Is the builder really doing it right? Good arguments for discussion with them wanted.

[viggen_l]

We have decided to open up a narrow old door between 2 rooms to a 2m arch. The existing door was 0.7m, with the frame it wasn't much to cheer about.
After asking around, we got a builder who presented the same solution as others we consulted and had the time to do it within a reasonable wait (a company recommended to us). An I-beam of calculated size would be embedded and rest on supports in the load-bearing telegel wall. Sounds simple, right?

Said and done, today the work began and when I came home I found the following construction
They didn't just remove one or two rows of bricks but four. Then on top of the I-beam, they built a wooden structure that is 2-3 cm below the remaining row of bricks. I called in the neighbor, who is a construction engineer, and he criticized the entire undertaking.
The beam is 10 cm high (probably okay with the old calculation model it should have been at least 12)
The supports for the beam are on the small side with 10 cm.
But above all, the wooden structure cannot bear nearly what the beam can.
I have sent several questions to the firm about how they envisioned this and will not let them continue until they provide acceptable answers, but I feel I would like to bring more good arguments with me for tomorrow.


Then, of course, you feel duped as usual, when we clearly asked the three firms if we needed to apply for a building permit for this job and they all unanimously answered NO. Never trust any craftsman, seek answers yourself first, and of course, a building permit is needed, as we found out today from our kind neighbor.

//Magnus

 

[hempularen]

Is this also in an apartment? Not very common with brick walls in villas.

 

[twoody]

No building permit required

 

[viggen_l]

Forgot it is a villa built in 1928. Solid walls with hard-burned brick.

 

[bossespecial]

No building permit needed

But a building notification is required.

 

[viggen_l]

After an email conversation with the construction manager, the only mistake they admitted making in the construction was not filling the gap between the wooden beam and the brick. The foam sealant was to be removed and the crack filled. A quiet guy came and started pushing cement into the crack.

Since I no longer trust them at all, I brought in another company today who completely condemned it. The beam should be at least 180 mm rust-protected painted, the wooden construction (if it should even be there, it should have been bricked up) should have been made with 2 joined beams in width on edge. The support on the sides should be at least 250 mm, preferably 400 mm according to some standard (does anyone know where to find it?)

We were lucky and the new company had an opening, so tomorrow they will fix it all.

To make matters worse, when we started dismantling the construction, I could on one side remove the cement that had been pushed in with my fingers as it lay completely loose like a biscuit. When that was removed, we could see that the filling on the other side was about 1 cm. So the whole wall's weight was resting on a corner of a wooden beam. In other words, they had just removed a little of the foam sealant and filled in a bit for appearance's sake. The brick wall was practically still hanging in the air.

I am extremely glad I didn't let them remove the roof props.

I will sleep much better after tomorrow when this is done, I can say. And I will inform the first company that they will only be paid for the demolition (we will see how that goes).