Knocking down wall

MSaxp

Hello,

We are thinking of opening up the dining room to the kitchen, to create an open kitchen diner. The free part of the wall, that can be knocked down (between the kitchen door and the cupboards, is about 6ft)

The wall between them is a plasterboard wall (sounds quite hollow), but cant be sure if its load bearing or not.

While i am quite confident with DIY, this is a bit more than I can manage myself and need some assurance from a professional.

Our thinking is to to just open a double door opening (about 5ft), so that we have the option to install french doors if we want to have the option to separate the dining room for some occasion (or maybe next owners will like the option).

Just wanted any thoughts on this and some indication of cost, before i speak to builders for quotes. Is it something straightforawrd that will cost £500 or a tricky one that could be £2000?

Thanks,

Mike

cyclonebri1

If it's purely a stud wall then it won't be load bearing, but it could be dab and dash plaster over a block wall, that can also sound hollow.

For a builder maybe £500 just to open it up, but if it is a block wall then closer to a grand I guess.

It is basic DIY for anyone in the know and the worst option would only cost around £100.

Just ensure that if you intend to fit framed doors later, the finished size will take a readily available door set and frame + 1/2"

MSaxp

Thanks for this. Is there a standard width for a double door? I am finding frames in quite a few widths from 36'' to 60''

cyclonebri1

It's your choice, just go for a size that works for a gap and later a set of doors.

If you want 36 go 36 etc, but that's not a double door set in reality.

A look at mine suggest 5ft being a nice size from diner to lounge.

MSaxp

5ft sounds about right to be honest. Reasonable for an opening and not too bespoke to be an inconvenience.

I think i will start getting quotes from builders. I hope its not a load bearing wall. I dont see why it would be, given its position, but who knows. Depends what the cheapest option was, as that seems to be idea behind the whole build (Taylor Wimpey - 7 year old)

Installing the door frame and possibly closing off a doorway, I might attempt myself, but knocking down the wall sounds scary

tony6403

Generally , I agree with the above that it is unlikely to be load bearing.
But stud walls can be.
Have a look here for some belt and braces advice http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/load-bearing_walls.htm

Doozergirl

tony6403 wrote: »

Generally , I agree with the above that it is unlikely to be load bearing.
But stud walls can be.
Have a look here for some belt and braces advice http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/load-bearing_walls.htm

I agree. While the chance is relatively low, stud walls can be load bearing; we've come across it in a pretty new build this year. You should really check with a structural engineer first. Even for just a nod.

I've quoted against 'builders' who think building control don't need to be notified for major structural wall knock-outs, so be careful who you entrust.

Captaincodpiece

Do you know which way the floor boards run up stairs?

MSaxp

Thanks for all the useful advice.

Do you suggest i find a structural engineer and have him take a look? What is this likely to cost? And will he have to open up the wall to find out?

Is the load bearing question still relevant if you are not removing the full height and width of the wall? i.e. we only want to remove about half of the total wall width and not the full height.

I am sorry i dont know how to find out which way the floorboards go.

Captaincodpiece

Have a look at them would be the obvious way to find out. If the run the same way as the wall good bet it's not load bearing.

MSaxp

This is what it roughly looks like. The bit that I want to remove is the bit i marked with the red marker