Remove door and open up

ottoangel · 2 Aug 2019 at 8:58 PM

I was thinking of removing the door frame and a stud to create a slightly larger opening into the kitchen. It's the left stud according to the pictures, there's a notch in it where a vertical beam rests, but there's also a notch in the right stud that should be visible in the pictures. Do I need to reinforce it, or what do you think is reasonable to do?

It's a longitudinal wall. The house is a 1.5-story from 1972.

Sockerhög · 2 Aug 2019 at 9:19 PM

OK, so that's the standing rule under the letter "H" in "D8H" in the bottom image?
Spontaneously, it looks like it's just there to have something to screw the hinge screws into, so go ahead!

ottoangel · 2 Aug 2019 at 11:28 PM

Yes, it is the one under "H". Ok, yes I thought the same but was a bit worried that it is needed to support the beam even though there is another rule.

Sockerhög said:
OK, so it is the standing rule under the letter "H" in "D8H" in the bottom picture?
Spontaneously, it looks like it's just there to have something to screw the frame screws into, so go ahead!

Sockerhög · 2 Aug 2019 at 11:39 PM

You could move the upright stud (or of course a new one without nail holes) next to the upcoming upright stud at the end of the horizontal beam and maintain the effect of two 45-studs, but I would bet that it's not necessary...

ottoangel · 3 Aug 2019 at 2:25 AM

I would prefer to have it open all the way to the one sitting there. I will make a larger opening, just without a frame.

BirgitS · 3 Aug 2019 at 9:47 AM

It's not uncommon for that wall to be a load-bearing heart wall, and it looks like they have installed a beam over the door to compensate for that opening. But to be sure, construction drawings and/or sectional drawings are needed.

Is there a beam along the dashed line between the living room and dining room?

Changing the load-bearing structure usually means you need a building permit or building notification.

Rabbithole · 3 Aug 2019 at 10:08 AM

It looks like it might work. What does it look like to the left of the opening?

ottoangel · 3 Aug 2019 at 11:10 AM

Yes, I also think it's a load-bearing wall. I only have a floor plan, and it looks roughly the same as the one I attached, which is from the real estate agent. Can you get hold of better drawings? Are they stored with the building committee?

There is no visible beam in the living room (it's completely open where there's no wall), so I doubt there is one there.

The question is if it's like "Sockerhög" says, that the rule is just used to fasten the frame. The beam should rest on the right rule.

BirgitS said:
It's not uncommon for that wall to be a load-bearing heart wall, and it looks like they've placed a beam over the door to compensate for that opening. But to be sure, you need structural drawings and/or section drawings.

Is there a beam along the dashed line between the living room and dining room?

Changing the load-bearing structure usually means you need a building permit or building notification.

ottoangel · 3 Aug 2019 at 11:10 AM

I haven't opened up more to the left unfortunately, so I'm not really sure there.

Johannes Carlsson said:
It looks like it might work. How does it look to the left of the opening?

tergo · 3 Aug 2019 at 11:20 AM

O ottoangel said:
There is no visible beam in the living room (it's completely open where there is no wall) so I'm doubtful that there would be one there.

there is probably an i-beam in the floor structure there

ottoangel · 3 Aug 2019 at 11:25 AM

Yes, that is certainly likely the case.

T tergo said:
there is probably an I-beam in the floor structure there

Sockerhög · 3 Aug 2019 at 11:36 AM

What is upstairs above the beam? And where is the toilet upstairs in relation to the downstairs?

tergo · 3 Aug 2019 at 11:38 AM

O ottoangel said:
. Can you get hold of better drawings? Are they stored at the building committee?

check the municipality's website or call, they are probably in the building permit archive
here in our municipality, you can have the drawings sent home via email

ottoangel · 3 Aug 2019 at 12:12 PM

Sockerhög said:
What is on the upper floor above the beam? And where is the toilet on the upper floor in relation to the lower floor?

There is a "family room" on the upper floor above. The toilet is several meters away in relation to the kitchen door. Attaching the floor plan for the upper floor.

Sockerhög · 3 Aug 2019 at 1:03 PM

O ottoangel said:
There is a "family room" on the upper floor above. The toilet is several meters away in relation to the kitchen door. Attached are the plans for the upper floor.

But that's good. Bathroom and toilet are "heavy" rooms that need to be reinforced underneath.
Maybe it's an optical illusion, but in your photos, it looks like there is a small gap between the beam and the two standing studs to the right, at least on the one you want to remove. If that's the case and the beam is hanging on the two nails, it's also a sign that the stud isn't supporting much load...