I want to open up between the hall and living room in my condominium. I have contacted the board and ordered construction drawings from the municipality. From what I can read from the construction drawings, only a small part of the wall, about 30 cm, is load-bearing.
I am in contact with a construction firm that says they do not recommend demolishing a load-bearing wall without making a load transfer, but I think it should matter how much of a load-bearing wall you demolish? Anyone with experience who knows how it works? It is about 30 cm at the end of an approximately 100-meter-long load-bearing wall.
Attached are pictures of the construction drawing, floor plan, and a picture of the door itself where I have marked in red the part that is load-bearing.
I am in contact with a construction firm that says they do not recommend demolishing a load-bearing wall without making a load transfer, but I think it should matter how much of a load-bearing wall you demolish? Anyone with experience who knows how it works? It is about 30 cm at the end of an approximately 100-meter-long load-bearing wall.
Attached are pictures of the construction drawing, floor plan, and a picture of the door itself where I have marked in red the part that is load-bearing.
Mats-S
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Mats-S
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What is the material in the wall between the door and the adjoining wall to the right in the picture?
As it appears in the upper drawing, it is a load-bearing concrete wall that extends to the door frame(?)
Very hesitant to remove it, it likely has to do with the bearing of the floor above, and thus the reinforcement in the slab above is connected to that piece. That it is 100 meters long doesn't matter, it's the function of the last 30 cm that is crucial here.
One can speculate whether it might be possible to cut it up to the top of the door frame, and then keep the rest that protrudes towards the door frame... but nothing I can determine here
As it appears in the upper drawing, it is a load-bearing concrete wall that extends to the door frame(?)
Very hesitant to remove it, it likely has to do with the bearing of the floor above, and thus the reinforcement in the slab above is connected to that piece. That it is 100 meters long doesn't matter, it's the function of the last 30 cm that is crucial here.
One can speculate whether it might be possible to cut it up to the top of the door frame, and then keep the rest that protrudes towards the door frame... but nothing I can determine here
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Mats-S
Construction veteran
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Mats-S
Construction veteran
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I think it's more likely that it's lightweight concrete above and on the left side of the door, it looks that way when you check the drawing, and you mention that it is "more hollow".I IzabellaS said:
You probably need a more specific answer from someone knowledgeable in construction, who can calculate loads, etc. It could also be that the piece extending to the left side of the door serves as a counterfort (buttress), it's the same solution for the apartment on the left.
But you need to check with someone who KNOWS, I'm just speculating
How can you tell the difference between lightweight concrete and regular concrete? When you knock on the wall to the right of the door, it's completely solid, the same above the door. On the left, it sounds more hollow, which is why I think it's the same material above the door as to the right.I rather think that it's lightweight concrete above and on the left side of the door, it looks that way when you check the drawing, and since you say it's more "hollow".
You need to get a more concrete answer from someone knowledgeable in construction, who can calculate loads, etc. It might also be that the short piece that goes up to the left side of the door functions as a buttress, it's the same solution in the apartment to the left.
But you need to check with someone who KNOWS, I'm just speculating
But if it's a bad idea to touch the load-bearing wall on the right, do you think it's still possible to open up to the ceiling on the rest of the wall? (Blue marking in attached image)
As I said, I'm in contact with a construction company that has also reviewed all the drawings, which I will ultimately rely on. I'm mainly writing here to hear others' opinions/experiences.
One can assume that the wall segment is not there by chance. Unfortunately, the reinforcement drawing does not provide a good explanation. Is there something in the attic that could justify the wall's existence? There are several wall stiffeners nearby whose purpose one does not understand.
I would guess that it has something to do with something in the attic, e.g., an air handling unit. It is very possible that the wall stub can be removed without a beam but this requires a deep dive into all the plans. A beam won't be an aesthetic experience.
When you say it won't be a "beauty experience," do you mean practically, economically, or aesthetically? If it turns out to be too demanding a job, do you think it's possible to open up the wall to the ceiling where it is not load-bearing (blue marking on the above pictures), or do you think the door frame serves some function in carrying the load?J justusandersson said:
I have hired a firm for the upcoming renovation that would also have carried out any support beam installation. But I'm trying to decide if it's worth the headache or if I should just leave it as is.
By "beauty experience" I mean aesthetically. It is perfectly fine to open up to the ceiling after the blue mark.
Thank you very much for all your answers, I feel a bit more prepared now.J justusandersson said:
One last question that you might be able to answer, do I need to make a notification to the municipality when I open up to the ceiling? Or is approval from my board enough when it's not about load-bearing structures?
You don't need to involve the municipality. Whether you need to ask the board depends on the rules within your association. It's not a load-bearing wall.