As we are going to renovate the kitchen, we would like to take down a wall and close off a doorway to create a large open space.
The problem is that we (I) don't feel confident at all about whether the structure can handle taking down a wall.
In the adjacent room, the ceiling runs from the long side to the long side of the house without resting on any wall in between, so it feels like the roof structure is made to handle that span, but that's more of a gamble.
How should one proceed, are there special contractors one can hire to come and investigate the whole thing, or can any carpenter with a few years of experience see if the wall can be torn down, or if it needs to be replaced?
Link to a small schematic image of which wall is to be removed. The wall is quite thin and feels almost hollow when you knock around on it.
http://tinyurl.com/c8fhjb8
I would be incredibly grateful if someone could give me a hint as to who to contact to investigate this, or if anyone can see directly that it's an insanely load-bearing structure that absolutely should not be touched.
The problem is that we (I) don't feel confident at all about whether the structure can handle taking down a wall.
In the adjacent room, the ceiling runs from the long side to the long side of the house without resting on any wall in between, so it feels like the roof structure is made to handle that span, but that's more of a gamble.
How should one proceed, are there special contractors one can hire to come and investigate the whole thing, or can any carpenter with a few years of experience see if the wall can be torn down, or if it needs to be replaced?
Link to a small schematic image of which wall is to be removed. The wall is quite thin and feels almost hollow when you knock around on it.
http://tinyurl.com/c8fhjb8
I would be incredibly grateful if someone could give me a hint as to who to contact to investigate this, or if anyone can see directly that it's an insanely load-bearing structure that absolutely should not be touched.
I don't think it is load-bearing, but don't rely on advice from an internet forum. You can find structural engineers in the yellow pages, for example. I also believe that such a measure may require a building permit/building notification.
I would like to say - test it, and you'll soon notice if you were right 
. But no, don't do anything you're not sure about. Can't there be something in the house drawings?
Do NOT demolish before you know. Agree with mexi, don't trust 100% anything you read online.
. But no, don't do anything you're not sure about. Can't there be something in the house drawings?Do NOT demolish before you know. Agree with mexi, don't trust 100% anything you read online.
If there is a wall on the upper floor, it can be load-bearing or non-load-bearing depending on the structure of the trusses. It looks like a sloping roof, and then it depends on the roof's pitch if the trusses span 8.7m or have support on the wall.
However, if it's a wall on the ground floor, I'd say it's load-bearing! I then guess that the floor joists of the upper floor span across the house since this is most common. The upper floor's floor joists cannot span 8.7m without support, so either the wall by the stairs or the wall towards the kitchen is load-bearing. I bet on the wall towards the kitchen. In the living room, you likely have a beam in the structure between the gable and the corner of the kitchen where there's a post in the wall.
If you have a sectional drawing of the house, it likely shows how it is.
Contact a structural engineer!
/The Engineer
However, if it's a wall on the ground floor, I'd say it's load-bearing! I then guess that the floor joists of the upper floor span across the house since this is most common. The upper floor's floor joists cannot span 8.7m without support, so either the wall by the stairs or the wall towards the kitchen is load-bearing. I bet on the wall towards the kitchen. In the living room, you likely have a beam in the structure between the gable and the corner of the kitchen where there's a post in the wall.
If you have a sectional drawing of the house, it likely shows how it is.
Contact a structural engineer!
/The Engineer
Thanks for the quick responses!
The wall is on the upper floor, so that suggests it might be non-load-bearing. The roof is some form of saddle roof, I think, i.e., it has a ridge running along the long side of the house and is then quite flat towards both sides.
Sounds good to get hold of a structural engineer, because if the wall is not load-bearing, I read somewhere that then no building permit is required. I’ll have to look into that a bit further as well.
Someone I talked to mentioned that you can also tell a bit about the wall when you demolish it, whether it has substantial studs or if it’s more of a wall for appearance's sake. However, perhaps the structural engineer will come into play here as well, since I’m not knowledgeable enough to determine such things.
The wall is on the upper floor, so that suggests it might be non-load-bearing. The roof is some form of saddle roof, I think, i.e., it has a ridge running along the long side of the house and is then quite flat towards both sides.
Sounds good to get hold of a structural engineer, because if the wall is not load-bearing, I read somewhere that then no building permit is required. I’ll have to look into that a bit further as well.
Someone I talked to mentioned that you can also tell a bit about the wall when you demolish it, whether it has substantial studs or if it’s more of a wall for appearance's sake. However, perhaps the structural engineer will come into play here as well, since I’m not knowledgeable enough to determine such things.