Hello,
we have purchased a prefabricated house that has been standing since 1979 and has basically remained unchanged since then.
This means we have to undertake a full renovation: kitchen, bathrooms, floors, ceilings, walls, heating...
The prefabricated house consists of a concrete foundation with prefabricated components built on top. Interior walls are 10 cm (4 inches) thick, exterior walls are 14 cm (5.5 inches) plus plaster and brick tiles.
My question concerns the interior walls. There is a wall between the dining room and living room that we would like to remove. Unfortunately, I am not sure if this is so simple from a structural point of view.
I have all the documents, including those from the structural engineer (from back then). I understand what he calculated there, but I can’t interpret it.
The documents show how the walls are constructed and installed, as well as how much load they carry. In the case of the wall in question, these are:
g = 18.09 kN/m (kilonewtons per meter)
or “with loggia”:
g = 25.8 kN/m (kilonewtons per meter).
I don’t know what to make of these values or how they affect my project.
Can you help me? Can I remove the wall?
Regards, xola
we have purchased a prefabricated house that has been standing since 1979 and has basically remained unchanged since then.
This means we have to undertake a full renovation: kitchen, bathrooms, floors, ceilings, walls, heating...
The prefabricated house consists of a concrete foundation with prefabricated components built on top. Interior walls are 10 cm (4 inches) thick, exterior walls are 14 cm (5.5 inches) plus plaster and brick tiles.
My question concerns the interior walls. There is a wall between the dining room and living room that we would like to remove. Unfortunately, I am not sure if this is so simple from a structural point of view.
I have all the documents, including those from the structural engineer (from back then). I understand what he calculated there, but I can’t interpret it.
The documents show how the walls are constructed and installed, as well as how much load they carry. In the case of the wall in question, these are:
g = 18.09 kN/m (kilonewtons per meter)
or “with loggia”:
g = 25.8 kN/m (kilonewtons per meter).
I don’t know what to make of these values or how they affect my project.
Can you help me? Can I remove the wall?
Regards, xola
T
toxicmolotof21 Jun 2016 15:26Someone can probably move it, but no one can reliably help you.
If the wall is included in the structural analysis, it is first and foremost a load-bearing wall.
To what extent this wall can have openings or what replacement measures are necessary, no one can guess.
Take the documents to a structural engineer and pay for advice there.
Anything else is a risk to health and safety.
If the wall is included in the structural analysis, it is first and foremost a load-bearing wall.
To what extent this wall can have openings or what replacement measures are necessary, no one can guess.
Take the documents to a structural engineer and pay for advice there.
Anything else is a risk to health and safety.
xola123 schrieb:
Can you help me? Can I remove the wall?You can only get help if you visit a structural engineer with all your documents. They will tell you whether your plan is feasible and if you need to take any support measures.
They will most likely provide this information in writing and send you an invoice that you will have to pay.
This way, you will be on the safe side.
Okay, I think I understand the situation so far.
Can we clarify a few basic questions?
All walls, both interior and exterior, are constructed (from inside to outside) with a 70mm (3-inch) thick softwood frame, covered on both sides with 16mm (0.63-inch) V20 chipboard panels as sheathing, and finished with 9.5mm (0.37-inch) drywall. The inner cavities are filled with mineral wool insulation.
Can walls like these actually be load-bearing? I don’t even trust the exterior walls to properly carry any significant load with this setup.
In the structural calculations, every single wall on every floor is considered. That would mean every wall is structurally important. That can’t be right.
I have heard that spans of 6 running meters (about 20 feet) can be crossed without supports (like columns or walls) — is that true?
The roof is constructed so that its weight (plus wind and possibly water/snow) theoretically only acts on the exterior walls — there are no columns, beams, or similar elements in the attic connecting the roof to the floor below. Therefore, the walls on the ground floor only support the weight of the ceiling, which consists of joists, chipboard panels, and mineral wool. This seems like a good chance to remove a wall safely, or am I missing something?
Best regards,
xola
Can we clarify a few basic questions?
All walls, both interior and exterior, are constructed (from inside to outside) with a 70mm (3-inch) thick softwood frame, covered on both sides with 16mm (0.63-inch) V20 chipboard panels as sheathing, and finished with 9.5mm (0.37-inch) drywall. The inner cavities are filled with mineral wool insulation.
Can walls like these actually be load-bearing? I don’t even trust the exterior walls to properly carry any significant load with this setup.
In the structural calculations, every single wall on every floor is considered. That would mean every wall is structurally important. That can’t be right.
I have heard that spans of 6 running meters (about 20 feet) can be crossed without supports (like columns or walls) — is that true?
The roof is constructed so that its weight (plus wind and possibly water/snow) theoretically only acts on the exterior walls — there are no columns, beams, or similar elements in the attic connecting the roof to the floor below. Therefore, the walls on the ground floor only support the weight of the ceiling, which consists of joists, chipboard panels, and mineral wool. This seems like a good chance to remove a wall safely, or am I missing something?
Best regards,
xola
N
nordanney21 Jun 2016 16:35xola123 schrieb:
Actually good chances for a safe removal of the wall, or am I missing something? Yes, the fact that neither you nor we are structural engineers who can seriously answer that question.
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