Load-bearing walls on entrance/basement level - Possibilities for renovation?
Hello!
I'm thinking about buying a house and currently looking at a property (souterrain) where only the upper floor is furnished, and the entrance level currently consists of rooms such as a pantry, laundry room, and garage.
I wish to change the layout and, for example, move the kitchen, dining room, etc., to the entrance level, but what are the possibilities of tearing down the walls?
I obtained the drawings from the e-service at the Urban Planning Department and would like to hear how you interpret which walls might be load-bearing in the property?
I'm thinking about buying a house and currently looking at a property (souterrain) where only the upper floor is furnished, and the entrance level currently consists of rooms such as a pantry, laundry room, and garage.
I wish to change the layout and, for example, move the kitchen, dining room, etc., to the entrance level, but what are the possibilities of tearing down the walls?
I obtained the drawings from the e-service at the Urban Planning Department and would like to hear how you interpret which walls might be load-bearing in the property?
Older houses in the Stockholm area? So-called Egnahemshus or Småstuga from the 1930s-40s? The walls that go under the roof ridge are called heart walls and are very likely to be load-bearing. The span of the floor joists and rafters would otherwise be over 8 meters, which I think, as a layperson but an experienced DIY enthusiast, is too much. What is puzzling and contradicts this is that in the sectional drawing, there is no joint on the floor joist/rafter over the heart wall, and the heart wall does not have its own foundation but seems to rest on the basement floor. The heart wall on the upper floor also looks suspiciously thin. Are the other walls in the basement made of stone or wood? Everything in original condition according to the drawing? In that case, the slab is usually very thin (maybe as little as 3-4 cm) and cast directly on the underlying fill. Furnishing a kitchen and other living spaces down there will require extensive measures to reduce humidity and make it warm and cozy. There are several good solutions for this. Other walls in the basement can be load-bearing and/or stabilizing and reduce pressure on backfilled exterior walls. Parts of the floor joists can be laid the "wrong" way. Many of these houses (if it is one) were built by building crews consisting of other new builders on the street and/or family and friends, so there is quite a bit of variation and often no construction drawings exist. Is this drawing specific to your property, or is it a so-called "type drawing"? The houses can be quite sensitive to hole drilling, especially if built from modules. As usual, it is probably necessary to take a good look at the construction on-site and perhaps even hire a structural engineer, although it doesn't seem realistic since you haven't acquired the property yet. I hope this can give some insight into the situation.
Thank you for your response and thoughts.
The house is located in Stockholm but it's not a typical small cottage/own-home house variant as I assess it. The drawing has a stamp from AB Svenska Trähus, and looking at the property and the pictures, it seems that the drawing belongs to the house, even though of course there might be several built from the same drawing.
I'm familiar with the term hjärtvägg and agree that the one on the upper floor looks thin compared to the one on the lower floor, judging by the drawing. Could it be that the lower one is drawn thicker because it is made of concrete?
Regarding the lower wall in the entrance/basement, should it be the wall towards the garage or the one on the other side of the stairs? The garage wall seems to continue after a smaller doorway roughly in the middle of the house.
Regarding digging out and damp proofing, that is also something I have in mind if moving the kitchen down to the entrance level. What I'm wondering is, is it possible to dig out to get a higher ceiling height, or do you usually have to keep the floor casting at the original level for the wall to maintain its stability?
Viewing on-site is, of course, a must and potentially bringing in support in the form of a constructor, but that's a later step.
The house is located in Stockholm but it's not a typical small cottage/own-home house variant as I assess it. The drawing has a stamp from AB Svenska Trähus, and looking at the property and the pictures, it seems that the drawing belongs to the house, even though of course there might be several built from the same drawing.
I'm familiar with the term hjärtvägg and agree that the one on the upper floor looks thin compared to the one on the lower floor, judging by the drawing. Could it be that the lower one is drawn thicker because it is made of concrete?
Regarding the lower wall in the entrance/basement, should it be the wall towards the garage or the one on the other side of the stairs? The garage wall seems to continue after a smaller doorway roughly in the middle of the house.
Regarding digging out and damp proofing, that is also something I have in mind if moving the kitchen down to the entrance level. What I'm wondering is, is it possible to dig out to get a higher ceiling height, or do you usually have to keep the floor casting at the original level for the wall to maintain its stability?
Viewing on-site is, of course, a must and potentially bringing in support in the form of a constructor, but that's a later step.
As you can see, it says Section A-A to the right and on the left drawing, you’ll find the letter A under the right part of the room marked with "div." and above the left wall of the "kol" room. These letters show that the sectional drawing is how the house would look if you cut it open right where the arrows to the A's begin. There is only one wall there, the one that then becomes the garage wall.H Hobby Bob said:
Do you have any description of how the walls were built, of which materials, etc.?
Increasing the ceiling height is possible, but it's not guaranteed. You cannot lay the new floor deeper than the top of the foundation footing, and if you're lucky, it might be deep. External drainage is needed that lies deeper than the new floor. The groundwater might be high during certain periods, making it unwise to lay the floor deeper. This can be resolved with a sump pump or another internal drainage solution. Unfortunately, you'll likely see what's possible only once you start digging.
Brick basement and heart wall, the one between the stairs and the garage.
The reason it's thin on the upper floor is because the truss only supports itself and doesn't require anything to support in the middle. However, the house may have settled a bit over the years so the thin wood stud wall might have become load-bearing!
The reason it's thin on the upper floor is because the truss only supports itself and doesn't require anything to support in the middle. However, the house may have settled a bit over the years so the thin wood stud wall might have become load-bearing!
Thanks for the response!BirgitS said:
Do I understand you correctly when I interpret that the image on the right is a cut of the left drawing seen from the left?
No documents at the city planning office on the work description, materials, etc. The real estate agent hasn't uploaded anything either, will need to check with the agent/seller about what is documented. Found this thread which seems to concern the same supplier, though a different type of house.
YesH Hobby Bob said:
Thanks for the response and info on the footing and drainage.Fulkemisten said:
I apologize for the late entry. The outer and middle walls of the basement, as well as the one on the other side of the stairs, appear to be cast in concrete, while the other "thin" walls are likely brick. The thin walls can be removed or moved. I also believe that the middle wall on the upper floor must for the time being be considered load-bearing. It is probably a variant of a plank wall, as Svenska trähus was an early representative of prefabricated houses. I believe it is unlikely that the roof truss is self-supporting. In any case, it cannot be determined without knowledge of its dimensions.
The point that one should not excavate below the foundation level is important because otherwise the load-bearing capacity of the foundation is at risk. Another important aspect of the basement's suitability for furnishing is that the concrete floor is uninsulated. If you raise the temperature in the basement to normal room temperature, condensation will form in the concrete. It is therefore best to first tear up the concrete floor (which is probably thin and unreinforced), insulate with, for example, Styrofoam, and then cast a new floor.
The point that one should not excavate below the foundation level is important because otherwise the load-bearing capacity of the foundation is at risk. Another important aspect of the basement's suitability for furnishing is that the concrete floor is uninsulated. If you raise the temperature in the basement to normal room temperature, condensation will form in the concrete. It is therefore best to first tear up the concrete floor (which is probably thin and unreinforced), insulate with, for example, Styrofoam, and then cast a new floor.