Member
· Västra Götaland
· 16 posts
We have purchased a condominium built in 1946 where we are now planning to remove two closets to gain more space in the kitchen. From what we've heard from the condominium association, there are no drawings showing whether these are load-bearing or not. However, we believe they are not load-bearing, as there is a wall running through the entire apartment that is about 30 cm thick, and the ones we want to remove are 10-15 cm thick. They consist of concrete that is starting to come loose, and inside there is brick. My questions are:
1a. Do we need a structural engineer to look at the walls and say they can be removed, and if so, where can we find one (in Gothenburg) and how much does such a consultation cost?
1b. We probably don't need a building permit for this, unless they are load-bearing, right?
2. If we don't attempt to demolish them ourselves, we will ask a concrete cutting company to do this, is their assurance enough that it is not a load-bearing wall?
The reason for these questions is that if something happens, we want to cover our bases.
3. The concrete comes loose very easily, which is somewhat worrying. Is this normal, considering the age of the house? It crumbles when we drill into it, and you can even dig into it with a regular screwdriver... So, no real problem to remove them ourselves, apart from the dust and the question of how to get the debris and dust out of the apartment...
4. Inside one of the closets, there are old water pipes and an extension where we suspect the drainage runs through. Are we allowed to build over this with another wall, thus concealing the pipes and this extension to create an even wall? You can hear when people flush through the drain pipes, so we would like to add some soundproofing, as we will have our dining area there. Do we need to install inspection pipes on the water lines and a hatch, or can we just put up a wall?
5. Is renovation wallpaper sufficient to reinforce the concrete walls we plan to repaint? Or should we rather use renovation plasterboard? We don't want the walls to collapse in the end...
//Rookie at DIY:x
1a. Do we need a structural engineer to look at the walls and say they can be removed, and if so, where can we find one (in Gothenburg) and how much does such a consultation cost?
1b. We probably don't need a building permit for this, unless they are load-bearing, right?
2. If we don't attempt to demolish them ourselves, we will ask a concrete cutting company to do this, is their assurance enough that it is not a load-bearing wall?
The reason for these questions is that if something happens, we want to cover our bases.
3. The concrete comes loose very easily, which is somewhat worrying. Is this normal, considering the age of the house? It crumbles when we drill into it, and you can even dig into it with a regular screwdriver... So, no real problem to remove them ourselves, apart from the dust and the question of how to get the debris and dust out of the apartment...
4. Inside one of the closets, there are old water pipes and an extension where we suspect the drainage runs through. Are we allowed to build over this with another wall, thus concealing the pipes and this extension to create an even wall? You can hear when people flush through the drain pipes, so we would like to add some soundproofing, as we will have our dining area there. Do we need to install inspection pipes on the water lines and a hatch, or can we just put up a wall?
5. Is renovation wallpaper sufficient to reinforce the concrete walls we plan to repaint? Or should we rather use renovation plasterboard? We don't want the walls to collapse in the end...
//Rookie at DIY:x
It's not concrete, it's plaster on top of the brick, most likely.
A floor plan of the apartment today, with the walls you plan to demolish marked, would help.
If there are no connections on the water pipes, it is allowed to build over them. Drainage is also fully allowed.
A floor plan of the apartment today, with the walls you plan to demolish marked, would help.
If there are no connections on the water pipes, it is allowed to build over them. Drainage is also fully allowed.
Go to the municipality's urban planning office, where there should be blueprints of your house. Bring the property name and address. From the blueprints, a structural engineer can immediately tell if the wall is load-bearing. Printing blueprints at the urban planning office usually costs about 10-20:-/print.
Member
· Västra Götaland
· 16 posts
Thanks for the answers I've received so far! Yes, I should probably check with the city planning office. However, it is the drawings that do not show whether they are load-bearing or not, according to the housing association. But a structural engineer might still be able to determine that.
Where can one find a structural engineer to perform such an inspection for an ordinary private individual? The ones I have found seem to only deal with large constructions...
As I said, I strongly doubt that they are load-bearing, but if you have no experience with renovating yourself, you want to be on the safe side before you start tearing down...
Where can one find a structural engineer to perform such an inspection for an ordinary private individual? The ones I have found seem to only deal with large constructions...
As I said, I strongly doubt that they are load-bearing, but if you have no experience with renovating yourself, you want to be on the safe side before you start tearing down...
Member
· Västra Götaland
· 16 posts
So, I have been to the City Planning Office and become a bit wiser! Even I, who have no clue about these things, seem to see that it's a green light to demolish. But as I said, I'm not taking any risks, so tomorrow I will go back to the City Planning Office as there apparently will be a building consultant on site. But I am attaching a Word file with explanations, to get your opinions as well.
P.S. Where on the forum can I find the definition of members' gradings, for example, what is a Forum God, what does it mean? A member since time immemorial or a professional? The word Newcomer, on the other hand, is self-explanatory...
P.S. Where on the forum can I find the definition of members' gradings, for example, what is a Forum God, what does it mean? A member since time immemorial or a professional? The word Newcomer, on the other hand, is self-explanatory...
Forum gods are those who reach a certain number of posts, I believe it's 1000. It can be anyone, knowledgeable or unknowledgeable about things. What counts is the number of posts. I see that you, for example, have 997 posts remaining until you receive this eminent nerd distinction.
Member
· Västra Götaland
· 16 posts
Well, we were back at the City Planning Office today, but once again we didn't get any clearer. The construction consultant couldn't give us a certificate stating that the walls are not load-bearing, even though he immediately saw that they aren't. But since it's an old house, he didn't dare promise that it's risk-free to demolish them. So he recommended we hire a construction consultant if we want to be sure.
The problem is that the lady who lived here before made an opening between the two apartments in a load-bearing wall. We didn't find any building permit for this, so we suspect she did it unofficially. Since this was done in the 60s, it's now past the statute of limitations. How this affects the rest of the residence is a big question.
So, now it seems we still need to bring in a construction consultant, who I assume will charge a couple of thousand to walk around and knock on the walls, only to then say he can't provide a certificate for such an old house...
The only question remaining is still whether we can demolish these walls. As soon as we get the green light, we'll take them down ourselves. Does anyone have experience with construction consultants or any other tips?
The problem is that the lady who lived here before made an opening between the two apartments in a load-bearing wall. We didn't find any building permit for this, so we suspect she did it unofficially. Since this was done in the 60s, it's now past the statute of limitations. How this affects the rest of the residence is a big question.
So, now it seems we still need to bring in a construction consultant, who I assume will charge a couple of thousand to walk around and knock on the walls, only to then say he can't provide a certificate for such an old house...
The only question remaining is still whether we can demolish these walls. As soon as we get the green light, we'll take them down ourselves. Does anyone have experience with construction consultants or any other tips?
Member
· Västra Götaland
· 16 posts
Anyone know a construction consultant in Gothenburg that an ordinary private individual can turn to? I've searched on Eniro, but the ones I find seem to mostly deal with huge construction projects...
Member
· Västra Götaland
· 16 posts
Ha ha ha! Yes, I will probably end up in this category anyway, with all the questions I will have when I renovate. However, I won't be able to call myself knowledgeable, as it sounds from the name... ;o)
