around that area, the previous owner removed walls in my house and it's sagging noticeably right now (will be fixed soon).

The part of the wall closest to the fireplace will remain, perhaps 1 meter of that wall.