Cost of structural engineer to check if wall is load-bearing?

pinkteapot

Does anyone know roughly how much a structural engineer is likely to charge to come out and check if a wall is load-bearing?

My mum wants to take the wall out between her kitchen and dining room. First builder to quote said it was load-bearing, would need architect/building regs, RSJ and a bit of wall left running down the side walls. He said that after lifting the carpet upstairs and seeing chipboard underneath.

Second builder said that was nonsense - you don't know for sure till you look under the chipboard. He suspected it was non load-bearing based on depth and construction.

As soon as he'd left, my brother who is a plumber and was round at the time whipped out his circular saw and cut holes in the chipboard. Underneath they found that the joists in the ceiling run parallel to the wall (not across it) which builder #2 had said would mean the wall wasn't load-bearing.

My mum took a picture of the holes and sent them to my brother's friend who's a structural engineer. Grainy mobile photos but he said it would be "very unusual" if it was load-bearing.

Of course my brother now wants to take his hammer to the wall.

Mum's nervous, having never done structural work to a house before. I said that for her peace of mind, and also to have as evidence if she sells the house, she could get a structural engineer to come out, look in the holes that have already been made, and write a letter/report saying whether it is or isn't load-bearing. I didn't think it'd cost too much to do this?

What would you do?

SilverSaloon

If they run parallel to the wall then no the wall probably wont be load bearing.

What is the wall constructed of? if its stud work then extreemly unlikley its load bearing either. if its brick then possibly.

Hard to give advise on a forum, so best advise i can give is to get a structual engineer round. I found one which was £40 cash in hand to look at several things i needed to know - and he gave me drawings and a site visit for that.

if it is load bearing, you will need a bit of wall either side to sit the RSJ on, padstones

EDIT: Personally, get your mums Structial engineer to do a very quick visit to put your mind at rest and then get the hammer out.

ds1980

woah hold up!

while im all for money saving and SE do v little for a lot i would be careful as results can be catastrophic although you need to be pretty daft to get to that stage.

im pretty sure you wont get one for £40 but if you can and theyre qualified then its a no brainer.

Best idea is draw an accurate plan of the ground and 1 st floor then post on a forum this or a.nother and someone will / should be able to advise.

gl

fluffymuffy

The potential liability on a Structural Engineer is so huge that it is reflected in their Professional Indemnity insurance premiums. I would be mighty suspicious of one who charged £40 cash in hand. Also, seeking to evade tax would be enough to have them struck off from their professional body - membership of which is crucial to maintaining their PI insurance, without which they cannot practice.

pinkteapot

Wall is single skin breeze block, not just a stud wall, which made me a bit suspicious!

I've pointed out just how many questions get asked when you sell a house these days, so it would be well worth her having a letter/basic report from an engineer saying "it wasn't load-bearing".

She only bought the house a few months ago so she's going to speak to her surveyor for an engineer recommendation.

fluffymuffy

Loadbearing can work sideways too. Sometimes a solid wall which isn't carrying weight is a shear wall designed to stabilise the structure. This is especially true of timber framed houses - some have a solid bit to stop the lot from flat-packing in a strong wind.