Timber framed wall removal

Luke1066 · 6 July 2018 at 3:14PM

Please excuse my lack of knowledge. I am after some advice regarding removal of an internal wall in a Timber framed house.

We are looking to remove the wall between the now kitchen and living room and putting a door opening into the garage which will eventually become a habitable space.

What are our first steps? should be reach out to a structural engineer or seek advice from building control?
I have attached the floor plan, do you think there will be any issues with our plan?
The red line is the wall to be removed and the yellow the new door opening.

any advice is appreciated.
yrd-png.144130

Furts · 7 July 2018 at 8:41AM

You need an Architect. Take just three examples which you may have overlooked. Your opening into your garage will reveal a step down with slab levels. So something needs doing here. Then your existing garage floor is a sloping floor - again something needs doing. Plus the kitchen diner giving steam and cooking smells throughout the home, then condensing on your patio doors etc. Something needs doing with ventilation.

Personally I believe your kitchen detail is wrong, But your Architect can advise on this.

The Architect will need a Structural Engineer to input your timber frame. Forum folks cannot guess the details of your first floor construction, nor how to carry these loads.

FreeBear · 7 July 2018 at 11:54AM

Furts wrote: »

Your opening into your garage will reveal a step down with slab levels.

The door will also need to be a fire door with good locks - Having access to the garage from the house may affect household insurance.

My insurers class a garage as an outbuilding and I ended up fitting a high security door. 15 point locking steel door, frame bolted in at multiple points, and anti-crowbar measures put in place.

Luke1066 · 9 July 2018 at 10:23AM

FreeBear wrote: »

The door will also need to be a fire door with good locks - Having access to the garage from the house may affect household insurance.

My insurers class a garage as an outbuilding and I ended up fitting a high security door. 15 point locking steel door, frame bolted in at multiple points, and anti-crowbar measures put in place.

The garage will be converted into a habitable space and will no longer used as garage.

Luke1066 · 9 July 2018 at 10:25AM

Furts wrote: »

You need an Architect. Take just three examples which you may have overlooked. Your opening into your garage will reveal a step down with slab levels. So something needs doing here. Then your existing garage floor is a sloping floor - again something needs doing. Plus the kitchen diner giving steam and cooking smells throughout the home, then condensing on your patio doors etc. Something needs doing with ventilation.

Personally I believe your kitchen detail is wrong, But your Architect can advise on this.

The Architect will need a Structural Engineer to input your timber frame. Forum folks cannot guess the details of your first floor construction, nor how to carry these loads.

The garage floor will be raised and levelled with a floating floor.
The kitchen will have extraction which vents to the outside

What do you mean by the Kitchen detail being wrong?

Furts · 9 July 2018 at 2:38PM

Luke1066 wrote: »

1)The garage floor will be raised and levelled with a floating floor.

2)The kitchen will have extraction which vents to the outside

3) What do you mean by the Kitchen detail being wrong?

Ref 1) do you have the knowledge to design and seek Buildings Regulations here?

2) Subject to Buildings Regulations, plus design on ducting, extract, and so on. Are you competent here?

3) You loose wall space and hence space for units. You also open up your home to cooking smells, and moisture. My take is what are you gaining by undertaking these negatives?

Hence my comment that you need an Architect on board.

Ozzuk · 9 July 2018 at 3:13PM

I'd check with building control on the garage conversion, I'm sure when I looked at it they said something about the floor needed to stay lower even when converted. Something to do with the damp level. Also need to check your walls are suitable in the garage, maybe they didn't build them the same as the rest of the house (damp course, insulation etc).

All things you can resolve though. I'd second the vote for an architect, its a really nasty layout so you wan't to get it right now, even if it costs extra.

Luke1066 · 9 July 2018 at 3:19PM

Furts wrote: »

Ref 1) do you have the knowledge to design and seek Buildings Regulations here?

2) Subject to Buildings Regulations, plus design on ducting, extract, and so on. Are you competent here?

3) You loose wall space and hence space for units. You also open up your home to cooking smells, and moisture. My take is what are you gaining by undertaking these negatives?

Hence my comment that you need an Architect on board.

1 & 2) Any amendments will be approved and signed of by building control.
3) Dealing with cooking smells is a personal choice and not necessarily a negative.
The purpose of the change is to create a large Kitchen/dining living space and the garage will become an additional reception room.

Ozzuk · 9 July 2018 at 3:33PM

Another thing to consider is how long do you see yourself living there? If you have been there a while and know how the property works for you, and know this layout will be better then crack on. However, if you are considering selling in a couple of years then be careful that what you are doing will not only cost you money in terms of the work, but could lower the house value as well (which is where an architect could help).

Just to back that up, my last house I developed I made open plan, I had a lot of negative comments from viewers. I made money, but I could have done less work, left it as it was and likely made the same if not more. Personally I love open plan, but not everyone does.

Timber framed wall removal

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free