Move doorway

[Frieze]

Hello!

I have a kitchen (condominium) that is in dire need of renovation, and with that, I hoped to improve the layout. The doorway from the hall is positioned so that you can't have a full row of standard-depth counters along any of the walls, which makes it very difficult to furnish, and the current interior feels very cramped. After considering various possible solutions, I have concluded that the best would be to move the doorway approximately a decimeter to the right to use the entire left wall for counters and cabinets, with the other side more or less empty.

According to the drawings I found with the municipality, the wall in question is a so-called "flat wall," but as I understand it, it can still be a load-bearing wall depending on how the ceiling joists, etc., are positioned – unfortunately, there were no construction plans for the house with the municipality.

I have been in contact with the association, and they mentioned that I should contact a structural engineer to get an assessment that says there are no problems with moving the doorway. I had contact with someone at the structural engineering firm, but after I missed an email where he suggested a Teams meeting the same afternoon, he no longer responds to my emails, so everything has stalled a bit. How big of an intervention is this really? Do I need assistance from another structural engineer (where do I find one in that case?), or can I just proceed with a reputable construction company?

I hope someone can give some tips and advice because I'm going crazy and just want to move forward!

 

[BirgitS]

There is a very small risk that the wall with the door is load-bearing considering that it connects directly to the load-bearing and apartment-separating wall to the right.

Since water, drainage, and ventilation are in the wall to the right, I would suggest moving the door the other way so that you can have the sink and hob against the wall where the water, drainage, and ventilation are, despite the wall having a kink. Otherwise, you will have a more complicated and therefore more expensive routing of water, drainage, and ventilation.

 

[Frieze]

There is a very little risk that the wall with the door is load-bearing considering that it connects directly to the load-bearing and apartment-separating wall to the right.

Since water, sewage, and ventilation are in the wall to the right, I would suggest that you move the door the other way so that you can have the sink and hob against the wall where water, sewage, and ventilation are, even though the wall has a curve. Otherwise, you'll have a more complicated and therefore more expensive routing of water, sewage, and ventilation.

Thanks for the reply! The layout now is a bit different from the original drawing, the sink and dishwasher are along the left wall and the kitchen fan is not connected to the ventilation – there is also a window that gets in the way if one were to build along the right wall. Therefore, I was planning to focus on the left wall

 

[BirgitS]

Okay, if water and sewage have already been rerouted, then it's good to take advantage of it

 

[A bygg]

Do you need to have a door??
Otherwise, it's simple to remove the frame, install "trim" which can be gypsum with paint. That should save you a few centimeters. Then just fill in on the left side.
Doesn't affect any potential load-bearing at all…