Hello! Newly became homeowner of a split-level house from 1969. We’ve done some renovations on the upper floor where we have 3 bedrooms, a newly renovated kitchen, and a refreshed dining/living room. We removed a wall between the kitchen/dining room to create an open floor plan with very good results.
Now it's time to plan the entrance level where we have a bedroom and a recreation room on the left side after entering through the front door. These rooms are separated by a wall, and judging from the drawings this consists of a wooden structure. Our desire is to remove this wall to create a larger living/play/guest room, but I'm unsure if we can demolish this or not.
I know it can be difficult to say, but I think there are knowledgeable folks here who are welcome to share their insights regarding this to help us proceed.
Attaching drawings.
The second image is of the second floor, meaning the rooms above as you probably understand, in case this helps anything.
Thanks in advance.
Now it's time to plan the entrance level where we have a bedroom and a recreation room on the left side after entering through the front door. These rooms are separated by a wall, and judging from the drawings this consists of a wooden structure. Our desire is to remove this wall to create a larger living/play/guest room, but I'm unsure if we can demolish this or not.
I know it can be difficult to say, but I think there are knowledgeable folks here who are welcome to share their insights regarding this to help us proceed.
Attaching drawings.
The second image is of the second floor, meaning the rooms above as you probably understand, in case this helps anything.
Thanks in advance.
Something between the gilestuga and bedroom is load-bearing. This is evident, among other things, from the dimensions of the floor joists on the drawing of the next plan. 2x9", i.e., 50x225, cannot handle that span. Either the wall you want to demolish is load-bearing, or there is a steel beam in the ceiling at the level of the chimney. The latter is most likely. Check that.
Okay, thank you for the answer. I assume then that a steel beam in that case is parallel with the wall we want to demolish? Will I find it under the ceiling then? If there is a beam there, could one then say that it's green light to demolish the wall?
Yes, the beam is then parallel with the wall you want to demolish. If the ceiling height is large, it could also be a glulam beam. If there is a beam, it should be OK to demolish. If you find a beam, please report its dimensions.