Hello!
My turn to ask the classic question about basement walls: load-bearing or not.
The house was built in 1935 and is located in Västmanland, near Lake Mälaren. I'm considering tearing down the wall shown in the pictures. It is not included in the original floor plan, which suggests it might have been added later.
At the same time, the plans do not completely match how the house actually looks today. For example, several basement windows are placed differently than in the drawings, and the room layout in the drawings and reality varies quite significantly. This could very well be because the basement was renovated at some point over the years.
Should I contact a structural engineer or another professional before possibly tearing down the wall? Or is it sufficient, as a craftsman who looked at the wall said, to simply prop up around the wall before starting the demolition?
About me: lived in rental apartments all my life until recently. Unknowledgeable but eager to learn to understand houses.
My turn to ask the classic question about basement walls: load-bearing or not.
The house was built in 1935 and is located in Västmanland, near Lake Mälaren. I'm considering tearing down the wall shown in the pictures. It is not included in the original floor plan, which suggests it might have been added later.
At the same time, the plans do not completely match how the house actually looks today. For example, several basement windows are placed differently than in the drawings, and the room layout in the drawings and reality varies quite significantly. This could very well be because the basement was renovated at some point over the years.
Should I contact a structural engineer or another professional before possibly tearing down the wall? Or is it sufficient, as a craftsman who looked at the wall said, to simply prop up around the wall before starting the demolition?
About me: lived in rental apartments all my life until recently. Unknowledgeable but eager to learn to understand houses.
Self-builder
· Stockholm
· 8 592 posts
Doesn't seem to be a load-bearing structure considering the drawing, or the placement (between the windows), then it's probably the one between the boiler room and the laundry room that's load-bearing.
No, exactly, I agree with you. I just want to feel a bit more certain about it before I start knocking down the wall. I have an Einhell demolition hammer on the way primarily to break the floor in preparation for the upcoming sewage pipe replacement in the basement. Can I tear down part of the wall with it to try it out a bit, or should I be completely sure that the wall is not load-bearing first? I would prefer to avoid having the house collapse on me.
Self-builder
· Stockholm
· 8 592 posts
Even if such a wall were to have any load-bearing function, I don't think the whole house would collapse, possibly you might get some settling over time, but place a couple of supports if you're worried.L LexLux said: