Didn't use a lintel
Viksum
Posts: 10 Forumite
Hi, I'm new to all this, but, I've decided to try find some help before I go crazy. My husband knocked down the wall between the front room and dining room but didn't put a lintel in. He did this about 3 years ago and has always said it's not a load bearing wall so stop worrying. The wall does not go straight up to the top of the house, but is 2.5 m away from the wall upstairs. If anything was to fall through, would it of happened by now?Thanks.
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Yes, I expect that you would have started to see cracks, or had a collapse by now. Have a look for cracks across the (downstairs) ceiling and on the wall that is upstairs. Tap the wall upstairs to see if it is made of brick or if it is a stud wall. A stud wall will sound hollow, whereas a brick/block wall will sound very solid. If it is a stud wall, these are relatively light and do not need a brick wall beneath them.The comments I post are my personal opinion. While I try to check everything is correct before posting, I can and do make mistakes, so always try to check official information sources before relying on my posts.0
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The wall upstairs between the 2 bedrooms is brick 100%. There aren't any cracks on the downstairs ceiling, but the door frame in one of the bedrooms has always looked dropped even when we moved in 6 years ago. I sit here and dread anything crashing through. I've told him I want a wooden beam lintel as it would look nice but really to put my mind at rest.0
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I sit here and dread anything crashing through. I've told him I want a wooden beam lintel as it would look nice but really to put my mind at rest.
Does your husband have any experience or qualifications which enables him to know for sure whether a wall is loadbearing or not?
You don't need to be excessively alarmed, but if you have concerns then you really ought to get a structural engineer to look at it to put you mind at rest. A wooden beam might look nice, but it may make no difference to the structural stability of your home.
There are some myths to debunk here. Loadbearing is more complicated than just what kind of walls are above the one you are looking at - in structural stability terms, one wall may be providing lateral (sideways) support to another wall. Removing one wall - even if it isn't (vertical) loadbearing may weaken another wall. Also, a brick (but usually 'hollow' brick) wall might be constructed on a first floor with no wall below it - it sounds like what you have. The weight of that wall is transmitted by the joists to the neighbouring ground floor walls.
Again you don't need to panic, but although the house has remained standing for a length of time, it doesn't mean the removal of this wall hasn't caused a structural problem. It may be the case the building is able to withstand the static (fixed) forces, but now has weakened resistance to dynamic forces (e.g. the effect of wind pressure on a gable wall).
If your husband doesn't have the expertise to know what he was doing then you really ought to get a structural engineer's opinion."In the future, everyone will be rich for 15 minutes"0 -
If your husband doesn't have the expertise to know what he was doing then you really ought to get a structural engineer's opinion.
Without a structural report, the house will be pretty much unsaleable and may well invalidate any home insurance.Her courage will change the world.
Treasure the moments that you have. Savour them for as long as you can for they will never come back again.0 -
He used to work on building sites many years ago. Apparently he has done this many times. I did have someone else who works on a building site to double check all was ok and he said it was. Still a few years down the line something is niggling at me. If I was to put a lintel in now, would that be ok, or is it too late, as in damage could of already been done? If i was to phone a structural engineer, would he do the job? I'd have it done while hubby was at work!0
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As an outsider it is difficult to comment then. He might know exactly what he is doing, or could have left many houses structurally weakened. The issue is that you are unsure and it worries you. I suggest you won't be comfortable until you've had an answer from someone you are sure is giving a qualified view.He used to work on building sites many years ago. Apparently he has done this many times. I did have someone else who works on a building site to double check all was ok and he said it was. Still a few years down the line something is niggling at me.
It depends on the type of damage, but if there are no visible cracks then if there has been any damage so far it is more likely to be minor.If I was to put a lintel in now, would that be ok, or is it too late, as in damage could of already been done?
The bigger issue is that a lintel on it's own might not be sufficient, it might be necessary to rebuild part of the wall, and that is what a structural engineer would advise on.
There is a problem with this - if you do this behind your husband's back and the engineer says there is a problem, then how would you explain this to your husband. It is a difficult situation and one I'm not sure I can give very good advice on.If i was to phone a structural engineer, would he do the job? I'd have it done while hubby was at work!
"In the future, everyone will be rich for 15 minutes"0 -
I don't think structural engineers do the actual work. They give their professional opinion and write a report on the property examined. Then it's up to the homeowner to engage a competent builder to carry out whatever works have been identified by the structural engineer.0
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Your advice is spot on and just what I was looking for. You say, part of the wall might need rebuilding, he left 1 meter on each side of the wall so it's not completely fully down, this is where the plug sockets and light switch are. The gap is about 4/5 metres wide. Is that any help? I am sorry to go on but I've been waiting a long time to talk to someone about it.0
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I do apologise, this reply is for Each Penny0
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I'm sorry, I've just replied to you on Beenie. I'm rubbish at this!0
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