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Bielieboy14 Oct 2015 16:34Hello,
about three years ago, we purchased a timber-framed house (built in ’92) and are now gradually renovating it to suit our needs.
The attic is mostly finished, and the basement / ground floor (Ytong blocks) is roughly complete as well. The only remaining part is the middle floor / upper floor (timber frame construction).
Since I’m not completely satisfied with the floor plan on the middle floor, I’d like to remove or shorten several walls there. I’m pretty sure that two of the three walls are just “decorative” (simple room dividers) and can be removed without any concerns. However, the third wall gives me some pause.
It runs through the center of the building, and there is a load-bearing wall directly below it in the basement. Whether this wall only supports the middle floor or also the wall above is unknown to us. This lack of knowledge is a major problem because none of the companies involved in the original construction still exist, and the available building plans unfortunately provide no clear information (only a simplified floor plan).
We have good contact with the previous owners and builders, but unfortunately, they can only offer vague answers when it comes to technical details.
So my question is: how can I, as a layperson, identify a load-bearing timber frame wall? (Before the whole place collapses… 🙄)
In this context, it would also be important to know how critical it is to remove the cladding from this wall. I don’t want to accidentally remove a stabilizing element of the wall… Or are all internal walls in timber frame construction just decorative, while the load rests solely on individual posts or studs?
The given thickness of this wall is 194mm (about 7.6 inches), while the other two walls (and those already removed in the attic) are only 125mm (about 5 inches).
Please don’t misunderstand my questions. I have already consulted so-called “experts” here locally (potentially to involve them in the renovation), but they generally refrain from making any statements because they “weren’t involved in the original construction” and the follow-up costs “are unpredictable” (to put it kindly).
So it looks like it’s “do-it-yourself” for us when it comes to the renovation. I want to emphasize that this is a renovation, not a demolition...
Thanks in advance for your help.
Marco
about three years ago, we purchased a timber-framed house (built in ’92) and are now gradually renovating it to suit our needs.
The attic is mostly finished, and the basement / ground floor (Ytong blocks) is roughly complete as well. The only remaining part is the middle floor / upper floor (timber frame construction).
Since I’m not completely satisfied with the floor plan on the middle floor, I’d like to remove or shorten several walls there. I’m pretty sure that two of the three walls are just “decorative” (simple room dividers) and can be removed without any concerns. However, the third wall gives me some pause.
It runs through the center of the building, and there is a load-bearing wall directly below it in the basement. Whether this wall only supports the middle floor or also the wall above is unknown to us. This lack of knowledge is a major problem because none of the companies involved in the original construction still exist, and the available building plans unfortunately provide no clear information (only a simplified floor plan).
We have good contact with the previous owners and builders, but unfortunately, they can only offer vague answers when it comes to technical details.
So my question is: how can I, as a layperson, identify a load-bearing timber frame wall? (Before the whole place collapses… 🙄)
In this context, it would also be important to know how critical it is to remove the cladding from this wall. I don’t want to accidentally remove a stabilizing element of the wall… Or are all internal walls in timber frame construction just decorative, while the load rests solely on individual posts or studs?
The given thickness of this wall is 194mm (about 7.6 inches), while the other two walls (and those already removed in the attic) are only 125mm (about 5 inches).
Please don’t misunderstand my questions. I have already consulted so-called “experts” here locally (potentially to involve them in the renovation), but they generally refrain from making any statements because they “weren’t involved in the original construction” and the follow-up costs “are unpredictable” (to put it kindly).
So it looks like it’s “do-it-yourself” for us when it comes to the renovation. I want to emphasize that this is a renovation, not a demolition...
Thanks in advance for your help.
Marco
Bielieboy schrieb:
I am convinced that this is just for "show".Bielieboy schrieb:
This is beyond our knowledge.Bielieboy schrieb:
In any case, *the knowledge* is a huge problem.Bielieboy schrieb:
How can I, as a layperson,Bielieboy schrieb:
rely on supposed "experts" from around hereBielieboy schrieb:
"do it yourself".Do you notice what I mean? Maybe it’s time to call someone who actually knows about this—a structural engineer. They can bring clarity to the guesswork; anything else would be wrong.
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Bielieboy14 Oct 2015 23:12You are probably right, but there’s no need to state the obvious when there is a simple identifying feature that could have been found out by asking.
From what I have read so far, our building regulations require many things to be proven with certificates, identification numbers, etc. — maybe it’s similar with these kinds of matters.
Until now, I’ve been lucky that someone on the construction site could always help me. If that’s not the case this time, I won’t be able to avoid consulting that mathematician — I’m already at that point.
Thanks anyway.
From what I have read so far, our building regulations require many things to be proven with certificates, identification numbers, etc. — maybe it’s similar with these kinds of matters.
Until now, I’ve been lucky that someone on the construction site could always help me. If that’s not the case this time, I won’t be able to avoid consulting that mathematician — I’m already at that point.
Thanks anyway.
There are only indications, no clear features. Hiring anyone other than a structural engineer would be dangerously speculative!
In our new build, we also had the structural engineer calculate the load for our waterbed. It didn't change the structural design, but it has to be done.
In our new build, we also had the structural engineer calculate the load for our waterbed. It didn't change the structural design, but it has to be done.
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