Can we take down the support?

[DOAshn]

Hello,

My first post here on Byggahus.

We bought a house where the previous owners replaced the windows and patio door. During the replacement, they made this beautiful solution.





The explanation we received from the previous owner was that he installed it because there was previously a center post between the window and the patio door. The question then simply is; is this "support" necessary? If it is necessary, what solution do you recommend instead?

The house is one-story. The wall where the windows and patio door are located measures 3.6m.

 

[tommib]

You need to obtain a construction drawing of the house to be able to determine that. Presumably, the rafters rest on what is above the windows, and if things are removed, it could collapse. What we see in the picture might have been done instead of installing a steel beam above the window/door section.

I would strongly advise against removing anything without clarifying the construction.

 

[Fotografen]

Yes, that was a "elegant" solution...
Throughout history, load-bearing window and door units have sometimes been used, where the frames are part of a load-bearing wall. If it is such a window unit that has been replaced with standard windows and this construction, then it must remain. Investigate what the rest of the load-bearing structure looks like; are there similar houses in the neighborhood to look at?
I would not have removed it without a thorough investigation.

 

[tergo]

a slightly unusual solution, if it's 3.6 m there are probably 2 roof trusses resting there, so you should check the load-bearing beam over the windows before you tear it down
check the house drawings if you don't have any, maybe the municipality does

 

[DOAshn]

Thanks for the response. I will try to find the house plans, but it sounds like an expert needs to come and take a look at this. You don't want the roof to collapse.

It is correct that the trusses rest above. So a potential solution is to insert a steel beam above, where the trusses are?

 

[tommib]

I am absolutely not a constructor, so take everything I say with a grain of salt.

If you want long non-load-bearing spans, i.e., having trusses resting on a wall section that cannot bear their weight, you need to transfer the load with something and take it down in another way. A common method is a steel beam or glulam beam and columns. Exact dimensions and spans are calculated. It's not possible to know if the best solution in your case is a steel beam. You need to look at how it is currently constructed and what loads are present.