I'm wondering if the gable end of my townhouse could be load-bearing, requiring a permit if I want to install a small window (module dimensions 6*6) in it. I don't need a building permit; that's been checked.
These drawings are available in the building permit archive:
Additional info:
The two floors of the house are built with 250 mm thick ytong blocks.
The gable end is built with thinner blocks, possibly 200 mm but maybe thinner. It can't be seen from the outside if there's a difference there due to a newer facade (foldebrick on the house body + wood on the gable) over the original plastered surface.
In the staircase up to the attic where the floor joist rests, you can see that between these levels there is a narrower/thinner section about 20 cm high where the blocks are even thinner, possibly 150 mm but maybe thinner.
The last photo shows the ruler placed next to the gable wall on the "wall plate" on which the floor joist at the staircase rests. Here you can see the thinnest part of the wall and also the difference between the gable and the thickness of the house body.
The first roof truss is located about 15 cm inside the gable's interior, with a total of 6 distributed across the house's width.
Can you determine from this information if it's a load-bearing wall, or is there missing info that requires a structural engineer's visit on-site?
Additional information: Two out of four gables in the rows already have windows. I have seen one of the building permit applications (required in '73) and it only contains an elevation drawing, no construction drawings. Load-bearing structure is not mentioned at all, neither in the application nor the approval.
Did different rules apply in 1973, or can one assume that the gable peak was not considered a load-bearing structure?
Is the roof aligned with the façade? If so, the roof can handle a 15 cm overhang from the truss. But a problem is whether the façade can support itself above the window?
Is the roof level with the facade? If so, the roof can handle an overhang of 15 cm from the roof truss. But a problem might be whether the facade can support itself above the window?
Not the best picture, but compare with the downspout, and you'll see how much the roof juts out. Maybe about 20 cm?
The facade outside the brick wall was originally plastered but now has black wooden paneling of the same type you see on the front on the gable end.
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