Removing Load Bearing Wall

kroos

Hello

We are looking to remove the internal wall to make a through lounge. Our house is a semi detached house.

One of the builder has come around today to have a look and he said it’s possible but he needs to leave 150mm pillars on each side support the rsj and the rsj will hang from the top i.e. we won’t have 1 flat ceiling. The ceilings will still be split into 2.

The wall is load bearing wall. Is there a way to put the raj with no pillars on the side as they will look odd.

Any advice welcome.

Thanks

FreeBear

kroos wrote: »

The wall is load bearing wall. Is there a way to put the raj with no pillars on the side as they will look odd.

Simple answer - No.

The RSJ needs at least 150mm of solid brickwork to rest on, and the piers either side will buttress the remaining walls. That said, 150mm is the absolute minimum - You will of course be getting a structural engineer in to do the necessary calculations. He may well specify a greater length of wall.

Don't forget that this work will need to be signed off by local building control and they will want to see the calculations from the engineer.

naf123

In some cases, it may be possible to bury the rsj into the ceiling. Again, a engineer is best placed to advise and maybe get a 2nd builder to have a look.. Bury in ceiling isn't always simple e.g re-routing pipes and cables.

paddy's_mum

kroos wrote: »

no pillars on the side as they will look odd

Won't it look exactly the same as almost every other house that has had two rooms knocked into one open plan space ie normal?

Perhaps googling images of dining room/lounge conversion will show you just how non-odd it actually is?

Davesnave

Of course it's possible to bury the RSJ in the ceiling; we did it when re-designing our kitchen, but we live in a bungalow, so there were no repercussions for the rooms above and there was other structural work going on.

In building just about anything you want can be achieved, but there is usually a compromise between price and style. As the poster above said, look at what others have done and try to work out how best to blend in the feature you'd rather not have.

malc_b

Yes you can remove the pillars but is it more costly. You need need to make a bearing surface in the end wall so you have to open that up, maybe have to insert a pad stone. Ideally you'd have a 150mm wide lintel as then rather than 100x150mm bearing you'd have 150x100mm bearing so makes it simpler argument. You're also opening the cavity so need to protect the end of the beam and the builders need to avoid dropping stuff down the cavity which could cause damp. The party wall is more of a problem (if the other side goes into the party wall that is). Is it just one course? Or does it have a cavity? Either way you'd need next door's agreement and they may no be keen.



You don't say if the floor joints will run across the beam or parallel to it. Parallel makes it simpler to hide the beam in the floor space. If the joists run across then you need to add timber and joist hangers to the beam to carry the joists each side.


So yes it can be done but it sounds like you need a better builder and it might need next door's agreement. Plus it would cost more.

ariba10

You could put a false ceiling below the existing ceiling if you have enough headroom.?.

kroos

Hi

We’ve already spoken to the neighbours and they have no issues with us getting work done.
The joists will be parallel to the RSJ.

Putting in a false ceiling to hide the RSJ is no go for us the ceiling height is not that much.

We are going to get another builder in to have a look.

Thanks

stator

Don't get another builder, get someone who is qualified instead.

Builders are not structural engineers.

If you keep asking builders until you get the answer you want, you will end up with an unsafe builder who is willing to do anything for cash.

Doozergirl

kroos wrote: »

Hi

We’ve already spoken to the neighbours and they have no issues with us getting work done.
The joists will be parallel to the RSJ.

Putting in a false ceiling to hide the RSJ is no go for us the ceiling height is not that much.

We are going to get another builder in to have a look.

Thanks

It's the structural engineer that advises you on this and it's them that you should be calling out first. They will explain exactly what would have to be done in order to make it all 'disappear'. And no builder should be touching the job without specifications, regardless of which method you choose.

We work on high end developments and even we don't bury the RSJs in the ceiling as the cost is prohibitive and actually no one really notices because it is what 99.9% of people do.

I'd rather spend a few thousand on some gorgeous fitted furniture to disguise the pier than trying to sink a few more cm into the walls. And it will be £1000s, not £100s.

tonyh66

kroos wrote: »

Hi

We’ve already spoken to the neighbours and they have no issues with us getting work done.
The joists will be parallel to the RSJ.

Putting in a false ceiling to hide the RSJ is no go for us the ceiling height is not that much.

We are going to get another builder in to have a look.

Thanks

If the joists are running parallel to RSJ, what is the load bearing wall holding up?