Hello
I have a wall that I want to take down, I'm quite sure it's load-bearing. The house is built of wood, from the 50s, with an upper floor and a basement.
I'm planning to build a new wall about 500 mm to one side and another one 700 mm to the other side, as it will become a bathroom.
I don't think they can bear the load since they are positioned outside the wall in the basement, I assume the load from the load-bearing wall is there precisely because it rests on the wall in the basement.
So I'll need to offload it with a glulam beam or steel I-beam, the ceiling is high (2500 mm), so there is room.
The first picture shows how the wall looks, and the second picture shows how I plan to offload it.
Blue = Larger stud 95x95 mm, the remaining studs are 58x46 mm, clad with rough boards on both sides.
Black = new studs (pillars)
Red = new beam, 2700 mm
Far left in the picture stands the chimney.
The question is what dimensions should I aim for? I think it's better to go a bit bigger.
I have a wall that I want to take down, I'm quite sure it's load-bearing. The house is built of wood, from the 50s, with an upper floor and a basement.
I'm planning to build a new wall about 500 mm to one side and another one 700 mm to the other side, as it will become a bathroom.
I don't think they can bear the load since they are positioned outside the wall in the basement, I assume the load from the load-bearing wall is there precisely because it rests on the wall in the basement.
So I'll need to offload it with a glulam beam or steel I-beam, the ceiling is high (2500 mm), so there is room.
The first picture shows how the wall looks, and the second picture shows how I plan to offload it.
Blue = Larger stud 95x95 mm, the remaining studs are 58x46 mm, clad with rough boards on both sides.
Black = new studs (pillars)
Red = new beam, 2700 mm
Far left in the picture stands the chimney.
The question is what dimensions should I aim for? I think it's better to go a bit bigger.
I would say that there is too little information to know the appropriate dimensions as it also depends on things like the weight of the roof, snow zone, etc.
Intervention in load-bearing structures should normally be reported to the municipality, which must approve it before the demolition begins.
Intervention in load-bearing structures should normally be reported to the municipality, which must approve it before the demolition begins.
Overall, it looks weak to be a load-bearing wall...
Possibly you have a load-bearing column (where you yourself thought of placing a column) but I don't see anything else that looks sturdy enough to be load-bearing...
Do you have any drawings of the house?
Possibly you have a load-bearing column (where you yourself thought of placing a column) but I don't see anything else that looks sturdy enough to be load-bearing...
Do you have any drawings of the house?
As mentioned, you need an engineer before proceeding, but the conditions looked essentially identical from what I can see in your pictures of a place where I did the same maneuver and we had a very good engineer involved. It's a plank wall, and the floor joists seem to run across the wall, making it most likely load-bearing. Snow zone affects the dimension.
If you're only opening between the blue line and the right black one you've drawn, there's probably no reason to extend the beam to the left, as the beam only supports the opening—unless there are practical reasons.
Otherwise, just brace on each side; the brace should ideally stand on double planks over most of the length you're removing. Place them so you can securely insert the beam later, or lay the beam inside against the brace first. Dismantle carefully and be alert if the saw pinches — that's a sign there's load on the wall.
But again, contact an engineer to get a calculation.
If you're only opening between the blue line and the right black one you've drawn, there's probably no reason to extend the beam to the left, as the beam only supports the opening—unless there are practical reasons.
Otherwise, just brace on each side; the brace should ideally stand on double planks over most of the length you're removing. Place them so you can securely insert the beam later, or lay the beam inside against the brace first. Dismantle carefully and be alert if the saw pinches — that's a sign there's load on the wall.
But again, contact an engineer to get a calculation.